Page Text: January 2006
IVAW hosts an Organizer Training in Philadelphia, PA.
As IVAW’s membership begins to grow, the decision is made to begin developing chapters across the country in an effort to connect members to one another.
Four Regional Coordinators are assigned the task of assisting with chapter development across four areas of the country.
As chapter development gets underway, IVAW’s primary focus remains on filling speaking requests and participating in actions across the country in an effort to get IVAW’s message out to the public and attract new members.
February 2006
IVAW’s first chapter is formed in Colorado Springs, followed by our second chapter in NYC.
March 2006
IVAW marches to New Orleans.
April 2006
Chapter 3 formed in Central NY
March for Peace, Justice and Democracy, NYC
May 2006
Chapter 4 formed in Atlanta, GA
Silence of the Dead, Voices of the Living, DC
June 2006
Chapter 5 formed in Toronto, Canada
August 2006
First IVAW national meeting held at the VFP Convention in Seattle; Board of Directors is elected.
September 2006
Chapter 7 formed in Madison, WI
First all-member board meeting called in Philadelphia
October 2006
Chapter 8 and 9 formed in Seattle, WA and Washington, D.C.
November 2006
Executive Director moves to the national office in Philadelphia.
Chapter 10 formed in the Bay Area, CA
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2007
In the beginning of 2007, the decision is made to capitalize on IVAW’s growing membership and chapter/regional development by calling four regional strategy sessions to allow members to discuss where we wanted IVAW to focus our efforts.
First National Strategy Session held in Philadelphia
West Coast Strategy Retreat held in Los Angeles
Midwest/Mountain Strategy Retreat held in Chicago
Northeast Strategy Retreat held in Laurel, MD
Members in the strategy sessions decide to shift our focus from participating in other organizations’ events to undertaking actions of our own as we organize to further IVAW’s strategy to end the war.
Operation First Casualty
Truth-in-Recruiting and Befriend-a-Recruiter
Active Duty outreach and GI resistance are highlighted as areas where IVAW members can have the greatest impact in bringing down the war machine.
Active Duty chapter building
IVAW Active Duty bus tours – Active Duty outreach
Chapter-building and Regional Development remain important areas of focus as we continuously work to build our membership and organizational capacity.
The members also developed a grand strategy:
Our goal is to end the war by organizing soldiers and veterans to withdraw their support for the war from within the military. IVAW hopes to accomplish this end by building a movement of soldiers and veterans who work together strategically to end the war. Organizing is key!
January 2007
Chapter 11 founded in Olympia, WA
February 2007
IVAW member Lt. Ehren Watada charged with refusing to deploy and speaking out against the war; mis-trial.
Chapter 12 formed in Chicago, IL
IVAW member Spc. Mark Wilkerson charged with desertion and missing movement; 7-month sentence.
March 2007
IVAW member Spc. Agustin Aguayo charged with desertion and missing movement; 8-month sentence.
Operation First Casualty, Washington DC
Chapter 13 formed in Denver, CO
Membership reaches 400
Chapter 14, our first active duty chapter, formed at Fort Drum, NY
Chapter 15 formed in Burlington, VT
Chapter 16 formed in Philadelphia, PA
May 2007
Chapter 17 formed in Boston, MA
June 2007
Chapter 18, our second active duty chapter, formed at Fort Meade, MD
Chapter 19 formed in Eastern North Carolina
Chapter 20 formed in Kansas City, MO
July 2007
IVAW Active Duty Bus Tour hits the East Coast, traveling throughout the South, up the East Coast, and ending in Fort Drum, NY.
August 2007
Over 90 IVAW members come to St. Louis, MO for this year’s VFP Convention, marking the largest gathering of IVAW members to date.
IVAW participation in this year’s convention marks a stark contrast to previous years as our members moved from simply participating in the convention to leading presentations and trainings rooted in IVAW strategy.
Active duty organizing, chapter-building, lateral communication, and building a common orientation towards the strategy amongst all members are highlighted.
Over 70 members participate in the “War is not a game” action.
Chapter 21 formed in San Diego, CA
Chapter 22 formed in Minneapolis, MN
September 2007
Chapter 23 formed in Central Illinois
Chapter 24 formed in Manchester, NH
October 2007
This month marked our greatest climb in IVAW’s chapter-building history as members founded five new chapters across the country
Chapter 25 formed in Cleveland, OH
Chapter 26 formed in Oklahoma City, OK
Chapter 27 formed in Asheville, NC
Chapter 28 formed in Austin, TX
Chapter 29 formed in Miami, FL
Novembers 2007
Chapter 30 formed in Providence, RI
Chapter 31 formed in Gainesville, FL
December 2007
Winter Soldier Planning Committee holds its first in-person meeting in Philadelphia, PA.
Midwest Organizing Retreat is held in Chicago in preparation for Winter Soldier.
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2008
Throughout 2008 IVAW grew exponentially, doubling in both members and chapters. Twenty-six new IVAW chapters were formed across the United States. This is that largest expansion of members and chapters in one year to date. This growth was due in large part to the success of Winter Soldier and the protests at the DNC and RNC. Local chapters and regions also organized their own actions, speak outs, guard towers, and Winter Soldier Testimonies.
New Chapters in 2008 included:
Chapter 32 Bellingham, WA