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PHYSICIANS FOR SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY INC

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Dear Friends,

The Iraq Veterans' Refugee Aid Association (IVRAA) is a newly established non-profit organization set up by two veterans of the Iraq war, former Marine Capt. Tyler Boudreau and former Army Capt. Luis Carlos Montalván.
 
IVRAA will launch its first humanitarian mission in August, when Boudreau and Montalván will travel to Jordan to gauge, from a point of view untainted by politics or muffled by censorship, the plight of nearly one million Iraqis who have sought refuge from the devastation in their homeland.
 
Boudreau and Montalván, who between them completed three tours of duty in Iraq and have 29 years' experience in the US military, will use information gathered during the mission to educate the public as to the urgency of the humanitarian crisis facing Iraqi refugees, and to determine how best to help them.
 
 
 
 

The two founders of IVRAA recently co-authored opinion articles about the Iraqi humanitarian crisis that were published in The International Herald Tribune and The Seattle Times. 

They will author articles and hold media briefings during the trip and afterwards, aimed at boosting awareness of a side of the Iraq war that has long been overlooked, if not ignored: the mass displacement of the Iraqi people which has resulted in their loss of humanity and dignity.

Using their credentials as former officers with first-hand experience of the war, and accompanied by journalists from the international media, Boudreau and Montalván expect to reach a broad audience with their message, which will be one of humanism, not politics.

The driving forces behind IVRAA are the desire to repay a debt to the Iraqi people and to give US veterans another means to repair and heal the wounds left by the Iraq war.

The visit is in keeping with the tradition of other Veterans returning to the theaters of the wars they fought in to repay a debt to the peoples who were once their foes.

Your donation will help IVRAA launch this first humanitarian mission which will:

-Assess the situation faced by Iraqi refugees;
-Educate the public as to the urgency of the humanitarian crisis;
-Establish workshops for Iraqis seeking asylum in the United States;
-Render assistance to Ali, an Iraqi refugee who has languished in Jordan for two years after aiding the US military as an interpreter;
-Report the findings of the mission to heighten awareness to develop new relief strategies.

Please help us in our effort to contribute to our nation's moral responsibility to render aid to Iraqi refugees, who need and deserve our support, and to alleviate their plight.

Best regards and peace,

Tyler Boudreau and Luis Carlos Montalván