Off to War (20 page)
Taliban â The army that took over Afghanistan in September, l996, filling the void created by the civil war with repression and regression.
Taps â A goodnight signal in the military, played on a bugle.
Terrorist â The name given to someone outside an officially recognized government who uses violence to achieve their aims.
Tour â As in tour of duty, a term describing a length of deployment to a war zone.
Veteran â Someone who has retired from serving in the armed forces.
Esprit de Corps
(a magazine in support of Canadian military personnel), 1066 Somerset Street West, Suite 204, Ottawa, ON K1Y 4T3
www.espritdecorps.ca
GI Rights Hotline (provides legal information on the rights and responsibilities of those who join the military) 1-877-447-4487
www.girightshotline.org
Homes for Our Troops (provides specially adapted homes for severely injured troops at no cost to their families), 37 Main Street, Taunton, MA 02780 1-866-7-TROOPS
www.homesforourtroops.org
Miles Foundation (provides assistance to victims of violence associated with the military), P.O. Box 423, Newtown, CT 06470-0423 203-270-7861
Military Child Education Coalition/MCEC (provides support and resources for educators, parents and students around issues affecting children of military parents), 108 East FM 2410, Suite D, P.O. Box 2519, Harker Heights, TX 76548-2519 254-953-1923
www.MilitaryChild.org
Military Families Speak Out (organization of military families opposed to the war in Iraq), P.O. Box 300549, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130 617-983-0710
www.mfso.org
Military Family Resource Center (provides support and resources for military families in the US; in Canada there are family resource centers on individual military bases), CS4, Suite 302, Room 309, 1745 Jefferson Davis Highway, Arlington, VA 22202-3424 703-602-4964
Military Spouse
(a magazine by and for military spouses and their families)
www.milspouse.com
Military Wives Sisterhood (a support organization for military spouses in Canada)
www.militarywivessisterhood.com
Mission Rejected: US Soldiers Who Say No to Iraq
by Peter Laufer, Chelsea Green Publishers, 2006
My Love, My Life: An Inside Look at the Lives of Those Who Love and Support Our Military Men and Women
by Dianne Collier, Creative Bound, Inc. 2004
National Guard Child and Youth Program (provides advice and opportunities for children of National Guard members)
www.GuardFamilyYouth.org
National Military Family Association/NMFA (an organization that promotes the interests and rights of American military families)
www.nmfa.org
National Youth and Militarism Program, American Friends Service Committee (provides alternative information to young people thinking of joining the military), 1501 Cherry Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102
www.afsc.org/youthmil
/
Operation Paperback (an organization that sends books to troops overseas)
www.operationpaperback.org
Operational Stress Injury Social Support/OSISS (a peer support network for veterans and their families)
www.osiss.ca
Our Military Kids (funds activities for kids of deployed and injured Reserve and National Guard members), 6861 Elm Street, Suite 2-A, McLean, VA 22101 1-866-691-6654
www.OurMilitaryKids.org
Student Deployment
by Elizabeth Moar, illustrated by Pat Devine, Canadian Forces Personnel Support Agency
www.cfpsa.com/en/psp/dmfs/pdfs/StudentDep_e.pdf
Surviving Deployment: A Guide for Military Families
by Karen M. Pavlicin, Elva Resa Publishing, 2003
Veterans Against the Iraq War (an organization of military personnel who have served in Iraq and who oppose the war there)
www.vaiw.org
Veterans Village (an organization that is working to establish a center for veterans suffering from war trauma)
www.veteransvillage.org
Yellow Ribbon Fund (assists injured service members and their families), 7200 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 310, Bethesda, MD 20814
www.yellowribbonfund.com
I would like to gratefully acknowledge the assistance of the many people who played a role in bringing this book together. In addition to the many families who allowed me to talk with their kids, I would like to thank Dianne Collier, Gina Stewart, Nadia McAffrey, Gayle Raynor, Patty Warren, Michelle Belec, Mary Ann Ricard, Susan Harrison, Mandi Hein, Lisa Ferguson, Harrison L. Sarles (Department of the Army, Office of Public Affairs), and my editor, Shelley Tanaka, who pulled it all together.
Coming soon from Groundwood Books
Children of War: Voices of Iraqi Refugees
by Deborah Ellis
A car bomb exploded outside my school. The glass walls of the passageway shattered all around me. All I could think of was “I Disappear,” that song by Metallica.
As a result of the violence in Iraq, 5 million Iraqis have been displaced; of these, 2.5 million have had to flee their homes and are now living in other countries as refugees.
As always, it is the children who are paying the biggest price. These are some of their stories.
ISBN 13: 978-0-88899-907-8
ISBN 10: 0-88899-907-0
$16.95 CDN / $15.95 US hardcover
ISBN 13: 978-0-88899-908-5
ISBN 10: 0-88899-908-9
$12.95 paperback (available only in Canada)