Listen in as two voices rarely heard together in mainstream media: that of an Iraqi and an Iraq War Veteran, present as part of The Speak for Peace Tour.  Learn about the displacement of Iraqi civilians, the experiences of Iraqis and U.S. soldiers exposed to continual violence, and the prospects for a peaceful future in Iraq.

Raed Jarrar was living in Baghdad, Iraq in 2003 when the country was invaded.  He became the country director for CIVIC Worldwide, helping to establish the only door-to-door casualty survey in war-torn Iraq. After coming to the U.S. in 2005, Jarrar became the Iraq consultant for the American Friends Service Committee.

Eugene Cherry is a former Army Medic who served in Iraq from 2004 to 2005. Cherry went AWOL for 16 months after returning from Iraq with symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The US Army tried to prosecute him through a Courts Martial.  Cherry fought the Courts Martial and was eventually released with an honorable discharge.

The Speak for Peace Tour aims to give voice to those who so often go unheard in America.  It represents the ultimate goal of true reconciliation between Americans and Iraqis.

Recorded Friday, November 14, 2008 at First United Methodist Church (Downers Grove).