A Cold Day in December

It was a cold day in December 2010. I went out for a walk in the snow and stumbled across an anti-war protest in Lafayette Park, across the street from the White House.’

An army veteran was giving a speech against Obama’s wars. His name was Mike Prysner. I pulled out my handy little Flip Video and began recording. It was a dynamic speech to a group of fellow veterans who were protesting the war in Iraq. More than 120 were arrested later that day in front of the White House.

Over the past sixteen years, that video – and others taken on that day – have been sliced and diced and passed around and might be one of the most popular anti-war speeches of recent years. Even last week, someone was passing a version of it around on Twitter.

Mike Ferner of Veterans for Peace, who was arrested that day, tells me he introduced speakers at the event – including Prysner, Daniel Ellsberg, Chris Hedges. Ferner says it was probably one of the best protests he’s been involved with.

“We’ve been to Iraq,” Prysner told the December 2010 gathering of vets in the snow. “We’ve been to Afghanistan. We joined the military for many reasons. Because we needed a college education, because we needed a job, because we needed healthcare. And then when we join the military, they tell us that our enemies are poor people in caves in Afghanistan or poor people in deserts of Iraq.” “But we’ve been to those countries, and we know that our enemies are not other poor people abroad. They are the people here that laid us off from our jobs, that denied us healthcare, that made it impossible to get an education. Our enemies are not in the poorest countries on the planet, but right here in the richest one.”

“These wars, the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan alone are costing over $700 million every single day. This is a crime every single day, while so many of us are hurting. I think all of us here and the vast majority of people in this country would agree that we can spend $700 million a day better than bombing people that we have no reason to bomb.”

“We can spend $700 million a day rebuilding those countries we’ve destroyed. We can spend $700 million a day caring for the veterans when they get home. We can spend $700 million a day giving every single person healthcare, a college education, a job and a livelihood and a home. That’s who we need to be spending our money on.”

“But this government is not going to do that. They’re not going to use the money in that way. They’re not going to end the wars. They’re not going to do it because it’s not our government. It’s their government. It’s the government of the rich. It’s a government of Wall Street, of the oil giants, of the defense contractors. It’s their government, and the only language that they understand is shutting down business as usual. And that’s what we’re doing here today, and we’re going to continue to do until these wars are over.”

“People always want to know what to know what to do. Do we vote? Do we support a politician? What do we join an organization? What do we do?”

“Well, I’ll tell you what we do. It’s simple. We fight, we fight and we fight and we fight and we shut down our workplaces, we shut down our schools, This government is not going to end the wars. They’re not going to do it because it’s not our government. It’s their government. It’s the government of the rich. It’s a government of Wall Street, of the oil giants, of the defense contractors. It’s their government, and the only language that they understand is shutting down business as usual we shut down the streets, we shut down business as usual, and we fight until we force the people in there to do what the people out here want.”

“We’re gonna fight until there’s not one more bomb dropped, not one more bullet fired, not one more soldier coming home in a wheelchair, not one more family slaughtered. Let’s fight to make that happen.”

Fast toward sixteen years and Prysner is now executive director of the Center on Conscience and War. His 2010 prediction of endless wars has come true. And now Prysner and CCW, along with About Face: Veterans Against the War and other veterans groups, were organizing a protest on April 7 against the Iran war.

Prysner and seventy other veterans and military family members, some with loved ones deployed to the Middle East, were arrested in a civil disobedience action at the Cannon House Office Building, some carrying signs that read – No War on Iran, others unveiling black banners with the words – End the War on Iran.

Standing at attention, veterans held red tulips honoring Iranians killed by US bombs, and conducted a flag-folding ceremony symbolizing the US troops killed, and “who will continue to be killed if the war continues,” Prysner said.

A mother and a wife of a soldier deployed to Operation Epic Fury spoke. The veterans and military families demanded Speaker Mike Johnson come meet them to accept the folded flag and pledge to not continue funding of the war. They were arrested while waiting for Johnson to meet their demands.

“The war I was sent to senselessly claimed the lives of thousands of Americans and a million Iraqis,” Prysner said before his arrest. “Like the other veterans here with me today, I have spent the last two decades wishing I could turn back the hands of time and refuse to go. Service members have that chance right now.”

“Conscientious objection is your legal right, and we have professional counselors who will fight to ensure you are approved and kept from deployment. I am getting arrested to raise awareness about that option, because now is the time.”

“This war is already deeply unpopular, and it is already a crisis for the Trump Administration. More than 100 service members have already started to file as conscientious objectors, but if even more stand up, and some speak out, we have a real chance of deepening this crisis for Trump in a way that forces them to pull back from this war.”

Another veteran arrested on April 20 was Tyler Romero. Romero spent seven years in the Navy as a corpsman, and filed as a conscientious objector in 2025.

“As a veteran and conscientious objector applicant, I have decided to get arrested today because as someone who was a participant in a war machine that is responsible for untold suffering around the world, it is my duty to help put an end to it,” Romero said before his arrest. “I felt compelled to commit to this action through a deep sense of empowerment from the legacy of war resistors before me. My advice to troops still serving is this: This is the most important historical moment of our lifetime, and what you choose to do matters. I can tell you from experience that continuing to help the war machine will only cause you more pain. There has never been a better time to reject those orders, and join a fight that matters. Call the Center on Conscience and War.” (There was no major media coverage of the Capitol Hill protest.)

CCW has already prevented several troops from deploying to Operation Epic Fury by filing expedited conscientious objector claims, and is working with over 100 more ensuring they are not forced to violate their conscience in the immoral war against Iran.

The Center on Conscience and War urges all service members opposed to the Iran War to call its hotline – (877) NO-2-WARS – to get free, professional counseling on their options.