Gulf War veteran to speak August 17th at Wild Iris Books
July/August 2006

Gulf War veteran Candy Lovett will speak at Wild Iris Books on Thursday, August 17th, at 6:30 p.m.

Candy is a disabled veteran from the first Gulf war. She spent half her life in the printing/graphic arts career and had a college degree for that field. She then went to school to become a certified nursing aid and loved working in the nursing homes. She wanted to go back to school to become an registered nurse, but did not have the means to do it. Back then the government did a lot of cuts in education and she struggled to figure out how she would go back to school as a single parent. A friend told her that if she joined the military they would help pay for her education with what is called A GI Bill, or Montgomery Bill.

So at the age of 29 and being in great health she joined the military for the first time in her life. Candy graduated from basic training with no problems. She then went on to what is called A.I.T. (Advanced Individual Training). This is where she would learn her job skill as a truck driver in the Military. She first started to get sick when she went through the series of anthrax shots, prior to going to the Middle East. She spent 4 days in the hospital with no diagnosis.

She was sent to Saudi Arabia in support of Operation Desert Shield/Storm. When the ground war began, Candy was assigned to burial detail. This would forever change her life and her views on war. She was also raped by a guy in her unit that she drove with.

Candy came back from the war with PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and very sick physically. In 1993 Candy was the first Veteran who testified before Congress and Senate about Gulf war illness. She was discharged from the military with a small disability that was eventually upgraded to 100%. She also found out in 1994 that she was the only survivor out of the 16 people she served with.

In 2001 Candy went back to Iraq with Veterans for Peace in hopes of finding healing in her life concerning the war. She has written a small book about her experiences and is now working on another book. All monies from the sale of her book go to the local GI Rights Hotline in hopes it will help other veterans who are struggling with issues concerning the military. Candy will be speaking about her experiences at Wild Iris Books, 802 West University Avenue.


If you or anyone you know needs information about conscientious objector status, support for military families, GI rights, or other war resistance information check out:
www.objector.org
www.citizen-soldier.org
www.warresisters.org

GI rights hotline:
1-800-394-9544
Iraq Veterans Against the War:
www.ivaw.net 215-241-7123
Military Families Speak Out:
www.mfso.org or (617) 522-9323
Bring Them Home Now
www.bringthemhomenow.org

or contact Veterans for Peace locally at (352) 376-1005

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