Field Report:

The Anti-War Super Bowl Party

Iraq Veterans Against the War call attention to the connection between the Super Bowl and pro-war propaganda

By Madeleine Dubus
February 8, 2010

Supporters of Iraq Veterans Against the War gather in a Jackson Heights apartment in New York City to protest pro-war propaganda and watch the Super Bowl. (Madeleine Dubus)

Mohan Kanungo, administrative assistant of the Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) New York City headquarters and host to their Super Bowl party, taped an IVAW banner to his apartment wall. He facetiously wrote next to it “Mission Accomplished!” intentionally referencing President George W. Bush's banner on the USS Abraham Lincoln on May 1, 2003, declaring the Iraq War over; of course, American troops have been there ever since. The dining room table was covered with food and beverages prepared by Mohan and his two roommates, Shawn and Mark, including homemade dumplings and white Sangria, and a projector displayed the game across the living room wall. Perhaps appropriately, everyone in the room was rooting for the Saints.

“We’re all pretty progressive people,” said Mohan, whose guests in his Jackson Heights apartment included supporters and employees of the IVAW New York chapter. The IVAW's executive director, José Vasquez, who gave a short speech at half time outlining IVAW’s mission and goals for the future. “So I think we’re all rooting for the underdog,” Mohan said.

Founded in 2004, IVAW works to give a voice to veterans and active duty service members who oppose the war in Iraq but face pressure to stay silent about their views. The group has chapters throughout the country, the largest in D.C., Los Angeles, and Chicago. Since its inception, IVAW has boldly called for three main goals: Immediate withdrawal from Iraq, reparations for the human and structural damage caused in Iraq, and full benefits for returning service members. These goals have since been expanded to include withdrawal from and reparations for Afghanistan.

Despite the enduring wars, IVAW has remained resolute in its mission. When news broke of Obama’s planned 30,000 troop surge in Afghanistan, IVAW members across the country organized peaceful yet emphatic protests across the country, including one outside West Point Military Academy where Obama delivered his address. And though media and Obama’s administration report that the war in Iraq is dwindling, IVAW members remain aware of the continued toll of the Iraq War on both civilians and returning GIs. There is still much work to be done. Events like this Super Bowl party offer an opportunity to have fun while also educating the public on IVAW’s work, the needs of all people suffering from these wars, the pervading presence of militarism in American culture.

The Super Bowl has always placed pro-military messages throughout the game, and this year was no different. General Petraeus watched the game's opening coin toss. The Air Force performed flyovers, enforcing the Federal Aviation Administration's temporary flight restriction zone. The military ensured troops were able to watch the Super Bowl while they are stationed overseas, video feed from a base flashed on screen before the national anthem as well. The references are so frequent that the IVAW crew decided it would be the drinking game for the night. Those who didn’t want to drink donated a dollar for each reference to go toward funding the IVAW internship program.

Through small events like these parties and large projects like the highly successful Winter Soldier series, conferences that take place throughout the country where veterans give first-hand, brutally honest accounts of their experience in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. IVAW works to carry on in the spirit of Vietnam veterans who opposed that war: to raise awareness and, impart their message about war: That it comes at a cost too high to justify.

In the end, the Saints did win, but it was only one victory for the IVAW members and supporters. The greater victory was the IVAW Super Bowl parties taking place across the country: creating an opportunity for members and supporters to come together and enjoy an American tradition with a unique awareness of the strong connection between the U.S. Military and the NFL, and discuss ways to counter with their own message.

Madeleine Dubus is a writing fellow at The New School and a staff writer for Campus Progress.

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