A Decade Too Long: two Afghanistan veterans explore nonviolence in Afghanistan is a one-night only talk being held at the A-B Tech campus in Asheville, NC in the Simpson Lecture Room on Saturday, October 1, 2011, beginning at 6:30pm and going until 8:30pm.

Specialist Brock McIntosh, a military policeman in the Army National Guard and Afghanistan veteran, and Jacob George who is also an Afghanistan veteran, will spend the evening sharing their thoughts, experiences and observations regarding nonviolence in Afghanistan. They are accompanied by Russ Ritter, a well-known poet from the Ozarks and Jerrad Hardin, an organizer with civilian/soldier alliance.

Brock and Jacob recently returned to Afghanistan with a delegation from Voices for Creative Nonviolence where they joined forces with Afghan Youth Peace Volunteers, who seek to encourage wide-scale, person-to-person relationships towards peace and reconciliation, with a resolute commitment to non-violence, non-killing and the well-being of ALL people.

Brock is a student who is still in the National Guard pending his Conscientious Objection application. His views are his own and do not represent those of the Army National Guard or any other branch of the United States military.

Brock had dreams of becoming a special forces medic until he started learning about the people and realities of Afghanistan, at which point he realized that the US military would never be capable of bringing peace - through force - to Afghanistan. Brock spoke in Asheville at Speaking Truth to Power: a permanent state of war on April 9, 2011.

Jacob served in the Army Special Forces and completed three tours in Afghanistan. After leaving the Army, he briefly returned to school before selling all of his possessions and embarking on a bike tour, A Ride Till The End, with other veterans and supporters, speaking in schools, churches, and other community spaces about his transformation toward peace and reconciliation.

Russ Ritter is the 2003 Association of College Unions International (ACUI) National Poetry Slam Champion, 03-04 Ozark grand slam Champion, and 2004 Arkansas Poetry Slam first runner up. Jerrad Hardin is an organizer with civilian/soldier alliance and is the acting (civsol) regional coordinator for the SE United States. He has worked as a civilian ally to IVAW since the launching of their first campaign, Operation Recovery, in 2010.

This group of impassioned peacemakers will educate, enlighten, endear and entertain you with their stories, music and poetry.

Veterans For Peace, Asheville Local Chapter 099, is sponsoring this event. Donations will be accepted and appreciated.

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