There are 19 people here at Iraq Veterans Against the War camp. Theyre from California, Miami, and North Carolina. More are trickling in.
There are 19 people here at Iraq Veterans Against the War camp. They're from California, Miami, and North Carolina. More are trickling in. Sydney Brownstone

It's the first day of the Republican National Convention, and at a campsite about half an hour south of Cleveland, a group of 19 Iraq veterans are talking about what they fear could happen at the protests.

"We're going to be out there with groups of people who are angry, sad, and desperate for change," says Garrett Reppenhagen, a former calvary scout and sniper from Colorado, standing in a circle fellow vets. "We have to be an example for them."

Iraq Veterans Against the War's (IVAW's) mission here is strictly "peacekeeping," a role they anticipate will include some measure of deescalation between the protest crowd and pro-Trumpies. Bikers for Trump, a movement of motorcycle-riding Trump fans that's pledged to maintain "security" at Trump events, have promised to show up in Cleveland in "force." Last week, "Big" Jim Williams of Riders USA told Breitbart.com that riders should "fight" for Trump.

"If we succeed in Cleveland, dealing with Hillary will be easy," Williams told Breitbart. "If we lose in Cleveland you might as well get used to the smell of her ass, because you will be kissing it to survive."

The IVAW members don't expect Bikers for Trump to be too friendly. But aside from the bikers, IVAW folks are also worried about the other protesters they might encounter. Some people, no matter their political affiliation, like to start shit.

The veterans list actions that they think will minimize their ability to deescalate ("being a smart-ass" is number one on the list), and actions that maximize their ability to remain chill (training). Of course, their presence here is a form of protest, too. IVAW was formed more than a decade ago, when its members called for the immediate withdrawal of troops from Iraq. Since then, IVAW members have been critical of proposals to bomb Syria and Iraq in the fight against ISIS. Perry O'Brien, one of the main IVAW organizers at the RNC event, has also called out Donald Trump for being a "hate-monger in chief" for suggesting that the United States ban Muslims from entering the United States.

Next to a still-smoking campfire, vets line up in two rows to practice what could possibly go down with the bikers, neo-Nazis, or garden-variety Trump supporters:


IVAW isn't the only group organizing the veteran peacekeeping force. Vets vs. Hate, a movement that began on social media (and has taken a lot of flak for using some of the Hillary Clinton campaign's resources for a single demonstration outside the Trump Tower in May), also played a role in drawing vets to protest Donald Trump at the RNC. But O'Brien is adamant that today's event has nothing to do with the Clinton campaign—he explains that IVAW is also heavily critical of Hillary's war-hawkishness and that he himself organized veterans for Bernie Sanders in New York. The IVAW's presence at the RNC was thrown together a couple of weeks ago, O'Brien says, and they're not getting any support from any political campaign.

IVAW is planning to march at a permitted rally at 3 pm that could overlap, in part, with the America First rally starting at 2 pm.

We'll be there, hoping the deescalation training works.