Michael Prysner

Michael D. Prysner (born June 15, 1983) is an American socialist political activist. He is a U.S. Army veteran who served in Iraq as a specialist.[1][2] His duties in Iraq included ground surveillance, home raids and the interrogation of prisoners. According to Prysner, these experiences led him to take an anti-war stance.[3]

Mike Prysner
Prysner in 2013
Personal details
Born (1983-06-15) June 15, 1983
NationalityAmerican
Political partyParty for Socialism and Liberation (PSL)
Residence(s)Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Alma materFlorida Atlantic University
OccupationPolitical activist
TelevisionThe Empire Files
PublicationTeleSur
MovementMarch Forward!
SpouseAbby Martin
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/service United States Army
Years of service2001–2005
Rank Specialist
Battles/warsIraq War

Education

Prysner is a graduate of Sickles High School in Tampa, FL and Florida Atlantic University. [4][5]

Military career

Prysner joined the army in 2001 when he was 17 and left the military in 2005. [6] He had basic training at Fort Sill in Lawton, OK. [4] After basic training he was assigned to the 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum New York. Prysner's company participated in the 2003 invasion of Iraq and he served there for 12 months. While in the army he attained the rank of corporal.[7][6]

Activism

Prysner is the co-founder of March Forward!, an organization of active-duty members of the U.S. military and veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars that encourages current active-duty service personnel to resist deployment and seek an honorable discharge by being a conscientious objector.[6][8][9]

In March 2008, Prysner was a member of a panel discussing the topic Winter Soldier: Iraq & Afghanistan in Maryland.[10][11] He spoke about his time in Iraq as a soldier and his personal views about the two wars.[10] This address became known as the "Our Real Enemies" speech.

Prysner is a member of Party for Socialism and Liberation and A.N.S.W.E.R.[12][13] In 2008, he ran a write-in campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives for Florida's 22nd congressional district.[14][15]

In November 2011, Prysner was arrested in Occupy Los Angeles.[16] He was released after posting bail.[17]

On September 19, 2021, Prysner interrupted a George W. Bush speech in Beverly Hills, California.[18][19] He demanded an apology for lying about weapons of mass destruction, connections to 9/11 and causing the deaths of a million Iraqis. He also stated "You sent me to Iraq" and "My friends are dead because you lied."[19]

Prysner is on the National Board of Directors for Veterans for Peace.[7]

Media production

Prysner is a producer and co-writer for the program The Empire Files, with his wife Abby Martin.[20][8] English-language Telesur canceled the show in 2018,[21] and it later moved to a web publishing model. Prysner, Martin, and other Telesur contract journalists had their funding blocked by the application of United States sanctions against Venezuela.[21] Academic Stuart Davis cites the cancellation as an example of how United States sanctions hamper public funding of media production in Venezuela.[21]

He performed the rap "Skit 6" on the album Soundtrack to the Struggle.[22][23]

He currently hosts the Eyes Left podcast with former US Army Cadet and Afghanistan War veteran Spenser Rapone.[24][25]

Personal life

Prysner is married to journalist Abby Martin.[26][27] They have two children.[28] [29]

See also

References
  1. Vigil, Ariana E. (July 10, 2014). War Echoes: Gender and Militarization in U.S. Latina/o Cultural Production. Rutgers University Press. p. 172. ISBN 978-0-8135-6933-8. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
  2. Levinson, Nan (November 10, 2014). War Is Not a Game: The New Antiwar Soldiers and the Movement They Built. Rutgers University Press. p. 227. ISBN 978-0-8135-7113-3. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
  3. "Veterans Group Calls on Military to Refuse Deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq - Salem-News.Com". www.salem-news.com. Retrieved 13 November 2018.
  4. Military News, Tampa Bay Times, July 22, 2001
  5. Dan Christensen, “Ron DeSantis accused of illegal acts of torture against Guantanamo detainees when he was a Navy JAG officer”, Florida Bulldog, January 2023
  6. Aaron Blevins, “Activists’ anti-war fight continues”, Beverly Press Park Labrea News, January 17, 2013
  7. “'Beyond 140': Iraq war vet Michael Prysner on the Fort Hood shooting”, Al Jazeera US, April 4, 2014
  8. "Mike Prysner". jacobinmag.com. 19 August 2021. Retrieved 2021-10-19.
  9. "Suicide Is Anything but Painless | Military Suicide Research Consortium". msrc.fsu.edu. Retrieved 2021-10-19.
  10. Decker, Stephanie; Paul, John (2013-01-01). "The Real Terrorist was Me: An Analysis of Narratives Told by Iraq Veterans Against the War in an Effort to Rehumanize Iraqi Civilians and Soldiers". Societies Without Borders. 8 (3): 317–343. ISSN 1872-1915.
  11. Iraq Veterans Against the War (2008). Winter soldier, Iraq and Afghanistan : eyewitness accounts of the occupations. Aaron Glantz. Chicago Ill.: Haymarket Books. ISBN 978-1-60846-060-1. OCLC 567850640.
  12. ""Antiwar Sentiment in the Military Is Stronger Than Ever."". jacobinmag.com. Retrieved 2021-10-19.
  13. Hassina Leelarathna "Los Angeles Lankans protest UN interference", Daily News – Sri Lanka, 3 May 2011 Archived 4 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  14. Staff, Liberation. "Congressional candidate, anti-war vet Michael Prysner takes on workers' issues – Liberation News". Retrieved 2021-10-19.
  15. Johnson, Khari (August 26, 2008). "Low turnout at Denver protests, Delray Beach Congressional candidate still shows". South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
  16. Local, Univision. "Univision 34 Los Angeles". Univision. Archived from the original on April 24, 2012. Retrieved 13 November 2018.
  17. Radio, Southern California Public (7 December 2011). "16 complaints filed about Occupy LA raid". Retrieved 13 November 2018.
  18. Empire Files (2021-09-19). "Iraq Vet Disrupts George W. Bush Speech". Youtube. Retrieved September 24, 2021.
  19. Sabah, Daily (2021-09-21). "'You lied about WMDs': Iraq war veteran blasts Bush in public". Daily Sabah. Retrieved 2021-10-19.
  20. The Empire Files (TV Series 2015– ) - IMDb, retrieved 2021-10-19
  21. Davis, Stuart (2023). Sanctions as War: Anti-Imperialist Perspectives on American Geo-Economic Strategy. Haymarket Books. p. 69. ISBN 978-1-64259-812-4. OCLC 1345216431.
  22. "Skit 6 by Lowkey". BestEverAlbums.com. Retrieved 13 November 2018.
  23. Lowkey (Ft. Mike Prysner) – Skit 6 (Soundtrack to the Struggle), retrieved 2021-10-19
  24. "Eyes Left Podcast". SoundCloud. Retrieved 2021-10-19.
  25. "Interview: Mike Prysner And Spenser Rapone, Hosts Of 'Eyes Left'". Shadowproof. 2018-09-25. Retrieved 2021-10-19.
  26. US Sanctions Shut Down 'The Empire Files' with Abby Martin, scoop.co.nz, September 3, 2018
  27. "Antiwar Sentiment in the Military Is Stronger Than Ever." An interview with Mike Prysner, jacobinmag.com, August 19, 2021.
  28. Mike Prysner: Early Sunday @AbbyMartin: gave birth to our child. She went into labor marching 9mos pregnant all day with #BlackLivesMatter in Beverly Hills., twitter.com, June 2, 2020
  29. Mike Prysner [@MikePrysner] (2023-02-03). "On Sunday @AbbyMartin gave birth to our second child :) Abby & baby are doing great and I'm in awe of how amazing they both are 💕" (Tweet). Retrieved 2023-04-13 – via Twitter.
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