This interview is an episode of The Socialist Program, a podcast providing news and views about the world for those who want to change it hosted by ANSWER Coalition National Director Brian Becker. You can follow the show on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

March 19 marked the 18th anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. The catastrophic warfare that followed claimed the lives of over a million Iraqis, led to the death or life-altering injury of tens thousands of U.S. service members, and sowed chaos throughout the Middle East.

Brian Becker was joined by Mike Prysner, the producer of The Empire Files. Mike is also a co-host of the podcast Eyes Left, a podcast hosted by two anti-war Army veterans of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. Mike was a soldier serving in the U.S. military during the Iraq invasion, and went on to become an anti-war leader who organized soldiers and veterans to resist the Pentagon war machine.

Listen to the interview here