(CNSNews.com) - Protesters challenged the credibility of veterans opposed to the Iraq war who gave testimony last week about human rights violations they allegedly witnessed in Iraq.

The anti-war soldiers were speaking at the Veterans Against the Iraq War Winter Soldier Conference, held at the National Labor College in Washington, D.C., an event heavily guarded by police and security personnel.

The protesters, who numbered about 30 and were assembled outside the college, cited the case of a high-profile former member of the Veterans Against the Iraq War (VAIW): Jesse Macbeth.

Macbeth had toured the country in 2006 claiming to have witnessed horrific war crimes as he served in Iraq as an "Army Special Forces Ranger." In May 2006, the conservative blog Just Citizens exposed the fact that Macbeth's military service consisted of 44 days in the U.S. before he was dismissed from boot camp. He never served in Iraq.

Despite the Macbeth scandal, VAIW officials told Cybercast News Service they were unwilling to allow independent verification of the identities of the veterans who spoke at their conference last week. The same officials said they are "100 percent certain" of the testimony of the soldiers who spoke.

Citing the Macbeth case, protester Kenneth Keith, a Vietnam war veteran and member of the pro-military organization Eagles Up, told Cybercast News Service he suspected a number of the VAIW panelists were not veterans of the Iraq War.

"All we are asking for in there is honesty," said Keith. "We don't want a bunch of Jesse Macbeths down here. We are asking for these people to sign a Service Form 180(SF180) or a Department of Defense 214(DD14) which makes their military records public documents, proving they are who they say they are. We don't care if they are for the war or against the war. We just want honesty."

But Adam Kokesh, a member of the board of directors for VAIW, told Cybercast News Service that each testifier is required to provide documentation of his service in Iraq, including photographs of them in Iraq, DD14s, and medals awarded for service.

"We make sure everyone who goes on that stage has credibility we can stand behind," Kokesh said. "It's a very thorough process of going through the relevant paperwork starting with DD214s that show summary of service. As far as I know, every single person who is on that stage who says he is a veteran has a DD214 on file."

Despite the past controversy caused by the Macbeth case, Geoff Millard, president of the Washington, D.C., chapter of VAIW, told Cybercast News Service that he does not believe any independent verification of the panelists is needed.

"We have gone through that process, and so we don't feel like the press needs to spend their time doing that," he said. "We have a lengthy process to do that, and it's gone through the process." Millard also said that his organization would not provide Cybercast New Service with photos of the testifiers in Iraq.

However, every veteran approached by Cybercast News Service verified that they had provided DD214s to VAIW before being allowed to testify. Soldiers were also quick to rattle off battalion names and numbers, dates and places. Some displayed digital photos and video of themselves in Iraq during their testimony.

However, Patricia Williams, the Indiana state coordinator for Eagles Up, told Cybercast News Service that she too is dubious of VAIW's credibility and believes the group is hurting America's chances of winning in Iraq.

"It's not the truth - it's lies," Williams said. "They are trying to demoralize and denigrate our troops, and in doing so, they are aiding the enemy.

"If they were truths, why don't they do this is in a public court?" she said. "Why do they have it behind closed doors where people can't hear what they are doing?"

Many reporters and bloggers attended the VAIW event, and the program was Webcast over the Internet, and on satellite and cable television. Nonetheless, Williams added that she thinks the VAIW is trying to "broad-brush our troops as criminals."

The VAIW's Winter Soldier conference was modeled after a controversial meeting in Detroit in January 1971, in which Vietnam veterans alleged they had witnessed war crimes. John Kerry, then a recent veteran of the war, testified on behalf of the 'Winter Soldiers' before a congressional committee in May 1971.

In his testimony, Kerry said the term "Winter Soldier" had originated with Thomas Paine in 1776 when he spoke of the sunshine patriot and summertime soldiers who deserted at Valley Forge because of the harsh winter.

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