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WALKING INTO A NEW FUTURE FOR THE PEACE/ANTI-WAR MOVEMENT?

Now it is up to us to build on these ties, to forge these two
communities into an effective, mutually supportive force for change.  I
am personally convinced that we will never get far toward changing our
country’s lust for war until we begin this kind of transformation.

Established in the depths of the Cold War in 1950, Armed Forces Day has been used ever since by the professional officers corps and the weapons industry as an annual “celebration” of America’s military. This year, peace groups from across northern New York joined with the Different Drummer internet cafe to organize a 100 plus mile walk from downstate towns that culminated in a Ft Drum Festival on May 17th in Watertown. Most of the walkers came from Buffalo, Rochester, Ithaca, Syracuse, Utica and their suburbs.

As the walkers passed through small towns and villages enroute to Ft Drum, they were mostly greeted warmly with expressions of support (See NY Times story, “March Through Towns Unused to One”). Only occasionally did they encounter hostility; a raised middle finger or a shouted insult. Even though this area sends many of its youth to the armed forces, residents seemed eager to embrace the marchers’ dual message: bring our soldiers back and provide them with quality health care when they get home.

Each night, the walkers settled into a different small town, sleeping at a friendly church, yoga center or someone’s home. They were entertained by visiting folk singers and also engaged in dialogue with Iraq war vets who’d joined the walk.

When they arrived in Watertown on Friday night before Armed Forces Day, they were treated to a lively party/reception at the Different Drummer cafe. The crowd spilled out of the cafe into the large arcade area which surrounds it. Local musicans performed a lively mix of folk and rock tunes, interspersed with heartfelt talks by some of the walkers, soldiers from Ft Drum and other Iraq war veterans. Some of the walkers then camped overnight at the Black River campsite–site of the Festival’s main event.

Saturday morning broke with bright blue skies and puffy clouds; defying (for a time) predictions of a rainy day. Veterans from five different wars gathered at the Drummer to plan how to confront the “official” parade’s honoree Ft Drum’s Colonel Ken Riddle about his base’s glaring deficiencies in mental health care for returning war vets. It was decided that fifteen Iraq vets would surround the reviewing stand and when Riddle stood to leave at parade’s end, Mike Totten, an Iraq vet and spokesperson would demand an immediate meeting with the colonel. Riddle seemed surprised by Totten’s request and responded lamely; “I’ve only been here two weeks.” He refused to meet on the spot, suggesting that the vets call to make an appointment. The local media picked up on the issue, reporting that anti war veterans were concerned about health care for their fellow veterans.

The Festival at the Black Water River Park, with five featured acts, began under threatening skies. A number of veteran organizations, peace groups, and PTSD counsellors set up tables with literature about their work. As the first musical act, “Endangered Species” was finishing its set, the heavens opened, forcing the relocation of the Festival to the Different Drummer downtown.

Again, the cafe and its attached arcade were overflowed with peace activists and veterans of all ages, talking, arguing, and generally enjoying the music. For the rest of Saturday until well into the night, musical performances were interspersed with short talks by Iraq vets and peace organizers. One high point was when a Ft Drum soldier recited an anti war poem that he had written for his soon-to-be-deployed soldier wife, as she sat, holding their infant child, in the front row.

The Baltimore hip hop artist, Son of a Nun, closed the evening with a captivating performance of his original rhymes. After twelve hours, the Drummer was host to a small group of Iraq war vets who gathered in a circle, surrounded by civilian supporters and pledged renewed efforts to end this illegal and immoral war. — Tod Ensign, Citizen Soldier

I attended the event in Watertown on Saturday. I really liked the use of the projected images from the walk — that really made me feel like I was part of something big, even though I had not been able to be in the walk itself. The quality of those photos was very high, and I was grateful to be able to get a visual fix on the walk.

The music at Different Drummer was of course wonderful, Colleen is always superb. Too bad about the rain. Being crowded at the Different Drummer did have some benefits: it made it feel very intimate and familial and homey.  –  John Burdick

Commentary 21 May ‘08
By Roland Micklem

“Walking the Walk”

I didn’t want to go home. As the van swallowed the miles between Watertown and Weedsport, I could not have been more energized had I ingested a pound of caffeine. And this was a wholesome, healthy high, fueled by newly formed friendships and the shared experience of participating in a challenging and meaningful happening.

Sean, Eli, Travis, Faith and I were returning from Watertown, the Mecca to which we had walked and biked as part of the pro-peace action known as New York State Marches for Peace, which took place May 8-17.

Our mission was twofold: to show support for both the troops currently in Iraq and veterans of the engagement, and to advocate for the health care needed to heal the psychological and physical damage resulting from their involvement. We were also marching to reiterate the futility, the tragedy, and the illegality of a war that should never have been fought. But more specifically, we were marching because 4000 of our people have come home in coffins, because of the 1.6 million deployed, 300,000 are suffering from serious psychological disorders, because the suicide rate among those returning is 18/day. And we were marching because over 2 million Iraqis are homeless because of the war we precipitated, and because more Iraqis have lost their lives since the beginning of the conflict than the Pentagon has bothered to count.

We were part of a body of peace activists, many of whom were veterans of previous wars, whose ranks swelled as we approached Watertown to nearly 70 participants. At 79, I was the oldest, and to my knowledge, the only WW II era veteran in the company. A few of the marchers had pounded the pavement all the way from starting points in Rochester, Utica, and Ithaca. Sean and Russell–a walker from Buffalo who was returning in another vehicle–were dubbed the “blister brothers,” and both covered the entire 94 miles from Rochester on foot.

I joined the march in Wolcott with my bicycle and panniers loaded with everything I presumed I’d need, with the intent of pushing the bike as I trudged along with the rest of the walkers. Big Mistake! It didn’t take many strides before my back began to creak, my hand began to numb out at the point of contact with the handlebars, and this and other petty discomforts which soon morphed into major pains convinced me that bicycles were made for riding, not pushing, and that I’d best mount up and pedal the rest of the way to W’town.

Not wishing to get too far ahead of the pack, and to make the witness for peace that was the purpose of the march, I evolved my own strategy. I’d grab a handful of our flyers, strike out ahead of the column, and distribute them to whomsoever I chanced across. As I could move twice as fast as the marchers, I had plenty of time to herald the coming of the peace troops behind me and to listen to what people had to say about the war and the men and women committed to fight it. Many had close friends and relatives who had been or were expecting to be deployed and there was much concern over the prospects of their loved ones’ safe return.

The anti-war sentiment was as palpable as the highway itself. Passing motorists honked horns and signaled support with the traditional peace sign, and I chanced across very few who believed the war justifiable. I talked to people puttering around in their yards, the owner of a second hand shop, some guys running a heavy equipment business, a young couple with a second-hand tire shop, and a number of auto salespeople in dealerships lining the strip south of Watertowns city limits.

Our ranks alternately swelled and dwindled as people dropped out and joined the march, but there was a core group that walked for all or almost all of the entire stretch. Bill Privett, a middle age suburbanite, a devout Catholic, and a walking archive of facts and figures, Kathy Castania, a tireless leader who was everywhere at once–handling logistics, listening to complaints and concerns, and gently diffusing the anger of the more vocal anti-march people we encountered. Vicky Ross, another of our leaders, our radiator of good will, whose upbeat vibes were the perfect antidote for our over-the-road doldrums, Russell, a Viet Nam veteran whose pro-peace convictions were forged in the turmoil of war. His blisters were many and large, but he refused to get off his feet. His spiritual radiance: a light for us all. Sean, also a veteran, our video chronicler, another archive of useful information which will help us tell the real story of this war. By carefully doctoring his blisters at days end, he was always ready for another day on the road.

There’s lots more: The Grand Finale in Watertown’s Different Drummer Cafe, the delegation of veterans who confronted Ft. Drum’s surrogate commander about health care for military and ex-military personnel, and testimonials by members of IVAW (Iraq Veterans Against the War). We made new friends, shared ideas, gained insights, picked up additional facts, and now see ourselves as part of a rising tide against this misadventure in American foreign policy. We went away with a strengthened concept of patriotism: the obligation to critique decisions made by our leaders and to oppose those which are morally wrong and which create suffering for both our own people and those of other nations.

We will carry on until the last of our people have left Iraq.

Reflections on 120-mile peace march

William H. Privett
Regional Coordinator, Pax Christi WNY

In mid-May, I marched 120 miles to the Fort Drum area from Rochester. Fifty of us reached our destination with Iraq Vets Against the War and Military Families (See nysmarchesforpeace.org.) Pax Christi WNY, the Catholic Peace Movement, was a co-sponsor of the march.

The group issued these calls all along the way: a) Immediate withdrawal from Iraq; b) Full benefits and services for returning veterans, c) End corporate pillaging in Iraq; d) Pay reparations for the human and structural damages Iraq has suffered; and finally, e) Civilians need to share the soldiers’ burden.

I have been asked whether this peace march was a “standard peace rally or was it really supporting the troops”. It amazes me that our dialogue in the US is so polarized: We who call for the troops to return home safely are not “supporting the troops”, while others who prefer that they continue to shoot people and be shot at, are supporting them.

Walking 120-miles affords plenty of time for reflection along the way.

Iraq War Vets and Military Families share their stories in small towns along the way. “My four brothers signed up. We are poor. It is the only way they can see to afford college.” “Eighteen Iraq War Vets commit suicide each day, 6500 projected for this year. 300,000 are returning with mental depression, PTSD or traumatic brain injury.” I try to hide my tears from the group.

Two men along the way behave in threatening ways. One, who I did not encounter, threatens to “kill” one of our marchers. The other calls us profanities. He blames us for causing the deaths of so many soldiers and threatens us when we reach our destination. The Buffalo-area Vietnam Veteran with me tries to talk calmly with him, but there is no room for conversation.

I think about “corporate pillaging” recalling a recent Doug Turner column in The News on billions in reconstruction funds being wasted.

Roland, a 79 year-old journalist rides a bicycle with us. He “would rather make the news than write about it”. He finds this march transforming.

One marcher recognizes me from 15 years ago. She is the picture of innocence. I am thinking that we should all emulate her. The world would be a peace.

I state to the group one evening that this is a spiritual walk for me, that I see that we are a small rag tag band that is powerless. I tell them that this will be effective if our small offering of bread and fish can be multiplied by God into something that changes the world into a peaceful place to live and play.

I leave for an evening, drive 3- hours back to Leroy, NY, to address the Genesee County Lay Vicariate on “How Might a Christian View War?” The group is attentive. Only two of seventeen say they had received moral guidance on war from their parish. I am thinking that it is no wonder that a 2007 survey found that half of all US Catholics thinks that the Iraq war is a good idea.

One of my sons calls me. He is an Army veteran with whom I have had strong disagreement about the war, He reminds me that, “Some people want the war to continue. You never want war. The end of this war will come when the two groups can hash out the difference.”

We arrive to applause at the Different Drummer Café in Watertown. I am realizing that my son is correct. I am thinking that without groups like ours, those who want war will succeed in getting it.

It was an unforgettable experience - of building, caring, sharing, working together for the common good. Building community in every sense and in so many ways - amongst the planners, the sponsors, the walkers, the drivers, the support people, the hosts, those who talked and shared with us along the way - sometimes even their tears for loved ones in harm’s way, tears of gratitude for the care and concern that led to and energized the walk, or even receiving ours . . . .Building community in the largest sense even seems to apply to the outpouring of support by the vast majority of the Watertown population through honking, waving, and - especially - giving the peace sign to the walkers.

Of course, wonderful as walking can be - it was not the point: many who can’t walk (or walk as much) through illness, injury, and/or physical limitations of whatever kind are no less supporters of this wave of the Peace Movement. One of us “walkers” - Rick from Rochester - was in a wheelchair (who, by the way, could’ve left us in the dust if he chose to race on ahead). And the children -Saiersha from Ithaca, Ori from Wolcott, Abie from Pulaski (? Or Oswego?) - sometimes in walkers or in support vehicles were clearly no less important (maybe more). Or those who nobly kept going - or wisely didn’t - who had severe blisters, or back conditions, or heart conditions, or just plain worn out - it was about an ever-changing community with people coming in and out, not about an individual walking but about a community moving through and joining with other more stationary communities, all to the one goal of Peace for All, stopping this immoral and illegal war and yes, working for the common good.

And wonderful as moving can be, it was also not the point - the Festival, the Celebration upon our arrival . . . sharing the wonderful space at the Different Drummer where so much courage and wisdom is being displayed and developed, as well as, most of all, compassion. This is where peace and justice are growing, and swords becoming ploughshares .

I wake up each morning dreaming of a new day on the Walk . . . — Vicki Ross, Buffalo

I had a recent connection with the Peace Center in Buffalo about 6 months ago. That’s how I met Vicki Ross and it went from there. She mentioned this march going on and she asked for a little help, and it ended up with a month and a half of good work.

Vicki met up with me and asked me to march. I said I couldn’t do that, my legs aren’t what they used to be. So I helped out as i could. I found they were looking for a truck to support the March. So I was able to get a u-haul truck (for free) and drove the truck for the Rochester Feeder March. The truck carried food, water, supplies, sleeping bags, clothes, etc.

I have to give the Marchers a ton of credit. They all deserve whatever comes their way. You don’t meet people like this every day.

I’m glad I did it. (Frank was one of the main drivers the entire route, beginning in Buffalo to Rochester, and then from Rochester to Watertown with the Marchers.) It was a bit more difficult (I had driven a truck for 20 years) than I thought it would be. This trip I was totally exhausted, driving very slow, making sure everyone had water and food. This was my work for 9 days.

For me, I’m a combat veteran and I would like to see all these kids come home.

The IVAW got an audience with the assistant commander at the base on Saturday, and I think it went well.

I met up with several other veterans, including Roland, a World War II vet, who rode his bicycle most of the 125 miles, and then walked the last one or two days. He was a trooper, no doubt about it.

I’m still recovering, not totally unpacked yet. Takes time to come down some. Come back to reality. What the Marchers did was not real. I remember several of them lancing their blisters on the third day, leaving thread in the blisters so they would drain. Didn’t stop them from walking, though. I’m proud of the Walkers. I drove the truck. It all worked out well. — Frank Gage

After arriving home  2 am Sunday morning and “decompressing,” I experienced a bit of a post “magnificent march” let-down for most of the day Sunday.

It’s Monday morning and I’ve been reflecting on the walk and all of the friends made along the way (my eyes well up as I remember). The most powerful thing that comes to mind is the sense of community developed during the organizing and exponentially reinforced along the way.

I think the same fears that created the war are the ones that separate us from each other. The walk helped me face my own fears in very tangible ways, with abundant examples provided by so many on how to work through them and unite!  — Jim Fulmer

= = = = =

About the End of the March - the Festival:

People were tired. We — the Marchers –   were invited onto the base and the decision was made not to go. With security clearances needed and the time involved, and our previous invitation to be at the Festival starting at 11 a.m., we decided to not go to the base.  We also had people commit to the Festival from other cities and needed to be meeting up with them.

The culmination of the March was what it was supposed to be: A  growing and flowering and inspiring process, not simply an event. The joy of sharing and connectedness were profound.  –  Vicki Ross

[See post to watch QuickTime movie]

More than 30 veterans of five wars approached Col. Kenneth Riddle at the Watertown Armed Forces Day Parade on Saturday, requesting an opportunity to discuss the need for adequate mental health care for those serving in Afghanistan and Iraq. He recommended that they schedule an appointment to meet with him at a future date to discuss these issues.

According to a recent study, more than 18 U.S. veterans commit suicide every day. More soldiers who served in Afghanistan and Iraq have died at their own hand than have those who died in combat.  These soldiers and veterans did not receive the quality of care they needed. Many more are self-medicating with alcohol.

Maj. Gen. Michael Oates regularly publishes the names and photographs of Fort Drum soldiers who are arrested for DWI.  Rather than resorting to such humiliation, the General should address the root causes of the soldiers’ stress.

The VA has covered up this problem, and the cover-up is perpetuated locally.  At the parade, Jefferson County legislator, Carolyn Fitzpatrick told a local TV reporter that she hoped the veterans’ efforts to speak with Col. Riddle wouldn’t be aired.  We believe it is time to air this issue and help prevent any more suicides.

If you truly support our troops and our veterans, we ask that you call or write Col. Riddle and Maj. Gen. Oakes and demand that they be provided with adequate and appropriate mental health care NOW!

Eli Wright, Iraq War Veteran

Jason Peterson, Desert Storm Veteran

Douglas H. Ryder, Vietnam War Veteran

Peter Bronson, Korea War Veteran

Roland Micklem, WWII Veteran 

and 30 others

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/15/nyregion/15march.html

http://oneidadispatch.com/site/index.cfm?newsid=19674336&BRD=1709&PAG=461&dept_id=68844&rfi=8

http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/article/20080517/news03/924324507/-1/news

Friday Night, May 16

Another small item: when we were interviewed by Channel 10 News, we were asked if we thought we were speaking to the choir. “Shouldn’t you go to Washington?”  I thought the Watertown area was gung-ho for the war, but you really get the sense this community has had enough and has not had a voice to express their discontent. I think we have been that voice, supporting soldiers and calling for an end to the war.  –  Jim Fulmer

[See post to watch QuickTime movie]