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New VVAW Chapter Moving Forward in Cincinnati

By Marty Webster

Marching through the streets of Cincinnati on the Fourth of July was an awesome and emotional experience. We received an overwhelming reception of cheers, thumbs up, and peace signs. When people saw our banner, they actually were coming down off of their porches and joining others along the parade route to give us standing ovations. I have never experienced anything like it in my life.

At the formation area, we met a 'Nam vet named Paul, who was part of the peace and justice contingent. He hadn't realized we were still around. I told him we were forming the VVAW Ohio Valley Regional Chapter and invited him to join. About a third of the way through the parade, he was standing and waiting for us. "I belong with you guys," he said. Paul marched the rest of the parade route with us. He had just had a hip replacement, and he marched with crutches. He wore a T-shirt that said: "Every Step for Peace." Paul has agreed to become a member of the VVAW Ohio Valley Regional Chapter.

On June 10, MUSE (Cincinnati's women's choir) hosted "peace mom" Cindy Sheehan, Holly Near, and Muslim Mothers Against Violence for a series of workshops and the 23rd Annual MUSE Spring Concert at the New Thought Unity Center.

Earlier in the day, Cindy Sheehan was available for a book signing at Shake It Records. She was very warm and welcoming and expressed heartfelt gratitude for the role VVAW was playing in the peace movement. A very large crowd had arrived to greet her respectfully. As we observed the proceedings, we were overtaken by the aura of this humble woman.

Jerry Smith, Paul Davis & Marty Webster at the end of the 4th of July parade in Cincinnati. This is the first time VVAW has had representation in the parade in over 30 years.

VVAW joined with thousands of MoveOn members from around the country on June 28 for a National Day of Action to demand an "oil-free future." We met with MoveOn members and others at the Shell and BP gas stations at the intersection of Galbraith and Reading Roads in Reading, Ohio, a small, blue-collar suburb north of Cincinnati. A feisty crowd had an endless chorus of horn response from the passing autos.

On August 6, we were invited to participate in the Hiroshima and Nagasaki Candlelight Vigil and Meditation Walk at International Friendship Park, past the Hiroshima panels. It was a very emotional evening, and all remembered those who had lost their lives because of nuclear weapons and war.

Earlier in the week, I visited the local CAIR (Council on American-Islamic Relations) office to introduce myself and our organization. When they saw a picture of the banner in the parade, they asked if we would participate in a candlelight vigil for peace at a local mosque with our banner. I immediately committed to doing so. And on August 7, VVAW participated in the Candlelight Vigil for a Ceasefire and Peace in the Middle East at the Islamic Center of Greater Cincinnati in West Chester, Ohio. The candlelight vigil coincided with Amnesty International's other Ceasefire Vigils in the United States and in other countries. Other cosponsoring organizations were CAIR, the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, the Intercommunity Justice and Peace Center, Peace Village, and the St. Monica-St. George Parish Newman Center.

On August 8 at the Cincinnati Public Library atrium, Ohio Valley VVAW members attended a forum on veterans' issues with Ohio congressman Sherrod Brown and former senator Max Cleland. Brown led off the evening with a spirited presentation on providing adequate health care for all veterans.

On September 14, we were invited to attend a Forum on the Iraq War, sponsored by Democracy for Cincinnati, at the Clifton United Methodist Church in Cincinnati.

The Declaration of Peace Coalition sponsored a town hall meeting on September 18 entitled "The Local Impact of the War in Iraq." Around 200 people attended the event at St. Monica-St. George Church in downtown Cincinnati. Georgine Getty, executive director of the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless, moderated a panel composed of Ohio District 1 and District 2 congressional candidates Victoria Wulson and John Cranley. Representatives of congresspersons Schmidt and Chabot were in attendance.

Jerry Smith (VVAW), Paul Davis (VFP), the newest VVAW Ohio Valley Regional Chapter member, and Marty Webster (VVAW) at a showing of Sir! No Sir! in Cincinnati on September 24

I made a presentation on the domestic costs of militarism and the war in Iraq in relation to the VA and the overall effect on veterans' health care needs. Also attending were Peggy and Jerry Logue, who are the parents of a Marine who lost his life in Iraq. While he was home, he suffered greatly from the effects of the war. I quickly bonded with these people, and we talked at length about PTSD.

I mentioned to the Logues that I had spoken with a police officer a few weeks earlier about returning Iraq veterans and the many problems they are facing, including PTSD. He had said that the police were being called to bars late at night, and often it was an Iraq veteran who had been drinking heavily and getting involved in a disturbance. He had said that some of the police officers had been talking, and they felt the country was not ready for the impact when they all come home. Think about it: if we are not here for these guys, who will be? It's sort of like AA (another fine group I belong to). Anytime any veteran anywhere reaches out for help, the extended hand of VVAW must always be there, and for that I am responsible.

I also was invited by the Intercommunity Justice and Peace Center to participate in a press conference, with all of the major Cincinnati media, about the Declaration of Peace.

Briefly, the Declaration of Peace is a nationwide campaign inviting people to pledge to declare peace by taking action to bring all US troops home from Iraq. A comprehensive, concrete, and rapid plan was established for an end to the US war in Iraq, calling for all troops to be home by March 19, 2007. Peace was declared by people engaging in nonviolent action in cities and towns across the United States, leading up to and especially during the week of September 21–28. The VVAW Ohio Valley Regional Chapter is participating in coordinated, nonviolent activities that will continue on a regular basis until the United States withdraws from Iraq.

On September 22, VVAW participated in a Peace Bell Gathering vigil in Northern Kentucky. On September 23 and 24, we showed the video Sir! No Sir! I also gave a presentation comparing the war in Vietnam with the war in Iraq. These were well received. There were many hugs, and tears were shed. Three 'Nam vets said they were interested in joining VVAW and the Ohio Valley Regional Chapter.

As soon as the Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati becomes available, we will be holding a major rally. The Freedom Center's mission is to inspire people to speak up in the face of injustice and for the spirit of freedom, just as so many people of all backgrounds did during the era of the Underground Railroad.

Brother Arny Steiber, the VVAW regional contact from Michigan, visited Cincinnati recently and told me that as he reflected on the center, he began to see a number of parallels between slavery and war. The rich are profiteering, and people are being brutalized. The effects never go away, families are torn apart, laws make it legal, and preachers use the bible to justify it.

I cannot think of a better place for a rally. More information on this event will be posted on www.vvaw.org when it becomes available. All are welcome to attend and participate.