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VVAW Members Form Backbone of Philadelphia's Sea of Tombstones

By Sandy Fulton

Since October 2005 VVAW members from the Delaware Valley area have been working on the preparation, installation and observation of Arlington North—A Sea of Tombstones. On three important weekends—Veterans Day 2005, Memorial Day 2006, Veterans Day 2006—we set out rank after rank of white-painted wooden tombstones on the lawn of the national shrine, Philadelphia's Liberty Bell. The next display is planned for Memorial Day 2007.

Cindy Sheehan and Bill Perry

Arlington West and Eyes Wide Open inspired VVAW National Coordinator, tireless activist Bill Perry, to speak to the National Park Service, to turn Philadelphia's Liberty Bell lawn into a temporary military graveyard. That was in the late summer of 2005, following Cindy Sheehan's Peace Bus appearance in Philadelphia, but there was little interest when Bill presented it at a local peace vets' meeting—except among certain VVAW and IVAW veterans eager for local actions to reach ordinary citizens. The plan came into focus in Washington DC in October 2005, during Bill's discussions with Gold Star families desperate to reawaken antiwar activities. On October 25, the day after DOD confirmed 2,000 troop deaths, Bill, Col. Ann Wright and Gold Star family members Cindy Sheehan, Juan Torres, Bea Salvidar, Bill Mitchell, and DeDe Miller placed wreaths at Arlington National Cemetery and later that evening were arrested at a "Die-In" at the White House gate. Bill came back from Washington determined that the best way to bring home the war losses to Philadelphia-area citizens was to create a Sea of Tombstones.

Only 17 days remained until Veterans Day! Yet Bill had faith that there were enough activist veterans. He finalized the Liberty Bell lawn reservation, procured materials, and got a team together—not only VVAW members but activists of the Philadelphia Regional Anti-War Network (PRAWN) and others. Intense, heavy work over the next two weeks —sawing, painting, adding lawn prongs and photo markers, loading, setup—resulted in an impressive 4-day weekend display of white-painted wooden rectangular gravestones (we do not use crosses) with photo markers for Gold Star families' loved ones. The commemoration offered a quiet respectful space where visitors, including bereaved families, could mourn the troops killed in Iraq. The construction team mingled with the crowd and furnished handouts exposing the lies that had, as of November 2005, caused the deaths of over 2,000 Americans and an estimated 100,000 Iraqis. This Sea of Tombstones attracted thousands of awed visitors, and the Park Service invited us back. Tragically, by Memorial Day 2006 the number of tombstones had increased. On Veterans Day 2006 the tombstones numbered 2,500, as US deaths reached 2,843. Iraqi deaths, by last November, were believed to number above 650,000.

In August 2006, to promote greater local veteran activism, a new super-activist group was formed, Delaware Valley Veterans for America (DV-VFA), now numbering over 30 veteran members. Of those who came together in DV-VFA, at least 60% were already members of VVAW, and the veterans who worked on the 2005 tombstone project form one of its two core groups.

The other core group is from IVAW. Patrick Resta, President of DV-VFA, was a combat Army medic in Iraq, and his long-range project, with fellow IVAW member Chad Hetman, is to obtain funding for a halfway house for PTSD victims returning from Iraq and Afghanistan to our area—a safe place with counseling where they can sleep, board, and reacclimate. Patrick is well aware of PTSD, both as a medic and a victim.

Bill Perry, who joined VVAW in 1969 and testified at Winter Soldier in 1971, is DV-VFA's Executive Director and continues to lead the Arlington North projects. He served as a combat paratrooper in Vietnam, was wounded in action and suffers from combat PTSD. 100% disabled, he advises veterans on benefits and provides a useful liaison between union activists and the many veterans groups to which he belongs. Bill's energy and planning expertise are inspirational. Not only has he coordinated the tombstone displays but he's provided far more than his share of hard work and money. He's been an activist for years, and since the founding of DV-VFA six months ago has been the primary organizer of an enormous number of local and Washington, DC peace vet activities, summoning DV-VFA to support over a hundred actions. Bill led a large combined DV-VFA and VVAW group at the recent January 27 Rally and March, where he was on stage with other activists. All his peace and justice activities, which number from four to six per week, couldn't possibly be listed here.

Arlington North-Sea of Tombstones, Memorial Day 2006. Bill Perry carefully answers questions of a little girl wondering why a PTSD-suffering veteran, a Gold Star family's son, killed himself.

Other DV-VFA members get out and work hard. Some turn their talents to writing, led by Dave Kalkstein, a New Jersey veteran, Sandy Fulton and Dr. Jon Bjornson, both of Philadelphia. Dave is not only an outstanding writer, but an organizer of boundless energy and managerial ability who's taken a leading part in coordinating our DV-VFA film series and other Delaware Valley peace actions, especially those in South Jersey.

Sandy resigned after 12 years as a Naval officer in December 1968, joined VVAW in 1969, is a charter member of the Arlington Cemetery Women's Memorial, and mother of a Gulf War vet. Retired, she's been a published writer, editor and illustrator, with over 20 books in energy conservation, community development and the history of dissent, as well as poetry in The Veteran. In the Navy she became the first woman to undergo full vacuum tests in NASA's space suit. Sandy is DV-VFA's secretary and has been creating the tombstone photo markers, now more than 1,000, working on tombstone construction, and producing text and graphics for flyers, flags, stickers and political buttons.

Many others contribute to graphics, since creative teamwork is the backbone of DV-VFA activism. Jon Bjornson, Bill Perry, Ray Smith, Dave Kalkstein and Sandy Fulton worked as a team designing the flyer to advertise the Sea of Tombstones for last Veterans Day. (Go online and click on www.vfp144.org to view the flyer.) Photo talents enhance our written documents. Marine veteran John Kline and former Army doctor Jon Bjornson deserve special credit for their large-size photo displays at the Sea of Tombstones and their accomplished photography during all DV-VFA actions.

"Doctor Jon," retired psychiatrist and a Major in the Army Medical Corps in Vietnam, is DV-VFA's treasurer and, like Bill, a Regional VVAW contact. For the Sea of Tombstones, he constructs and laminates the photo markers. Jon has a peace vet record of almost 40 years, starting as an organizer and leader of Pennsylvania VVAW in 1969. He served on two panels at Winter Soldier in 1971, moderating one. Distressed at lack of press coverage at Winter Soldier, Jon organized war crimes hearings called "We Accuse" at the University of Pennsylvania soon afterward, then joined the veterans' march on Washington to return medals. As Camp MD for 1,200 Vietnam vets he attended Dewey Canyon III in Washington DC, May 1971, and in 1972 moderated a panel on the psychological consequences of the Vietnam War at Winter Soldier II in Boston and another on war crimes in Harrisburg, PA. Jon sat on panels of both the American Psychiatric Association and American Orthopsychiatric Association to determine the cause and treatment of what was then called "Post Vietnam Syndrome"—now PTSD—and is a recognized PTSD authority.

DV-VFA and VVAW veterans from Delaware Valley marched together in DC, Jan 27: Jon Bjornson, Jack Marquess, Walt Comisak, Peter Brunner, Bob Fields. All, including the photographer, Sandy Fulton, signed up with VVAW 37 or more years ago.

Ray Smith, Army vet, offers his background as a CAD-CAM graphics expert. Ray has contributed graphics edits and furnished color printing for the Sea of Tombstones photo markers. An enthusiastic member of DV-VFA, he and his wife Nancy travel all the way from Atlantic City to saw, nail and paint wood, help out during the displays, and participate in many other actions. Rich Gardner, disabled Navy vet and both a DV-VFA and PRAWN activist, helps with construction and is webmaster of the DV-VFA website, www.vfp144.org, where you can scroll down and click on an impressive short video of the Memorial Day 2006 Sea of Tombstones. Other hard-working DV-VFA activists include Sam Adams, Peter Brunner, antiwar poet Robert Dennen, Al Kovnat, Jack Marquess, disabled Marine Bruce Tornari, Steve Mortillo, Toby Hartzbarger, Cathy Santos and Mark LaChance. Most are Marine or combat Army veterans and either VVAW or IVAW members.

We continue to work hand in hand with PRAWN members and two of them, Nancy Smith and Monique Frugier, a noted photographer, are now associate members of DV-VFA, as are veterans' wives Nancy, Terry Perry and Michelle Resta, and Dr. Jon's daughter Noelle. We team up with Gold Star Families and Military Families Speak Out, represented at the last Sea of Tombstones by speakers Cindy Sheehan, Celeste Zappala, and Sue Niederer, along with regional protest musicians like rapper S.O.N., and the Philadelphia Grannies' Peace Brigade. DV-VFA had the pleasure of rallying for the Grannies at their trial on December 1, where charges against them were thrown out. We often join actions with Colonel Ann Wright and Gulf War vet Dennis Kyne, both of whom spoke, with Michael Berg—whose civilian son was killed in Iraq—at November 11's Sea of Tombstones.

For the opening day of Washington DC's Camp Democracy, DV-VFA furnished 21 veterans—the only contingent from the Philadelphia area. Each week we take part in four to six rallies, forums, antiwar film showings, panel discussions, lobbying efforts, support of other peace groups, letter-writing campaigns, and other antiwar and pro-veteran actions. We've lobbied for veterans' benefits and coordinated the visit of Lt. Watada's parents to Philadelphia. Most DV-VFA members participate regularly in these activist efforts, and we don't intend to stop even after the troops come home. We've learned the hard way that "eternal vigilance is the price of liberty."

Philadelphia Gold Star mother Celeste Zappala speaks of her son, KIA Sgt.Sherwood Baker, at Sea of Tombstones, Veterans Day 2006. Speakers from IVAW/DV-VFA and Gulf War, (l to r): Chad Hetman, Dennis Kyne, Steve Mortillo, Toby Hartzbarger, Patrick Resta. Behind Celeste Zappala, unseen: Mark Lachance.