FORT DRUM SPRING FESTIVAL, WATERTOWN, NY MAY 17th
Reflections on the Magnificent March and Festival
(Here are excerpts from Paddy Lane and David Grodsky’s reflection on the March. Their full report is found in the Blog section of this web page.)
Looking back on the three consecutive days that my husband David and I
spent with “New York State Marches to Ft. Drum” brings a great sense of
satisfaction. It was an extraordinary undertaking, and despite
occasional communication glitches and other to-be-expected hassles, we
felt it was an enormous success….
The size of our walking group varied from day to day. People would walk
with us for a few hours or for a day or for a week. Ages ranged from
babies in strollers to our oldest walker, a 79-year-old veteran of World
War II. On the morning of day 8 we were about 35 walkers; by the time
we reached Watertown early Friday evening we were about 60 strong as
more people, especially veterans, joined us for the final hours. In
addition to Iraq Veterans Against the War and our WWII vet, we also had
veterans from Korea and Vietnam….
Our somewhat nervous expectation was to find communities all across
upstate who were very supportive of the war and hostile to our
presence. We had planned security for the march carefully, as other
groups have been harrassed by organizations such as the Gathering of
Eagles. Members of Veterans for Peace–veterans of Vietnam and other
wars–had been called upon to accompany our feeder marches to help with
this. We were warned especially that when we came into Watertown, this
very pro-military community might give us a hostile reception.
Final moments, and beyond
Friday evening and Saturday afternoon were times to come together, to
celebrate our joint effort, to listen to great bands, to eat and yak and
enjoy. Walk organizers spoke, Iraq veterans spoke. Crowds milled. Let
me quote a description of Saturday after people returned to the cafe,
written by someone who was there until the end: “Again, the cafe and
its attached arcade 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. . . 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.”
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.
May 15, 2008
An Antiwar March Through Towns Unused to One
By MICHELLE YORK
CENTRAL SQUARE, N.Y. — On Wednesday, Charlie Price was smoking a cigarette and sitting outside his restaurant, Charlie’s Place, on a two-lane stretch of highway on the outskirts of town.
He watched as a small group protesting the war in Iraq marched toward him, carrying peace signs and waving at the cars and tractor-trailers whizzing by. “I don’t think it’s going to do any good,” Mr. Price said of their efforts. “I want to get out of there, too, but I don’t think this is the way.”
Yet once the protesters, headed for Fort Drum , more than 50 miles away, reached him, Mr. Price eagerly offered them water and a place to rest — a more pleasant welcome than they had received from many others along the way.
Carmen Viviano-Crafts, 23, of Syracuse , who was carrying a small cardboard sign that read, “Bring home my boyfriend,” said that some people “gave us the finger and stuff like that.”
Since the war in Iraq began five years ago, the Second Brigade at Fort Drum has put in four tours.
For the past week, opponents of the war have taken several routes through the conservative and largely rural reaches of upstate New York — small communities that have sent many of their young men and women into the military right after high school and have paid a disproportionate price.
On Saturday, which is Armed Forces Day, protesters ranging from peace activists to Iraq Veterans Against the War will hold a daylong rally outside Fort Drum . What they lack in numbers — there were only about 40 on the road on Wednesday — they have made up for in passion, having walked about 80 miles so far.
The marchers started from several places, including Rochester , Ithaca and Utica , and merged on Wednesday, signifying the beginning of their final trek toward Fort Drum , just north of Watertown , near the Canadian border.
Planners say they have a dual message: to protest both the war and what they see as poor treatment of veterans who are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
On Wednesday, marchers passed through the town of Mexico , home to Joseph C. Godfrey, 54, a business owner whose three children — a daughter and two sons — all chose to join the military.
One son, Joseph, returned from a tour in Iraq in October 2004, developed a severe case of post-traumatic stress disorder and was medically discharged. While his family was trying to get him counseling, Joseph began drinking heavily. He was robbed and murdered four months after his discharge as he walked home from a bar.
“We felt right from the beginning that if he’d been at a veterans’ hospital, he wouldn’t have been at the bar,” Mr. Godfrey said.
Mr. Godfrey’s other son, Justin, 24, has already served one tour in Afghanistan and another in Iraq . In August, he will again depart for Iraq .
When Mr. Godfrey — who joined the antiwar group “Military Families Speak Out” after Joseph’s death — learned that marchers were coming through his town, he arranged for them to sleep overnight at the First United Methodist Church in Mexico, about 10 miles from here, even though he feared that the pastor might be criticized by parishioners.
“We’re pointing out some of the injustices,” Mr. Godfrey said. “It’s everybody’s responsibility to try and do what they can. And for most of us, it’s not a lot, it’s the little things. The march is one of them.”
The marchers are an eclectic group. Some are die-hard protesters. Some are soldiers’ relatives who spontaneously joined after seeing the small parade pass through their towns.
Many of them are veterans, including an 89-year-old man who fought in World War II. He rides in a car along the marchers’ route, and meets the group each evening when they stop to rest.
At each town, they try to engage the community in conversation.
“We’re really not here to argue with people,” said Vicki Ryder, 66, who is driving along with her dog, Harry, who sits in the back seat, wearing a shirt that reads, “Bones Not Bombs.” Along the way, several people have screamed at them, the organizers said, but a far greater percentage of people have expressed support.
“Many may have believed in the principle of the war at the start, but now they’re saying that they want the soldiers to come back,” said Kathleen Castania, 59, an organizer who lives in Rochester . Whatever the reaction they draw, the organizers say they are making headway, both emotionally and physically.
“There is some apprehension” in the towns, said Tod Ensign, the director of Different Drummer Café, a veterans’-support organization in Watertown . “But I don’t believe this has ever been done before anywhere in the country. This is a first step.”
As the United States begins the sixth year of the war on Iraq,
- Over 4,000 U.S. soldiers have been killed and more than 60,000 wounded
- Over 1 million Iraqis have been killed
- It is estimated up to 4 million Iraqis have been made refugees.
- The United States spends $275 million per day on this war.
Support the work of the Different Drummer Café, veterans, and active duty soldiers who are courageously standing up to say this war must end.Walkers will be hosted each night by communities en route and will have many outreach opportunities. Many of these rural communities, through the service of their young men and women have paid a disproportionate cost for the war.
Each evening we will sponsor a program of education by IVAW members along with some relaxing music and/or theater activities. Even if you don’t walk you can join us at these events.
Sponsored by (list in formation): NY State Direct Action for Peace; Different Drummer Café; Citizen Soldier; Iraq Veterans Against the War; Upstate Anti-war Network; Syracuse Peace Council; North Country Veterans for Peace; Tompkins County Marches for Peace; Ithaca Catholic Worker; Finger Lakes for Peace; Rochester Declaration for Peace Affinity Group; Rochester Against War (RAW); Peace, Action and Education; RAW Theater; Rochester Chapter of Veterans for Peace; Western NY Peace Center; Campus Anti-war Network-Cornell University Chapter; Students United for a Just Peace-Ithaca College’ Hamilton Friends Meeting/Chenango Valley Peace Alliance; Muslim Solidarity Committee, Albany, N.Y.; Military Families Speak Out of Upstate New York; St. Joseph’s House of Hospitality; Saratoga Peace Alliance; Veterans for Peace Adirondack Chapter #147; Women Against War; Lewis Co. Citizens for Peace In Iraq; Veterans for Peace Tom Paine Chapter #10; Rosa House Troy Catholic Worker; Palmyra Pro Soldier/ Pro Peace Vigil; Peace and Justice Committee of St Catherine of Siena; Wayne Action for Racial Equality; Iraq-Iran Group of the Coalition for Democracy of Central New York; Rochester Indymedia; Progressives in Action; Genesee Valley Citizens for Peace; Pax Christi, Upstate NY; Justice & Peace Ministry of Catholic Charities of Tompkins/Tioga; RIT Campus Anti-war Network; The Ithaca UU Social Justice Council; Pax Christi; Network of Spiritual Progressives-Penn Yan Branch; Episcopal Diocese Public Policy Committee; The Interfaith Alliance of Rochester; Military Families Speak Out NYC; Bethlehem Neighbors for Peace; Military Families Speak Out NYC; Chapter 34 NYC Veterans for Peace; Rochester First Unitarian Peace Advocates; Bath Peace and Justice Group