Veterans for Peace
2496545
223161067
2008-07-02T20:54:32Z
207.67.100.26
[[Image:Vfp logo 100.jpg|thumb|right|230px|Veterans for Peace logo]]
'''Veterans For Peace''' is an [[United States|American]] organization founded in [[1985]]. Made up of male and female veterans of [[World War II]], the [[Korean War]], the [[Vietnam War]], the [[Gulf War]], and other conflicts, as well as peacetime veterans, the group works to promote alternatives to war.
The stated objective of the group is as follows:
:''We draw on our personal experiences and perspectives gained as veterans to raise public awareness of the true costs and consequences of militarism and war - and to seek peaceful, effective alternatives."[http://www.veteransforpeace.org/about.htm]''
Veterans For Peace was founded in 1985, as a non-profit [[501(c)#501(c)(3)|501(c)(3)]] educational organization and recognized as a [[United Nations]] [[Non-governmental organization]] (NGO) in 1990, where it has represented since at least 2003. Chapters and members are active in communities throughout the United States and Puerto Rico. National conventions are held annually and members communicate through quarterly newsletters as well as daily list-serve news, online discussions groups as well as the national and chapter websites. Veterans for Peace has a national office in [[St. Louis, Missouri|Saint Louis]], [[Missouri]] and members across the country, both organized in chapters and at-large.
At least one unrelated anti-war group from the Vietnam War era had a similar name: "Veterans for Peace in Viet-Nam" participated in a number of demonstrations in 1967.[http://www.jofreeman.com/photos/KingAtChicago03.html][http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_Veterans_Against_the_War#History]. Yet another group with a similar name may also have existed at the time of the Korean War.
==Anti-war activities==
[[Image:Gold Star Families.jpg|300px|right|thumb|Gold Star families and Veterans for Peace bring "Impeachment Tour" bus to [[Crawford, Texas|Crawford]], [[Texas]], August, 2005]] Starting in late 2003 Veterans for Peace became a major participant of [[protests against the Iraq War]].
In 2004, a Southern California chapters of Veterans For Peace began installing [[Arlington West]], a weekly "temporary cemetery" in tribute to those killed in the war in Iraq, each Sunday in [[Santa Barbara, California|Santa Barbara]] and [[Santa Monica, California|Santa Monica]], [[California]].
==2005 Dallas Convention and Camp Casey==
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:Cindy hart charlie IV.jpg|left|300px|thumb|[[Iraq Veterans Against the War]] member Hart Viges, "Peace Mom" Cindy Sheehan, and [[Iraq Veterans Against the War]] member Charles Anderson]] -->In August 2005, Veterans For Peace provided support to [[Cindy Sheehan]], the mother of a U.S. Army soldier killed in Iraq who embarked on an extended anti-war vigil near the ranch of U.S. President [[George W. Bush]] in [[Crawford, Texas|Crawford]], [[Texas]].[http://www.veteransforpeace.org/convention05/michael_sheehan.htm] In May 2004, one month after the death of her son, Casey, Sheehan had first learned of the organization after seeing coverage of the [[Arlington West]] display on television. On August 5, 2005 she spoke at the organization's 20th annual convention in Dallas, Texas, just a day before traveling to Crawford to begin her vigil. Members traveled from California to install an [[Arlington West]] display at "Camp Casey," the site of Sheehan's protest.
== 2006 March == <!-- Image with unknown copyright status removed: [[Image:Walkin_to_NOLA_IV.jpg]] -->
In March 2006, Veterans For Peace and coalition partners [http://www.ivaw.net Iraq Veterans Against the War], [http://www.gsfp.org Gold Star Families for Peace], and [http://www.mfso.org Military Families Speak Out] joined with [[Hurrican Katrina|Hurricane Katrina]] survivors and the relief and rebuilding organizations [http://www.sosafterkatrina.org/mission_statement.html Savin' Ourselves After Katrina], [http://commongroundrelief.org/ Common Ground Collective], and [http://bayoulibertyrelief.org/ Bayou Liberty Relief], as well as a number of African American churches along the Gulf Coast on a march from [[Mobile, Alabama|Mobile]], [[Alabama]] to [[New Orleans]], [[Louisiana]].
Originally titled [http://vetgulfmarch.org/ the Veterans and Survivors March], it quickly took on the moniker of Walkin' to New Orleans, in tribute to the famous song by [[Fats Domino]]. The marchers traveled the Gulf Coast advocating an immediate end to the war in Iraq and redirection of funds to help rebuild areas Katrina damaged not only in [http://images.google.com/images?svnum=10&hl=en&lr=&safe=off&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&q=katrina+damage&btnG=Search New Orleans], but also in [http://images.google.com/images?svnum=10&hl=en&lr=&safe=off&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&q=katrina+damage+mississippi&btnG=Search Mississippi], and [http://images.google.com/images?svnum=10&hl=en&lr=&safe=off&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&q=katrina+damage+alabama&btnG=Search Alabama]. The march and the events surrounding it have inspired a plethora of [http://www.google.com/search?q=veterans+and+survivors+march&start=0&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official websites] and [http://homepage.mac.com/union_county_labor/Veterans_for_Peace/PhotoAlbum126.html images] on the web.
Currently, the [[Veterans Truth Project]] is working to tell the stories of soldiers returning from the Iraq war to inform the public and connect veterans with their communities.
== 2008 July ==
According to Vets for Peace - Peace Action Network, "The military has a clear and dangerous presence at Milwaukee's Summerfest" (June 26 - July 6, 2008). "One exhibit is especially offensive: kids as young as 13 years old can aim automatic weapons from atop a humvee at a large screen to virtually kill people."
UPDATE: Summerfest has down the recuiters and no longer allows them to offer the game to ANYONE.
Due to Summerfest's Official's Actions, Summerfest Offices were flooded with calls from people supporting our troops and showing disgust at
the decision to shut down the Recruiters at Summerfest.
==Issues==
Veterans for Peace takes positions on a number of issues.
===War in Iraq===
When the U.S. government threatened invasion, VFP conducted public forums, met with elected representatives and participated in marches to express its opposition. As the war began, VFP gathered in Washington, DC, with other veterans groups for Operation Dire Distress. The organization participated in the [[Bring Them Home Now Tour|Bring Them Home Now]] campaign and supports the [[Iraq Veterans Against the War]]. Local chapters continue to conduct educational forums, demonstrations and ongoing Iraq memorial displays, such as [[Arlington West]] (portrayed in the documentary ''[[Arlington West: The Film]]''), to remember the growing human cost of the war, to end the [[military occupation|occupation]] and to bring U.S. troops home.
===Veteran's affairs===
Members and chapters actively participate in efforts to save [[Veterans Administration|VA]] healthcare and defend veterans rights; to provide counseling through the GI Rights Hotline to active duty military needing assistance; and providing alternative information to counter military recruiters in the schools.
===Patriot Act===
Veterans for Peace seeks to protect civil liberties that they believe are threatened by the [[Patriot Act]] and other similar legislation.
===War on Terror===
In the immediate aftermath of [[9/11]], VFP called for restraint while agreeing that: "...the hijacked airplane attacks on the World Trade Towers and the Pentagon a grievous assault upon innocence; a cause for outrage, sadness and disbelief....At this critical point, we believe it is essential to recognize that terrorists do not represent, nor are representative, of any community or country as a whole. We must not allow terrorism the power to create fear, suspicion and hatred -- or to direct our nation's domestic and foreign policies. We must not surrender to the cycle of retaliatory violence these angry people would push us into. Instead, we must come together and support each other, with faith and trust." [http://www.veteransforpeace.org/press/response911.htm]
===Impeachment of George Bush===
VFP has called for the [[impeachment]] of [[President of the United States|President]] [[George W. Bush|Bush]]. In a letter sent to each member of the U.S. [[United States House of Representatives|House]] and [[United States Senate|Senate]], Veterans For Peace stated that "this administration's war on Iraq, in addition to being increasingly unpopular among Americans, is an unmistakable violation of our Constitution and federal law which you have sworn to uphold. In our system, the remedy for such high crimes is clear: this administration must be impeached."
===Agent Orange===
VFP works with other Vietnam veterans, Vietnamese-Americans, and the Vietnam Agent Orange Relief and Responsibility Campaign<ref>http://www.vn-agentorange.org/index.html</ref> to secure justice and compensation for the the estimated 3 million Vietamese whose health has been damaged by the 19 million gallons of poisoned [[Agent Orange]] and other herbicides that were sprayed over more than 1/8 of the land of southern Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia during the American portion of the Vietnam War. In 2005, the Vietnamese Association of Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin (VAVA)<ref>http://www.vava.org.vn/</ref> sued 36 U.S. chemical companies for supplying the dioxin-laced herbicides to the Department of Defense. The suit was dismissed in Federal District court in 2007 and the reinstatement appeal to the [[United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit]] has not been successful. The suit is likely to head to the Supreme Court in 2009. VFP supports this activity because it wishes to promote reconciliation and friendship between the United States and Vietnam governments and people, and help heal the wounds of war.
===School of the Americas===
Each year VFP members from across the country go to [[Fort Benning]], [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]], to demonstrate for the closing of the Army's infamous [[Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation|School of the Americas]], a training center for thousands of soldiers from [[Latin America]]n countries which VFP identifies as having "long records of [[human rights]] abuses."
===Korea===
After revelations of the [[No Gun Ri tragedy|massacres of civilians]] by U.S. soldiers during the [[Korean War]], VFP sent several fact-finding delegations to investigate these allegations and bring the hidden history of that war before the public [http://www.veteransforpeace.org/about_vfp.vp.html]. They continue to work for an end to that conflict through their Korea Peace Campaign.
===Vieques===
The VFP has [[Navy-Vieques protests|actively supported the end]] of the U.S. Navy's use of the [[island]]-[[municipality]] of [[Vieques, Puerto Rico]] for bombing target practice. VFP continues to support current efforts for cleaning up the environment.
===Colombia===
VFP sent fact-finding delegations to [[Colombia]] and educated Americans about US military involvement, the murder of union leaders by [[Paramilitary|para-militaries]] and other human rights abuses, including the use of harmful chemical defoliants in the [[War on Drugs]].
===Central America===
In the 1980s, VFP opposed US-sponsored wars in Central America. VFP regularly sends [[Election monitoring|election observers]] to [[Guatemala]], [[Honduras]], [[Nicaragua]] and [[El Salvador]] [http://www.veteransforpeace.org/about_vfp.vp.html].
<!--HIDING UNTIL VALID SOURCE IS PRESENTED ==Criticism==
Some critics have expressed concern about the appeals for funding and the [[Stolen Valor|credentials]] of Veterans for Peace. {{Fact|date=August 2007}}-->
==See also==
*[[School of the Americas]]
*[[Arlington West]]
*[[Cindy Sheehan]]
*[[Ron Kovic]]
*[[Brian Willson]]
*[[Vietnam Veterans Against the War]]
*[[Iraq Veterans Against the War]]
==External links==
{{commonscat}}
*[http://www.veteransforpeace.org/ Veterans for Peace official site]
<!-- *
**http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6849029001567018956&q=veterans+iraq
*[http://chicagofreespeechzone.blogspot.com/2007/09/impeachment-bus-stops-here.html The Impeachment Bus Stops Here] A profile of Jim Goodnow, VFP activist who's been traveling across the country in an "impeachment bus" dubbed The Yellow Rose; from the Chicago FreeSpeechZone
*[http://rawstory.com/news/2005/Anatomy_of_antipeace_movement_Military_families_1004.html/ Anatomy of a peace movement: Military families increasingly raising voices against war] (404 on 4Jan05) -->
*[http://www.indybay.org/news/2003/02/1577030.php Video clip] of Vietnam vet and anti-war activist Jaime Vasquez speaking for VFP
*[http://www.archive.org/details/jmoon Video clip] of VFP member Jason Moon talking about his experience in Iraq
*[http://www.soaw.org/new SOA Watch] (School of the Americas watchdog site)
*[http://www.mccormack.umb.edu/nejpp/articles/19_1/12.PAtwood179-200.pdf War IS The American Way]
*[http://www.vfpsb.org Veterans for Peace Santa Barbara Chapter]
*[http://www.vn-agentorange.org/index.html/Vietnam Agent Orange Relief and Responsibility Campaign]
{{anti-war}}
[[Category:1985 establishments]]
[[Category:Peace organizations]]
[[Category:Political advocacy groups in the United States]]
[[Category:Veterans' organizations opposed to the Iraq war]]
[[Category:American veterans' organizations]]