Camp Casey coordinator Ann Wright has issued an appeal.

UPDATES ON CINDY SHEEHAN VISIT TO CRAWFORD
Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2005
(Reverse Time Order — More Recent Entries Toward Top)
http://198.65.14.85/News/2005/31-40/33news13.htm

Camp Casey coordinator Ann Wright has issued an appeal. The van that has been used recently to accomodate media interviews is being called out of service and there is now an immediate need for a replacement. Anyone interested in loaning or providing such a van for use by Sheehan should call Wright at 808-741-1141. She explained that this need is somewhat urgent.

9:30 p.m.

Tonight candlelight vigils have been held throughout the country in support of Cindy Sheehan. In all, at least 1,380 vigils were scheduled. Responsible for the push were Move On, True Majority, and Democracy for America.

Plans are under way for an Interfaith service on Friday at Camp Casey. Coordinators at the camp are expecting hundreds, perhaps thousands, to attend and are encouraging people to travel to Crawford for this special event. It is scheduled for noon on Friday. Religious leaders of all faiths have a special invitation to attend.

Arrangements continue to be made regarding the move to Fred Mattlage's property.

It has been announced that activist/singer/songwriter David Rovics, who was featured in a previous edition of The Iconoclast, has recorded "Song for Cindy Sheehan" which is now available for free download at: http://www.soundclick.com/davidrovics

Iconoclast reporter Gene Ellis has posted an interview she conducted with two Iraq Veterans Against the War. To read it, go here.
http://198.65.14.85/News/2005/31-40/33news16.htm

====================

Hart Viges and Tim Goodrich (from left).

Iraq Veteran Against The War
Hopes People Raise Their Voices

By Gene Ellis, Iconoclast Reporter

CAMP CASEY — I was able to speak this week with both Tim Goodrich (briefly) and at length with Hart Viges, two members of an organization called Iraq Veterans Against the War, which is represented at Camp Casey. This group is one of several sponsors of the peaceful protest. Others helping are Code Pink, Gold Star Families, Military Families, and Veterans For Peace.

GOODRICH - I'm Tim Goodrich representing Iraq Veterans Against the War. We're going to have a presence here the entire time with Cindy (Sheehan) and maybe even have active duty people coming up from Ft. Hood to support us.

ELLIS - Why don't you tell me a little bit about your group and where you're from?

VIGES - I was mostly raised in San Angelo, Texas. I graduated from Central High School, moved around a bit, ended up going into the Army from Seattle because of Sept. 11. I thought that was a way to actually fix our problems. Once I got to my unit, I got sent to Iraq for what was believed to be six months, but they changed that.

ELLIS - Stop/loss?

VIGES - Not necessarily stop/loss. They were telling us you're going home next week. And then next week comes and, no, wait, wait, wait, and then the next two weeks. And then two weeks pass, and then, no, no, next month, next month.

ELLIS - How long did that go on?

VIGES - That went on for about two months. After a month and a half of it, we just didn't believe anything they were telling us about when we were going to go home.

That was when we just decided to try to find our comfort zone there. I don't know about the other guys. We all tried to deal with it in our own different ways, but mine was to try and take certain small things and to make those my happy thoughts.

I spent a year over there. Some situations I was put in really make me think about the big picture. Why am I here? What's the purpose of this? Where is God in all this?

I really didn't give it much thought when I was over there. I was paying more attention to roadside bombs or anything else that could hurt my brothers or myself. When I got back, I was able to reflect on everything and take a deep breath. I talked to some people, friends, family, got their perspectives. But yet I still wasn't hearing it. I was justifying it by, "We got rid of Saddam. We got rid of Saddam!" That pride was keeping me from actually accepting everything that really happened.

The clincher was (chuckles) The Passion of the Christ. I went to go see that right when I got back from Iraq.

I consider myself a Christian. I read the Bible from time to time. Sometimes I go to church. But when I saw that, that just clinched it for me. Seeing Jesus going through what he went through, praying for his persecutors, showing that love.

And me myself, calling myself a follower of Jesus threw me for a loop, with everything I did and where I was at. I was still in the Army. I was still part of an organization that was meant to kill people and break things. And when I came back to my unit, I filed for conscientious objection and after 10 months of that, I received CO status, honorable discharge, and left the Army. All the work I did to get my CO status couldn't just end there. I couldn't just use my faith to get out and go about my business. That wasn't my intent.

I feel compelled to carry on with that message. And that's why I find this place very special.

What Cindy is doing is amazing and it's the spark that we need to bring this to light and to get moving on this. And that's why I'm here.

I live down in Austin right now, and when I heard the word, I had to come. So here I am with my other Iraq Veterans Against the War. The Viet Nam vets have been a huge help to us. Not only like father figures to us, but they've been where we're at. They know how we're feeling when we get back. They have an abundance of advice on how to deal with things like post traumatic stress disorder, all the feelings that come when you go through such an act as war. Gold Star Families (who have lost family members to the war) here, amazing.

It's quite a unique relationship that we have with the Gold Star Families, being Iraqi veterans.

Multiple times I was either an inch or a foot or three seconds away of my mother being a Gold Star Family. It's really been a huge emotional cannonball shot through my heart here just to see everything come together like it has. It's changed my life - again.

I'm grateful to be here, grateful for — I know Texas hospitality. (Laughs) Even though we've met some resistance, it's America. You have your freedom of speech, and I'm not going to take that away from anyone.

And you just can't judge. I was told that, too. All I can do is pray that people see the humanity of it all and raise their voices. It's been a really important process for the healing that this nation needs as well as the veterans coming back. We need to start working through all that we saw and did over there.

ELLIS - You alluded earlier to specific incidents in Iraq that make you now feel compelled to protest the war? Would you care to describe these?

VIGES - It's just the inhumanity of it all.

My basis is my faith. "Blessed are the peacemakers. Love your enemies and do good to them," Jesus said that, and I don't really think He meant to bomb them or shoot them.

I don't know; call it crazy. (Laughs) But I don't think He had that in mind.

Also there's the political side of it — which is really hard to ignore. And I believe the proof is right there, how it's fueled politically. There were no weapons of mass destruction. The British paper that said that policy was being formed around the information — This is concrete proof that our government lied to us. And I don't see how anyone can stand for that. We're talking about our kids, our families here, being sacrificed for a lie. Having to go through the wounds of war and the experience of killing somebody or being part of it — it's not healthy. That's what I'm opposed to. I don't think anyone would want his or her child to go through that.

ELLIS - Thank you for your time, Mr. Viges. Good luck to you.

Editor's Note: Permission is granted to reprint the information and photographs appearing in this feature about Cindy Sheehan's visit to Crawford and activities at The Peace House. Attribution would be appreciated. Recordings, if any, may also be reproduced, with credit. — W. Leon Smith, publisher, The Lone Star Iconoclast

SUPPORT THE ICONOCLAST BY SUBSCRIBING TO THE ONLINE REPRODUCTION (pdf) OF THE PRINT EDITION OF THE ICONOCLAST. THREE MONTHS FOR JUST $10. SEE FRONT PAGE.
http://198.65.14.85/News/2005/31-40/33news16.htm

UPDATES ON CINDY SHEEHAN VISIT TO CRAWFORD
uruknet.info, Italy - 17 hours ago
Camp Casey coordinator Ann Wright has issued an appeal. The van that has been used recently to accomodate media interviews is being ...

Anti-war activists hold candlelight vigil in Crawford
all 1,514 related »