Veterans for Peace Rachel Corrie Chapter
109
Olympia WAVeterans Working Together
for Peace & Justice Through Non-violence. Wage Peace!
Veterans for Peace, Inc. (VFP) is a non-profit 501(c)(3)
educational and humanitarian organization dedicated to the abolishment of war.
Statement Of Purpose
We, having dutifully served our nation, do hereby
affirm our greater responsibility to serve the cause of world peace. To this end
we will work, with others
(a) Toward increasing public awareness of the costs of
war
(b) To restrain our government from intervening, overtly and covertly, in the
internal affairs of other nations
(c) To end the arms race and to reduce and eventually eliminate nuclear weapons
(d) To abolish war as an instrument of national policy.
(e) To make non-violent conflict resolution an integral
part of national policy
(f) To seek justice for veterans and victims of war
To achieve these goals, members of Veterans For Peace
pledge to use non-violent means and to maintain an organization that is both
democratic and open with the understanding that all members are trusted to act
in the best interests of the group for the larger purpose of world peace.
We urge all people who share this vision to join us. Membership
Application Form (English) or Spanish
Arlington
NW / Iraq War Memorial 2006 - Olympia WA Photos
Breaking
News:
VFP
Korea Delegation Report Our own Larry Kerschner was part of the
delegation!
Thank
You Lt. Ehren Watada [Official Website]
 
(Photo by George Hill)
A BRIEF HISTORY OF U.S. MILITARY RESISTANCE
and peace movement support for resisters by Zoltan Grossman
Resources
for Active Duty Service People
Spc.
Suzanne Nicole
Swift
Pvt. Ryan Patrick Meeks - Vancouver WA
- AWOL
soldier says he's had enough of war - "I tried to turn
myself in," he said. "I went the right route, I thought. I showed
the Army I was diagnosed with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), but
they didn't even look at it. They just wanted to send me back to Iraq."
The
National Veterans Foundation has opened a toll-free helpline (1-888-777-4443)
for Troops, Veterans and their families. All calls are answered live by trained veterans, who listen, provide crisis
intervention services, emotional support and information, or immediate
referrals to local providers who can help. The NVF Helpline has already
served more than 275,000 people in need.
"As I see it, our mission remains
un-changed – to establish ourselves as the credible source of information and
first-hand experience of the real
costs and causes of war – and to use that information to convince the public
of its own desperate need to change the course of America away from militarism
and military domination of the planet." --
Woody Powell, former VFP Executive Director
How much does it cost to keep a single US soldier in Iraq with
the increasing prospect of being killed or seriously injured? $350,000 a
year! See
http://www.stopwar.org.uk/Statistics.htm
Cost of the War in Iraq
Events Calendar
Shortcuts for Quick Reading
Shortcut for Music/Videos
Shortcut for Videos
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Arlington West: Veterans Speak Out
A Film by Chris Hume and Scott Galindez
11.14.05
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QuickTime
DSL
| 56K
Windows Media
DSL
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RealMedia
DSL
| 56K |
Shortcut for Audio Files
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Can
the Volunteer Army Finish the Job in Iraq? NPR segment on
recruiting
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http://leonardclark.com/audio-files/Leonard-Clark-from-Iraq-June-27-2005.mp3
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http://leonardclark.com/audio-files/Leonard-Clark-from-Iraq-July-2-2005.mp3
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http://leonardclark.com/audio-files/Leonard-Clark-from-Iraq-July-4th-2005.mp3
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http://www.democracyforamerica.com/iraq_stories
stories from those who see firsthand the toll the conflict has taken on
families and communities.
Action Teams
- Depleted Uranium Action Team
- Membership Action Team
- Know All You Can Know -
Truth in Recruitment Action Team
- Veterans Affairs Action Team
- Funds Action Team
- "Action" Action Team
- Lt. Watada Support
Action Team
Action Items
Return Washington State National Guard Personnel to Our Home State
.pdf document [Endorsed by RCC Chapter 109]
Families
want Guard excused from Iraq Tacoma News Tribune article
Washington National Guard GI
Bill Troop Support - Proposal by Mike Coday
Jody
Tiller's Fast PhotoShow
Governors
Worry Guard's Overseas Mission Leaves States Vulnerable
Depleted Uranium
Send Phone Cards to Wounded Vets
My
Lai Peace Park Project "Winds of Peace" is a great, healing
project that we all can support. We can help build schools, etc. and do
grassroots fundraising for projects in Vietnam. Our meeting in Olympia
raised over $900. Just think of what a concerted effort would bring, Mike
will be returning to My Lai in February and called me to express his
appreciation for the time he was with us. Read about Mike's visit from
Meera who was there. Meera Shanti's story
.
"Toys from the
Heart" Campaign Bob Rudolph, Chapter 109, and his wife
have launched a project to boost the morale of our troops and bring joy to Iraqi
children.
AFSC's online movie
tells the truth about the
ongoing loss of life in Iraq -- and encourages viewers to sign their
petition to bring the troops home. [2 min]Watch it now
We
need to be ready to speak and write:
We
should always be prepared to share our VFP Statement of Purpose whenever an
opportunity arises. Recently, VFP chapters were invited to hear Michael Moore on
October 19th in Seattle. We all wore our VFP T-shirts. I'm sure that caught the
attention of Elisa Hahn from KING 5 TV. She briefly interviewed me and I was
sure that my comments would never be aired. Wrong! I was told they were and even
a brief statement made it into their webpage
for the news that night. We have a message that cuts across political parties
and needs to be heard by everyone!
We must write letters to the editor to express our opinion. See Bob Rudolph's
responses in "We Must
Speak Up." Bob has received replies from elected officials
and from newspaper editors that should encourage us all to write! Bill
Compfer received a positive response from former President Jimmy Carter
commending Veterans For Peace. [See letter]
I
also use Progressive Secretary to help me write and send letters on behalf for
free. Progressive Secretary has
sent hundreds of letters for me so far.
Donations
help with their computer and mailing expenses --Dennis
"Can you imagine what it is
like, every time you set out in a car across the city, to wonder if you will
return?...I feel sick, but I don't run to the bombsite because I can't do
anything. I just sit there and wonder how many people are dead, and pray
for them, and for the people who set the bombs, and at the same time I feel glad
that it wasn't me there on the street. Your mind does these things.
"Thank God I made it today. Thank God it wasn't me." But
it was someone. Sheila
Provencher, CPT Iraq. (full
article)
Each new death of a soldier or a civilian, each child who loses a parent to
the carnage, each healthy body that is broken or burned in this war that didn't
have to happen, is a reminder of how horribly wrong he [Bush] was.
-- Bob
Herbert, NY Times
Visit www.VotersForPeace.US
and immediately sign the Voters' Pledge, which states:
I will not vote for or support
any candidate for Congress or President who does not make a
speedy end to the war in Iraq, and preventing any future war of
aggression, a public position in his or her campaign.
Veterans for Peace - Rachel Corrie Chapter 109
804 Narnia Lane NW
Olympia, WA 98502-2592
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Every casualty of war is a
mother's child!
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AWOL
Soldier Returns To Fort Lewis
