Gainesville VFP members report on March on the Pentagon

Steve and Sherrie Hunter go to Washington:

Not since returing from Vietnam have I felt so compelled to stand up for what I believe in. As a Marine, I love my country and always want what is right for it, the people. I took an oath upon entering the Marine Corps to uphold the Constitution and defend the country against enemies, foreign and domestic. Upon discharge, I did not take an 'un-oath.' I believe it will always be my duty to live by that promise. I joined in anti-Vietnam war demonstrations here at home, and today, with all I have read and seen via the various media outlets, I felt the need to go to DC and join in the march to the Pentagon calling for an end to this illegal war for oil. Like the Vietnam war, this war in Iraq is also based on lies.

This is written from our point of view, our personal experiences, trying to depict the true atmosphere that day. I know some of you will disagree with our commitment to this cause, but that's your choice. Please have an open mind and read it all and view the video clips.
Our story follows:

My wife, Sherrie and I took a trip like we have never had before. Only a few days before it was to happen, we decided that we wanted and needed to drive to Washington DC and be a part of the march against the war in Iraq on its fourth anniversary.

We awoke about 4 AM Thursday morning and left after having coffee and bagels. The drive was long, right at 800 miles one way. The weather was beautiful when we left and got more cloudy as we traveled north. By the time we reached Virginia, it was raining lightly - and continued to do so for the next day and a half.

In bumper-to-bumper (bummer-to-bummer?) traffic on I-95 we reached the "beltway" I-495. The signs read stay right for North. We did and lo and behold that North was West. My estimate of the total length of the beltway around DC is about 50 miles. We drove three quaters of that - the wrong way.
We should have been about 12 miles from our motel in MD, but ended up driving in the early evening, bummer-to-bummer, stop-and-go traffic for two hours in the rain. Two hours to go approximately 36 miles! How on earth can people commute in those conditions every day? I'll never know.
Interestingly, we saw practically no bumper stickers and only the very rare magnetic "support the troops" ribbons on cars. I think DC is a fence-sitting city... or they are afraid of retaliation for expressing their views.

Finally we reached the motel, both exhausted from the drive and headed for bed. The rain continued on Friday. We had planned to go into DC and play tourist for the day. Well, we did anyway. It was a miserable day. However, after getting the right bus to the Metro train station, we had an interesting time finding out how all that commuter stuff worked. Hey, we're used to country livin'.

In DC it was still raining and getting colder. The wind was blowing and we read later that the temperature was in the teens with the windchill factor.
The most striking thing was the immensity of the granite government buildings. Huge, ornate, almost surreal. We made our way to the Washington Monument and from the circle could see most of the other memorials in the distance. The wind and rain didn't help morale. I'll have to repeat, it was a pretty dismal day for tourists. We walked a while and saw the new WW-II memorial. It is a beautiful piece of art/architecture. And, a very nice tribute to our troops who fought in that war.

Apparently, there is no underground storm drainage for rain water in the city. It collects in the streets and to where it runs off is anybody's guess. We narrowly missed getting drenched by passing cars. By this time we were so cold that we decided to head back to the motel. An afterthought was that we could have gone to the Smithsonian Museum and spent the afternoon in a warm dry place, but didn't think of it in time. So it's back to the train station, negotiate the passes we had purchased that morning and through the turnstyles we went. We did ask for assistance from the "station master/mistress" a few times. Our paper passes which were read electronically were wet. Next time it will be easier - and not in the winter.

Friday night, back at the motel:
At 2 AM we were both awakened with a cat's yowling outside our door. A solid black cat. I got up to see what was going on and it tried to get in the room - on the third floor. My better judgement and compassion for animals kept me from showing it the quickest route to the ground floor - over the balcony. The rain had stopped and there was snow on the ground! We remembered some leftover catfish in a ziplock bag and I coaxed the cat down two flights of stairs with the aromatic delectables. OK, the cat is safely on ground floor and it's back to bed for me.

Saturday morning we awoke to more snow and ice, about an inch, and the car's trunk lock was almost frozen stuck. Sherrie nearly slipped down on the icy sidewalk. Fortunately, we did take plenty of warm clothing. We got out our "Support the Troops, Bring Them Home" sign from the trunk and bagged it for the bus/train ride to DC. We were forewarned to cover up signs so there would be no trouble with them in transit.

We arrived at the meeting place near the Lincoln Memorial after having coffee in the cafeteria of George Washington University in downtown DC. By ten o'clock there were already thousands of people present and a steady stream of folks pouring down Constitution Avenue in that direction. It was exciting for us, our first time to a major rally like this.

Our first objective was to orient ourselves with the surroundings and see what was there. We browsed tables set up by various groups and were offered their literature, and found our way to the head of our area, where the march will commence. There was a temporary stage with microphone and speakers.
March leaders were leading chants and songs. There was a "drum corps" with plastic, five-galloon buckets and drum sticks that kept cadence. Gold Star Family members whose loved ones had been killed were speaking for an end to this war.

Across the street there was a large contingency of pro-war activists. It hurt me to hear them shouting to these famly members who had lost children in the war, "Traitors - I'm glad you son is dead." These counter-protestors chanted "USA, USA" over and over, as if we were not for the USA. Ha!!
Both groups had permits from the US Park Service to demonstrate. Our respective areas were divided by wire-bound picket fences to avoid physical contact and a potential conflict. The counter- protestors got their permit under them name of "Gathering of Eagles." I saw a flier at the VA hospital announcing their gathering. We had looked at their website prior to leaving home. It was falsely rumored throughout the "biker" community that the peace demonstrators were going to deface the Vietnam Wall. There was a call for all to come and "defend" the wall.

Their reserved demonstration site was along our path for the march and all the way around the Vietnam Memorial Wall. We walked a block to that area and were confronted by them, taunted with disrespectful comments, middle fingers and glares. Their fence was lined with "guards" and one yelled to my wife, "Show us your tits for peace" and repeated it. We looked at each other and just shook our heads in disbelief and disgust.

As we approached the "entrance" to view the Wall, we were confronted by another group of them. We stopped to decide if we wanted to go in. Neither of us was comfortable with the hateful, bad vibes in the air. They had anointed themselves as silent guards, requiring visitors to allow them to search bags and packs. Sherrie had never seen the Wall and my only time there, many years ago, I had to leave after only a few minutes. My tears were flowing too freely and my composure was lost. I had wanted to go back again to find other friends' names who were killed in that war. On this day the aire was too heavy and the intimidation was just too much. Not wanting to end up in a conflict by having our bags opened and searched by these self-appointed bullies, we left in disappointment. As we told our story to others we heard of others who had their signs snatched from them and destroyed - and the foul language used toward them. Disgracefully sad.

By the time we returned to the peace group's area the crowds were building.
The organizers were getting people in their respective sections to march. .
The ANSWER Coalition (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism) was organizing the march. Veterans for Peace (VFP), of which we are both members, was a co-sponsor. While standing with hundreds of other VFP members near the front of the group, a couple of big biker-looking guys pushed me, shoved their way into my space with one's belly. (It takes a real man to pick on a smaller
one.) I looked up and said with a smile, "You guys are in the wrong line, aren't you?" The lead bully replied, "You are the one in the cage, we're not in a cage." I turned away, ignoring what he said and let them continue on their way. So, this is the kind of "guarding" and bullying they were up to, looking for a fight. I recall many years ago when the Rolling Stones had hired Hell's Angels for security at one of their concerts. That turned out to be a mistake. One person was killed. We surely didn't want this day to end like that.

One gentleman whose son was killed in Iraq (a guest speaker earlier in the
day) had a coffin with his son's boots. He was to be in the lead of the parade with VFP members accompanying him. We were there. The ANSWER group, in yellow/green vests, lead the way behind motorcycle police.

There was a mass of people on our side. Estimates range from 30,000 to 50,000. A reporter told a friend that he learned from the Metro police (who don't give official estimates anymore) that it looked like over 30,000 in our group. The counter protestors had maybe six thousand.

The march was on...
We rounded the curve and headed for the Arlington Bridge. The sun was shining now and it was very cold with the constant wind, especially on the bridge. All the flags were standing out straight from their poles. Signs and plackards were dificult to hlod upright. There were boats with surveilance cameras in the Patomac River. We filled the four-lane highway and the people kept coming. At the far end of the bridge there was a bedsheet banner held up by the opposition which read "Go to hell TRAITORS - you dishonor our dead on hallowed ground" and other comments.

When we reached the Pentagon parking lot we went up on a hill, a knoll, to look back toward the bridge. It was still filled with marchers and peace activists. One friend of ours said that she was in what she guessed to be the middle of the parade and when she reached the knoll the bridge was still filled with marchers.

Sadly, I have to admit that we didn't stay for the speaches. We were just too cold and needed to get back to our car and head south to Florida. It was overall a wonderful experience for us both. We will be back!

Here are some websites with pictures.

In the ANSWER website photo there is a Veterans for Peace flag (white with black helmet with a dove) in the front-middle of the march. We were right behind it.
http://www.pephost.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ANS_homepage

Video of the march showing both sides.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKiJYUV-7Ss
Note the counter protestor's sign "Peace Sucks"

This one shows many signs from both sides, including the "traitors..." one.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCpQj_ar-DI


With peace and love for all,

Stephen and Sherrie Hunte