Washington veterans fight to make their voices heard

The North Olympic Vets for Peace and members of the civilian anti-war movement were warmly applauded at the Bremerton Armed Forces Day Parade. This outpouring of support came on the heels of a political struggle for the anti-war veterans’ voices to be heard at the parade in Bremerton, a town in Kitsap county that houses a naval base and shipyard.

Veterans for Peace get their message out in Bremerton, Wash. Photo: Jane Cutter

In 2007, the Veterans for Peace marched in the Armed Forces Day Parade and were well-received by the many people in attendance, including military families and retired military members.

However, the Bremerton Chamber of Commerce rejected their application this year, because the VFP’s “mission, agenda or message is contradictory to the organizational mandate of the United States Armed Forces.” No kidding.

Dave Jenkins, president of the North Olympic Peninsula VFP declared that they would challenge this decision:

“We believe it is imperative for our voice to be heard and that we have the right and obligation to make our position known to the citizens of Bremerton and to the Bremerton Chamber of Commerce and to the military command based in Bremerton.

“Bremerton Armed Forces Day Festival and Parade is a week-long celebration of the false and fatal misleading culture of war. It generates the excitement and energy that sucks in the future of our country, our youth, to become fodder. It has little to do with defending the freedoms guaranteed by our constitution and much to do with defending the interests of wealth and the oligarchs of America.”

On the eve of the parade, with massive media coverage of the controversy, a compromise was negotiated in which the veterans and their supporters would be allowed to march at the end of the parade under separate police escort.

On parade day, the VFP assembled at the staging site, while several dozen anti-war activists from Kitsap for Peace, Sound Peace and Justice, ANSWER Coalition (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism) and Ground Zero held signs along the parade route. As the numerous contingents of the parade passed by, many parade participants, including active duty and uniformed veterans, as well as high school marching band musicians, signaled their support with thumbs up and peace signs.

At the end, the veterans were joined by the other anti-war activists and marched through the street to heartfelt applause from the parade-watching crowd. When the parade was over, the anti-war contingent retired to the home of a local activist for a cook-out.