Vigil was peaceful stand against war

Published 9:00 pm Wednesday, August 24, 2005

Regardless of what anyone thinks about our president or the war in Iraq, the right to peaceful demonstration and to voice dissent are freedoms protected by our Constitution. These rights are also defended by our valiant men and women who have served and are serving in the United States military.

As a 12-year veteran of military service, I pledged to protect and defend our Constitution against all threats, foreign and domestic. Including the right to disagree – with me!

On Aug. 17 I participated, with more than 120 other like minded patriots, in one of the more than 1,600 candlelight vigils held across America in support of Cindy Sheehan. The sign I carried said “Veteran for Peace.” Not a stretch by anyone’s imagination and a sentiment voiced by just about every fellow service member and veteran I have known. In the military, we have a saying: “prepare for war, but pray for peace.”

During the vigil, we held candles during 10 minutes of silence to remember our fallen and wounded sons and daughters, and our brothers and sisters fighting this ill-conceived military action. We thought about a brave mother who, after suffering her loss, gathered a group of like minded people around her (many of whom have also experienced a loss due to this war) and took a stand. We thought about how proud we are that Cindy and those around her, have the courage of their convictions to exercise their right to disagree with our president. We stood in support of Cindy’s demand that President Bush take immediate steps to correct his tragic and shameful mistake, before more families are presented folded flags due to this ignoble war.

Christopher R. Glans

Everett