"Please take this," stated a 30 ish woman emphatically as she leaned across the passenger seat of her SUV and tried to hand John Fortier and me a $5 bill.
"We never accept money," we both told her, and then thanked her for her generosity. "Please," she replied, her voice rising. "My brother is in Iraq in the Army. I pray every day he will return home safely." "We hope he does return home safely," I replied.
"I would feel better if you took this," she responded and reached out again with her money. "If you would like to make a donation, please make it to New Directions at the Veterans' Center in West Los Angeles," I said. "It is an organization formed by formerly drug addicted and homeless Vietnam veterans that now does wonderful work with Iraq and Afghan veterans."
http://www.newdirectionsinc.org/
"Thank you for caring," I added. "I care very much," she replied, her eyes near tears, as she sighed deeply and drove off into the night.
This was the tenor of the vigil. There were numerous horn honks of support, among them two bus drivers, one of which stopped at a red light and opened his doors. "Thank you for the good work you're doing," he said to John and me. "Thank you for caring about these people," I replied in reference to the sign. "I care each and every day," he answered.
"Did you lose someone over there," asked a 50 ish woman standing near the vigil. "I didn't," I replied. "But I've spoken with mothers who lost their children there and was deeply touched by it. And John is a Korean War veteran."
"In my neighborhood, a few years ago, everyone lined up in salute to a young man named Joe who was killed there [in Iraq]." She was referring to 20-year-old soldier Joe Anzack, Jr. of Torrance, CA, a very popular young man in his community, who was killed in 2007.
The following description of his death is taken from public radio station KPCC: "Joe Senior says on the day of the return flight, his son asked him – and no one else – to ride along to the airport. “You could see the grave concern in his eyes when he walked toward the airplanes. It was really a tough thing for a father to watch when you know your son has grave concern about where he’s going.”
"About six months later, some Iraqis found Anzack’s body floating in the Euphrates River outside Baghdad. Iraqi officials said Anzack had apparently been dead for days." http://www.scpr.org/news/2010/11/11/joseph-anzack-jr-picking-piece/
But as heartbreaking as this death was, perhaps the nicest part of the vigil was one in which no words were spoken. An SUV with an 8-year-old girl in the passenger seat drove-up. The little girl was fascinated by the vigil as she swivelled her neck and her body to take it all in and her eyes opened wide. Afterward, she likely discussed it with her mother who was driving.
This is important because it is in the impressionable minds of young people that a process to avoid future wars can begin. Hopefully this can help prevent tragedies like those taking place in Iraq and Afghanistan (and Pakistan and Yemen), help prevent the loss of young soldiers like Joe Anzack, Jr. and eliminate the need to host peace vigils such as the one we hosted last night. But for now, our candle burns brightly, a symbol of hope.
Dick
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