The meeting place of conscience is what really saves us. In fact, during the convention, I heard more than one veteran say it: Thank God for Veterans for Peace. You saved my life.

Celebrating its twentieth anniversary at this convention, VFP has been growing by leaps and bounds in recent years. Membership has increased from about 550 in 2001 to some 4,000 today, with 123 chapters across the country. Members of Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) also celebrated their very busy first year of activity.

The convention marked the first as Executive Director for Michael McPhearson, an Army veteran whose 20 year-old son is scheduled to be deployed to Iraq this year. McPhearson's opening address to the convention began, "First, thank you for existing."

During the convention, placards declaring the five points of VFP's statement of purpose followed the assembly, appearing prominently during the business sessions, then migrating to the big tent stage as backdrop for the speeches and entertainment. When these vets get together, they have a very good time. But they meet primarily because they have a mission.

We Must Work to Increase Public Awareness of the Costs of War

Brad Johnson, VFP Chapter 80, draws from his 20-year Navy career when he talks with students in Duluth, Minnesota. He visits high schools with his "War is Not the Answer" banner. When students ask what the answer is, he doesn't hesitate. "I ask them how many windmills they see around here and how they are doing in their science classes." Straightforward, funny and wearing one hoop earring, Johnson must be capturing the students' imagination with his anti-war message. He clearly appreciates the opportunity. "I'm buying back my soul," he says, "one classroom at a time."

Like Brad Johnson, Vietnam Air Force Veteran, Brian Willson and his partner, Becky Luening also believe it is crucial to explore the "why's" of war. Willson and Luening took the train to Dallas from their home in Northern California because trains make the most efficient use of fuel per passenger. Willson said they decided to attend the convention because when he saw the preliminary schedule, there was no workshop addressing the structural and root causes of war. He offered to facilitate one. "Our system requires war," he says. "Do we want to be anti-war, or do we want to get rid of war?"

Willson is well-known as the attorney and activist whose legs were severed on September 1, 1987 by a Naval munitions train carrying weapons bound for Central America as he and others protested on the tracks. Willson walks skillfully with two prostheses. He and Luening live close to the land, growing much of their food and conducting their business locally. Willson no longer uses air travel and declines most speaking engagements. "When I am invited to speak, I ask, 'Can I get there without harming the earth?'"

We Must Restrain our Government from Intervening in the Affairs of Others

During the convention's opening plenary, Iraq Veterans Against the War co-founder, Mike Hoffman took the stage along with seven other IVAW members. They spoke of their appreciation for older vets, especially Vietnam Veterans Against the War, who helped them learn to organize in the midst of war. Marine veteran, Stephen Funk, the first conscientious objector to serve time in a military prison during the Iraq war, said that one of the first groups to reach out to him when he became a GI resister was VFP. He said he knew he didn't have to be suspicious of the group's motives.

One IVAW member said, "I am a veteran of Operation Iraqi Plunder. To call it Operation Iraqi Freedom is an insult to Iraq and an insult to humanity." He described symptoms of PTSD he is experiencing: fits of rage, sleepless nights, tearful outbursts. Another IVAW member said, "When people tell me they are proud of what I did in Iraq, I say, 'Well, I'm not. You don't even know what I did over there.'"

Hoffman and other IVAW members have been criss-crossing the country over the past year, appearing at schools and public demonstrations. They speak from experience, challenging what vets call "a culture of silence" in the military. To a standing ovation at the convention, Hoffman said, "Bush hides behind the troops when he is criticized. He claims that critics don't support the troops. Troops are his shield. Well, IVAW will be the shield of the peace movement!"

We Must Seek Justice for Veterans and Victims of War

A banner created by the Santa Fe VFP chapter read, "Who will support the troops when our troops become veterans?" The banner included eight photographs from the book, "Purple Hearts," of veterans who have lost limbs or suffered other injuries in Iraq.

One of the resolutions considered during the day-long business session of the convention was a proposal to revise the VFP statement of purpose to read, "We Must Seek Justice for Veterans and Other Victims of War," in order to make the point that veterans are war victims also. However, the VFP board and convention voted to keep the statement as is. "Veterans are victims and also executioners," said David Cline, board president, reflecting the group sentiment that VFP members take responsibility for their actions in war. One vet commented, "Veterans are in both worlds, and in fact, so are most people."

The VFP convention commemorated the 30th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War, or as it is known in Vietnam, the American War. Many Vietnam veterans have traveled to Vietnam since the war to participate in projects that promote reconciliation and restoration. VFP member Suel Jones, spoke about his involvement with Vietnam Friendship Village, a community for children and adults affected by Agent Orange. Jones described his amazement that the Vietnamese people welcomed him even when they knew he had killed Vietnamese people during the war. "Veterans who go back to Vietnam with me always ask two things," he said. "What the hell were we doing and why didn't I come back sooner."

Justice for GI resisters was a major focus of the convention. Workshop panelists, plenary speakers and late-night documentary films explored GI resistance during the Vietnam War and Gulf Wars I and II. Vietnam GI resister, Steve Morse was on hand to talk about the huge increase in calls to the GI Rights Hotline, which he coordinates through the Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors. Lee Zaslofsky, a US Army deserter and Canadian resident since 1970, spoke about his current role as coordinator of the War Resisters Support Campaign, which is lobbying for political asylum and providing practical assistance for 15 US military deserters in Canada. An estimated 5,500 soldiers are in deserter status in the US. Whether soldiers of conscience go to prison, as have Camilo Mejia and Stephen Funk, or seek refuge in Canada, as have Brandon Hughey and Jeremy Hinzman, or just go AWOL, VFP supports them.

We Must End the Arms Race and Reduce and Eventually Eliminate Nuclear Weapons

Anita Cole enlisted in the Army because she believed the military was "a meaningful and shared public effort." She felt there weren't enough outlets for such efforts outside the military. While she was stationed in Japan, she visited Hiroshima. She began to realize that the shared public effort she'd joined "was the most destructive system in the world." Her belief system "crystallized," as military regulations call it, and she was discharged as a conscientious objector in 2002. An articulate spokesperson for the rights of conscience, she now serves on the board of the Center on Conscience & War and answers calls for the GI Rights Hotline.

The convergence of anniversaries during the 2005 VFP convention included the 60th year of remembrance of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings. Attending the convention from Japan was special guest, Dr. Satoru Konishi, a survivor of the Hiroshima bombing. Dr. Konishi addressed the convention in halting English, describing his memory of the bombing and subsequent campaign for a nuclear-free world. He closed by reading a poem by Japanese poet, Sankichi Toge, who died from radiation poisoning several years after the bombing. Reciting the poem, Dr. Konishi's voice suddenly gained strength.

"Our fathers, give back to me, Our mothers, give back to me, Our elders, give back to me, Our children, give back to me!
My self, human, give back to me. And all humans linked to me!
Peace, give back to me, One, indestructible forever, As long as the human's human world will last."

When another special convention guest, Cindy Sheehan, finished her already legendary address to a very enthusiastic standing ovation, Dr. Konishi spontaneously gave her the first hug from the front row as she stepped from the stage.

We Must Abolish War as an Instrument of National Policy

The human life we have taken and keep taking in war cannot be brought back. But, the human connections we make now could be our saving grace. The camaraderie - the love for each other - is what most veterans, including Casey Sheehan, have paradoxically cited as the main reason for following orders into war. VFP understands the significance of camaraderie because the same kind of bonding is necessary for waging peace. VFP members and chapters across the country are involved in powerful, creative efforts to strengthen human connections. In the process, they create the kinds of meeting places where lives are saved.

Susan Van Haitsma is active with Nonmilitary Options for Youth and is an associate member of VFP Chapter 66 in Austin, Texas.

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