VFP Establishes Beachhead in Hinesville, GA
Veterans For Peace has established a presence in the Fort Stewart, Georgia, area; the effort was organized by Sandy Kelson from the Northwest Pennsylvania VFP Chapter. He and John Grant. from Philadelphia Chapter 31. began their outreach slowly by standing in front of the main base gate passing out free copies of Sir! No Sir!, GI Rights cards, Appeal For Redress forms, and VFP and IVAW brochures to anyone with a base sticker who would accept the material.
It was Monday, the President's Day holiday, and 150 MPs were just returning to Fort Stewart from Iraq and Kelson and Grant kept encountering them driving on to the base. The two VFP members had a number of very positive exchanges with some of these soldiers.
Kelson and Grant introduced themselves as Vietnam or Vietnam-era vets as they passed out the materials. Kelson encountered an African-American soldier just back from Iraq nursing an injured gas-pedal leg. Grant had a conversation through the window with a just returning soldier riding with his wife and two kids; when Grant told the man "welcome home," his 7-year-old daughter screamed in delight from the backseat. The young man looked happy and overwhelmed. He told Grant, "I could tell you a whole lot about Iraq."
At first, Kelson and Grant were cautious on what they said while handing out the material. Grant began to change his rap to emphasize the GI Rights Movement during the Vietnam era in the Sir! No Sir! film. This didn't seem to present a problem to the soldiers or family members in the cars. Then, Kelson offered a "Bring Them Home Now" bracelet to a soldier in a car with his family and the guy took it gladly, extending his hand in gratitude.
The two VFP members have passed out over 400 Sir! No Sir! DVDs that are now sitting on coffee tables in homes and quarters throughout the huge Georgia army base. Several soldiers or family members came back through the gate and asked for a couple more DVDs and material to share with others. Five hundred DVDs of the Iraq film The Ground Truth are expected via the mail in the coming days, and they will be distributed the same way at the main gate.
Working the cars with a large Veterans For Peace banner behind them, no MPs from the base have given Kelson and Grant even a drive-by eyeballing that either are aware of. A friendly and good-humored Hinesville police officer told Grant to stay out of the road, a rule they have complied with for the most part.
The two VFP members have linked up with local activists Kevin and Monica Benderman and Cathy Browning, all of whom have been helping and providing information. Kevin Benderman declared himself a CO and has done prison time in retaliation for his whistle-blowing in the Army. He will be pursuing his case in federal court.
The Veterans For Peace Fort Stewart Outreach Project located a venue at the Shuman Recreation Center in Hinesville and will be showing the documentary Meeting Resistance that features interviews with the Iraqi insurgency on Sunday, February 24. They have taken out ads in the Friday and Sunday issues of the local paper, The Coastal Courier.
Two GI counselors will be arriving in Hinesville to be available to any soldier who needs information about discharges and other issues. This will also be announced in The Coastal Courier.
John Grant - VFP Philadelphia Chapter 31
Sandy Kelson - VFP Northwestern Pennsylvania Chapter