Visit and Volunteer! Swords to Plowshares Belltower in DC, May 25-31
Another great reason to come to the Lincoln Memorial in DC the last week of May (besides the big rally at Lincoln and 'Veterans on the March' to White House on May 30, and delivery of 'Letters to Wall' to Vietnam Memorial and reading of 'Beyond Vietnam' speech at MLK Memorial on Memorial Day) is to experience volunteering at the Swords to Plowshares Belltower! Belltower Volunteer Info and Sign-Up.
Veterans For Peace will once again fill a void in the National Memorial space by offering thousand of people an opportunity to bear witness on this touring memorial to ALL the costs of war on ALL sides. Not only do we lack a memorial to all the American combat dead in Iraq and Afghanistan and other post Vietnam wars, but we lack a monument to the many suicide deaths, and families torn by the many traumas of exposure to war. Most grievously, most monuments fail to acknowledge the death and suffering of civilians and combatants on the 'other side' of American wars.
Anyone who visits the Belltower is invited to add an inscription to one of the wind-blown aluminum-can plaques, share their story, and ring the bell. Thousands of people from around the country and the world appreciate the more redemptive and inclusive opportunity for mourning that the Belltower presents. We have interested many people in Veterans For Peace's efforts to heal and prevent future trauma who probably would not react as positively if they were not invited to bear witness to their own losses and grief.
WE NEED YOU! The location and interaction is marvelous. Keeping night vigil in our large tent saves a night's hotel expense. Set-up and take-down is fun physical work. Daytime shifts are guaranteed to involve deeply meaningful interactions. Contact Roger Ehrlich if you might be available and/or have questions. (progerehrlich@gmail.com, (919) 696-5995)