Veterans Day Event Will Promote Peace, Not Militarism
'Reclaim Armistice Day' event will take place in the Milwaukee City Hall rotunda on Nov. 11.
Reclaim Armistice Day. Image from Veterans for Peace.
Monday, Nov. 11, is Veterans Day in the United States, although you may not realize it until you notice there is no mail delivery. Otherwise, it is pretty much business as usual for most Americans.
Colonel Ann Wright. Photo courtesy of Veterans for Peace.
In Milwaukee and other cities, however, Veterans For Peace celebrates it as Armistice Day, the original day Congress created as “a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace.” It commemorated the armistice of Nov. 11, 1918 that ended World War I.
But in 1954, after World War II and the Korean War, it was changed to Veterans Day in the U.S. and has become a day identified with war instead of peace – a day for remembering yet more war dead, honoring all veterans, and glorifying militarism.
The official, national ceremonies for Veterans Day take place at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery. At 11 a.m. on Nov. 11, a color guard executes “Present Arms” at the tomb. The nation’s war dead are remembered by the laying of a presidential wreath. The bugler plays “Taps.” It is a ceremony more in keeping with Memorial Day than Veterans Day.
In Milwaukee, Veterans For Peace (VFP) and a coalition of other peace and justice groups will celebrate Armistice Day on Monday, Nov. 11 with a program at City Hall, as they have done since 2008, when the national VFP began a “Reclaim Armistice Day” campaign.
This year’s Milwaukee program features Colonel Ann Wright, a career Army officer and diplomat who resigned from the State Department and became a leading peace activist in protest over the US invasion of Iraq. She is an advisory board member of Veterans For Peace, International Peace Bureau, World BEYOND War, Gaza Freedom Flotilla and NO to NATO and a CODEPINK board member.
Also speaking will be Reggie Jackson, an award-winning Milwaukee journalist, Navy veteran and nationally and internationally recognized race relations expert. Drawing from his background as a griot – a traditional West African oral historian – he illuminates often-overlooked narratives within the African-American experience and that of other people of color, both past and present.
Reggie Jackson. Photo courtesy of Veterans for Peace.
“Clearly, a day that celebrates peace, not war, is the best way to honor the sacrifices of those who have served in war,” VFP says on its national website. “We know the destruction war has caused and continues to cause, and we understand its senseless futility. In reclaiming November 11 as Armistice Day, we call for an end to armed conflict and recommit ourselves to the hard work of building real and lasting peace.”
The event begins at 6:30 p.m. Monday with acoustic music by singer-songwriters David HB Drake and Richard Pinney, with the program at 7 p.m. in the City Hall rotunda. It is free and open to the public.
Bill Christofferson is a Marine Corps veteran of Vietnam and a member of Milwaukee Veterans For Peace Chapter 102.
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Thank you Bill Christofferson for your sacrifice, two tours as a combat journalist In Country during the Vietnam War. Truthfully one of the honest .members in journalism. Milwaukee residents appreciate being reminded about this event at Milwaukee City Hall conducted by VFP CH. 102.
Sincerely Joel Paplham Wisconsin Member at Large Associates of Vietnam Veterans Of America.
War should be the very last result and only with a well-thought-out end-state – objective.
Many of the failures have to do with Presidents and Congress, who don’t take the time to (1) develop an understanding and an idea of what is needed—what is the desired end state—and what the goal is. With no fundamental objective, sending Soldiers to a place may not be the answer.
Congress has a role and responsibility to hold military leadership accountable. When there are failures, and those who fail are allowed to retire at their current rank, one can’t help but wonder why Congress isn’t holding leadership accountable and why failure is rewarded.
The military should have a role in defending, protecting, and serving the people of the United States. Yet, the active military isn’t invited to help when there is a natural disaster. The active military could help – why not? The active military could be structured with more medical personnel to help at Veterans Hospitals and train doctors and others in the medical field. What is being done to keep drugs out of the United States? How is MS13 operating in the United States? How are thousands shot in the United States every week? How many people have been shot in Milwaukee? What is being done to help local police address the problems? The US Military led the Civilian Conservation Corps – is there more that the military could do?
President Eisenhower believed that education and the national highway system should be prioritized to improve the United States’ defense.