IT WAS AMAZING!

By Laurie Loving.

I can't give you an accurate number, but it had to be over 100,000 people, maybe twice that many. The annoying thing is that "they" can get an actual count by using the average number of people filling a city block and adding up all the blocks. But everyone just wants to argue over the numbers instead.

Russell and I arrived in DC about 4pm Friday. The hotel shuttle took us to the Doubletree in Crystal City, the headquarters for Military Families Speak Out. There are 2400 families nationally in MFSO and 300 came to D.C. Our roommate Diane (met on Housing Board) came a half-hour later. She does not have a military family member, but has been a peace activist most of her life, I'd guess she's about 55. We got acquainted and shared photos.

The three of us forgot that the shuttle would take us to the Metro station and walked for a long time getting lost trying to find it. Finally did and got off at the Federal Triangle to walk about 15 minutes to "Camp Casey" on the Capitol Mall, near the Washington Monument. The Camp is a huge open air tent named after Cindy Sheehan's son Casey, who was killed in Iraq (as you must know by now)!

The tent is home base for Gold Star Families For Peace (have loved ones who died in Iraq or Afghanistan and who oppose the war), Military Families Speak Out (relative or loved one in the military and who oppose the war), Iraq Veterans Against the War (real heroes), Veterans for Peace (more heroes) and Vietnam Veterans for Peace (amazing heroes). Members of these groups have been camping and traveling together since Cindy set up camp in Texas and then started the Bring Them Home Now Tour through many states on the way to D.C.

The camp includes the section of 1900 white crosses in the ground representing the 1900 (many more now) American soldiers killed in the current wars.

There were also many pairs of combat boots in the field, each tagged with the name of the soldier who died wearing them. The family members of the soldier contributed these boots to the Camp.

Russell, Diane and I arrived just in time to join the candlelight procession to the Vietnam Memorial Wall. Rosemary, the first paid MFSO staff person, young, experienced and energetic, greeted us and walked with us on the vigil. Several hundred people walked slowly in the dark in silence to and along the wall. Many people were sitting in front of the wall where the name of a loved one was printed. Many were crying, including us, just at the enormity of it and the frightening relationship to the current war and the real possibility of it becoming another Vietnam - years and years and the loss of tens of thousands of men and women.

Along the way we came to Nancy and Charley, the founders of MFSO. Rosemary introduced us as I have been exchanging many e-mails with them what with starting the chapter and sending them the newspaper interviews we have been doing. They are an incredible couple; mid-50's, both blonde, Charley handsome and charismatic; Nancy more maternal and focused. (For those of you in the know, they reminded me a lot of Kevin and Linda, haha). They greeted us warmly and expressed their appreciation for what we are doing. Of course, none of it would have happened without their courage and leadership.

After the walk we bought the new MFSO T-shirts, buttons and other materials and headed home. It just happened (NOT) that the Metro station had decided to do track-work that weekend and had trains running in one direction for a while, and then the other, on just one track. We had about a 45 minute wait down in the dark. (This happened all weekend and we ended up taking taxi's when we were too tired.)

BUT AN AMAZING THING HAPPENED IN THAT TUNNEL. I ended up chatting with the man next to me who turned out to the Army Colonel in charge of the area Travis is in! He has 6000 men under him in many different departments, including the Abu prison where the scandal took place. (He is the replacement officer and said "you won't hear about any more of that now. It takes leadership!")

We did not discuss the politics of the war. In fact I was very aware of the potential problems for Travis and said very little. He very kindly did his best to reassure this new military mom that Travis' battalion was well-trained after 2 years and that there had not been a fighting vehicle of the kind Travis is in destroyed in the last year. He used his hands to draw pictures on the tunnel wall where Travis would be in relationship to the city he is near. He said he had been in the military 27 years and been through five wars.

And I asked him, "Have you had any counseling?"

He looked into my eyes and said "I can't, at my position. It would be demoralizing for the troops under me."

Me: "I understand. Well, you're on leave now, you could use a massage at least."

Col: "I almost got a massage today! I should have."

Me: "Yes, you are all compressed forward. Every day try to remember to lift your arms up and back to open up your chest, open up your heart chakra (yes, I really said that, and demonstrating too) to the Universe for healing."

Col: "I see what you mean. pause "I've been dreaming."

Me: "Nightmares?"

Col: "Not really,.... though there is some screaming". There were tears behind his eyes, I swear this to be true.

Me: "When you finish your tour in Iraq (3 months), you need to go get that counseling. You have 27 years of war buried inside and it will eat you alive the rest of your life. "

Col: "You're right."

The train came, we hugged and separated to go our own ways.