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Marching to the beat of a different drummer

Thursday, November 8 at 11:26 AM

This Speakout has not been edited.

By Frank Bessinger

On Saturday the City of Denver will once again celebrate Veterans Day with a parade downtown. The public should be aware, however, that not all veterans will be represented in this parade. The organizing committee has selectively excluded Veterans For Peace and other vetsí organizations that would express a message to our leaders, urging them to end the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Their choice is more than a little ironic.

The Great War — what we know as the First World War — officially ended at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918. Thus, November 11 came to be known as Armistice Day.

Many states declared Armistice Day a legal holiday.

It was resolved by Congress in 1926 that “the recurring anniversary of this date should be commemorated with thanksgiving and prayer and exercises designed to perpetuate peace.” When Congress made Armistice Day a federal holiday in 1938, it declared it “a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace.” Sadly, The Great War was not “the war to end all wars” as had been hoped. In the wake of the Second World War and the Korean War, Congress changed the name of the holiday to Veterans Day to honor those who had served in all wars. Now, those who have served in this nationís many wars and also served the cause of world peace are to be denied the honor due them on both counts. Irony indeed.

We of Veterans For Peace believe that we can best honor those who have died in war by keeping our freedoms at home alive and by working to end war. As a Viet Nam veteran, I believe that it is patriotic to seek peace, not only for the United States, but for the whole world. I believe that this nation is strong enough to lead the world by example rather than attempting to drive it by force.

Those who would “Support the Troops” might consider that such support ought to include not asking those troops to participate in actions that are unworthy of their honor, loyalty, courage and patriotism. Most of us who have sacrificed in service to our country would gladly do so again if such service were truly in self-defense. We must raise our voices in dissent, however, when our military forces are sent abroad in pursuit of a foreign policy that is eager to engage in wars of aggression.

Veterans For Peace and the groups with which we are allied — Iraq Veterans Against the War, Military Families Speak Out, Vietnam Veterans Against the War, Gold Star Families for Peace, West Point Graduates Against the War and Colorado Veterans for America — will be downtown on Saturday, marching to the beat of a different drummer. We have no desire to disrupt the parade. We will simply be walking among the spectators, distributing flyers, reminding them that we also served.

Frank Bessinger is the co-founder of the Denver chapter of Veterans For Peace.

READER COMMENTS

If veterans get to march in the Veterans Day Parade, then all veteran of whatever persuasion, get to march. Fair is fair - except in war.

Posted by Pat Stoob on November 12, 2007 01:46 PM

If veterans get to march in the Veterans Day Parade, then all veteran of whatever persuasion, get to march. Fair is fair - except in war.

Posted by Pat Stoob on November 12, 2007 01:46 PM

If veterans get to march in the Veterans Day Parade, then all veteran of whatever persuasion, get to march. Fair is fair - except in war.

Posted by Pat Stoob on November 12, 2007 01:46 PM

Not all vets to be honored fought in wars; they served our country.
In 1954 Eisenhower did change the "holiday" name to Veterans Day with proclamation 3071: "in the intervening years, the United States has been involved in two other great military conflicts, which have added millions of veterans living and dead to the honor rolls of this Nation"
Frank fails to say why the parade was not allowing their organization to be in the parade this year as it had been last year; becasue they did disrupt the parade last year by potesting war; the organizers of this parade have stated that the parade is not about war but about honoring veterans

Posted by brain on November 10, 2007 11:29 AM

People like Dravur fail to recognize that the parade has an advertisement and glorification of war agenda. Too bad he never enlisted. But then again, he can't read: "We have no desire to disrupt the parade".

It can't be called a Veteran's Day Parade without inclusion of all veterans. Let's call it "Veterans for the glorification of war parade" and then exclude the others. That's fair.

Posted by whackeddravur on November 9, 2007 12:55 PM

Aww yes, the horning in..... Let's see. You want to disrupt someone else's parade for your own political agenda. Gee, and the organizers don't want you to... Waaah wahhh.

Create your own parade and then do what you want. Should they be allowed to exclude the KKK vets? The Muppet vets? Why do you think your rights to freedom of speech trumps their right to association.

If I have a parade for Rational People of America, should I allow Micheal Moore and Rosie Odonnell participate? nope. Let them form their own parade.

get over it.

Posted by Dravur on November 9, 2007 10:25 AM

Frank, if you are truly a Viet Nam veteran, then you will understand how you were treated by the war protesters during that period. You will remember how it felt to be spat upon and you will remember how it felt to come home to people who treated you as if you had done something wrong.
Veterans Day has been established to honor Veterans, not so you can make a personal stance. If you must make a statement, then get a permit and hold you own parade.
Contrary to what you believe, ALL Veterans will be represented....even you, if you are in-fact a veteran.

Posted by T on November 8, 2007 07:01 PM

Frank, you're absolutely right. And in being right, you'll have to expect the couch-potato warmongers who don't know what it means to see people blown apart, to come out of the woodwork on this blog.

They'll call you a coward, while they hear of their brothers being sacrificed and watch the pretty uniforms trumpeting the siren song of patriotism. Every generation has certain of its members get "sold" on the idea that "freedom isn't free", so we'll send someone else to kill and die for us, while we wrap ourselves in red white and blue cloth and march to the sound of the piper and ooh and ahh at the fireworks. It's all a lovely pageant, isn't it?

But all veterans know....when you're dead, you're dead. No amount of trumpeting freedom or honor is going to comfort your family, or replace the time-shared experiences of a loved one....lost.

So, let them have their parade. Those who march can consider themselves lucky. And those who buy into the false idolatry of the flag, patriotism and jingoism can become the next victims of war. Such a waste.

Posted by Telewar on November 8, 2007 05:18 PM