A Weekend in Fayetteville

[ste_noni]

There was a large anti-war protest in Fayetteville (where Ft. Bragg is and where Joe is stationed when he's not deployed) this weekend. I have very mixed feelings about the whole thing. I strongly support the right to peacefully protest just about anything. In addition to that, I strongly oppose this war myself.

I guess I don't understand the decision to hold the protest here. People normally protest in either places where decision makers might notice them or outside symbols of what they oppose. Well, there are no decision makers here. I hope no one is opposed to those inside the gates at Ft. Bragg because all that's left these days is people like me - wives, a few husbands, and kids of those soldiers currently deployed. I can promise that those inside the gates want the soldiers home safe and sound - and probably with more intensity that any protester outside the gates.

Thankfully, I managed to drive through Fayetteville twice this weekend and miss all signs of any protest. Instead, I went to an Easter Egg Hunt for the kids of the soldiers that Joe is deployed with. My friend and I both took our dogs since we had no kids. The dogs were a huge hit - the little kids really enjoyed petting them and a few older girls took the dogs and ran them all over the park. We had a little problem with the dogs finding the Easter eggs, but the girls took the dogs across the field so the eggs could be left to the kids. It turned out to be a nice day and made me feel a bit more connected to these women.

Comments

[smonsterbite.livejournal.com]

Hi, sweets. I understand that many people connected with the military were very sensitive about this march. I didn't attend, but I was in on several of the planning emails. I want to assure you as much as I can that choosing Fort Bragg was meant to support the troops and draw attention to the hardships that war imposes on the families and communities left behind. It's actually really frustrating to me to hear the constant refrain that protesters don't support the troops and aren't patriotic (you didn't say that latter, I know). I've been on the fringes of the anti-war movement since before it began, and I swear to you that I've never heard a bad word against the troops. Many of the people involved in the march have friends and/or family over there. There were veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan marching and attending the planning sessions on Sunday. There were military families, and families of those killed in 9/11.

I didn't march, partially because I am so conflicted about what we should be doing next, but a large chunk of my heart was there on Saturday.

I'm going to post an excerpt directly from one of the emails and give you a link so you can read more if you want.

I can promise that those inside the gates want the soldiers home safe and sound - and probably with more intensity that any protester outside the gates.

So we all agree that we want the soldiers home, safe and sound.

[smonsterbite.livejournal.com]

excerpt, emphasis mine:

MARCH 19 FAYETTEVILLE, NC
MARCH & RALLY

Show Real Support for the Troops: Bring Them Home Now!
Money for Jobs and Education, Not War and Occupations
The World Still Says No to War!

For a list of buses coming from your area, event schedule, and program, Please visit www.NCpeacejustice.org


On Saturday, March 19, thousands of people of conscience from around the Southeast of America and beyond will respond to the invitation from military families and veterans to come to Fayetteville, North Carolina for a march and rally to end the war in Iraq.

With over 1500 US soldiers killed, and over 10,000 wounded and disabled in Iraq since March 20, 2003, and sources citing many tens of thousands of deaths of innocent Iraqi men, women and children, we are paying the price of this unjust and illegal occupation with our lives.

Military families have seen a steady erosion of their benefits, and the closing of VA hospitals nationwide. Many sources estimate that over 20% of Iraq war vets will suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder.

Over 50 soldiers from Fayetteville have died in Iraq. Fayetteville is the home of Ft. Bragg, the 82nd Airborne, and Special Forces Command. Nearly 1 in 5 US soldiers in Iraq is deployed from North Carolina. Fayetteville is at the center of the U.S. military enterprise, and on March 19, we will show the world that we are also at the heart of the movement to end the war in Iraq.

Join us.



March 19 is brought to you by: Bring Them Home Now, Fayetteville Peace with Justice, Iraq Veterans Against the War, Military Families Speak Out, NC Council of Churches, NC Peace and Justice Coalition, Quaker House, and United for Peace & Justice, and Veterans For Peace.

And a message from Howard Zinn….

I would like to express my support for the families of servicemen gathering in Fayetteville, North Carolina to protest the war in Iraq. Your message carries a special power, for you and your loved ones bear a unique burden as a result of the disastrous policies of our government. Your speaking out inspires all of us, and we join you in our mutual desire to turn our nation away from war and towards a world of peace.

[ste-noni.livejournal.com]

Sarah, thank you for sending me the e-mail that you copied here. It makes me feel better about the whole thing and I will certainly pass on the thoughts expressed if it comes up in any future conversations. I was actually thinking about you when I wrote that post this morning because I seemed to remember that you had talked about attending.

Having had two years now to think about the whole “I don’t support the war but I do support the troops” position (because that’s my position), I’ve come to this conclusion. I’m glad there are people who protest. Without protest, there would be no real way to show Pres. Bush & Co. that people strongly oppose the war.

But somehow I can’t get over feeling *bad* (isn’t that helpful and descriptive?). I don’t feel horrible or attacked or anything like that. I also don’t think I would have felt this way if the protest had not been so closely associated with Ft. Bragg.

Having thought about it a while, I think the issue for me has to do with boundaries. I don’t like something that is so personal for me to be so public. I’m okay having conversations with people about the war, but I would not want to talk to the press in any capacity – I guess because it’s so complicated for me. But, it is a valid public issue and should be discussed publicly. I was just trying to express the uncomfortable tension I feel between something I believe on a grand scale and something I feel on a very personal scale.

[smonsterbite.livejournal.com]

I was just trying to express the uncomfortable tension I feel between something I believe on a grand scale and something I feel on a very personal scale.

Heard and understood.

Without protest, there would be no real way to show Pres. Bush & Co. that people strongly oppose the war.

This would have been my motivation for attending, a desire to stand up and be counted as not supporting Bush and Co.

The whole thing makes my brain hurt and my heart hurt.