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Military families march for peace

By BETH MILLER Staff reporter 03/15/2004

By plane and bus and car, in wheelchairs and in hiking boots, with banners and funeral wreaths in hand, about 200 people walked Sunday from the historic Camden Friends Meetinghouse to the Dover Air Force Base, home of the U.S. military's largest mortuary.

It was the first of a two-day "Trail of Mourning & Truth" that continues this morning with a walk of about 6 miles from Walter Reed Army Medical Center to the White House.

They walked Sunday to mourn those who have died since the beginning of the war in Iraq, to call for an end to the U.S. occupation of Iraq and to protest the Pentagon policy that keeps families and the media from attending the return of remains at Dover's mortuary.

They walked to a rhythmic drumbeat and the toll of a bell after names of casualties - military and civilian - were read aloud by marchers.

They walked past the home of Bob, Beth and Bridget Cady.

"I agree with every sign on them," Bob said as an American flag flew on the front porch of his Camden-Wyoming Avenue home. "We stayed at home today to make sure we were witnesses to this."

"These are people who know real sacrifice and suffering," Beth said. "It's not political for them. ... We're patriotic. We love this country. It's why we care so much."

They walked past the Fruitland Grange Hall and followed Del. 10 across U.S. 13. There, police stopped traffic - including Doug Fluharty of Caroline County, Md., who was taking his family out to eat in Dover.

"These people need to get a life," Fluharty said as he waited. "If we didn't go over there, we'd be in a lot worse shape now than we are. And what would we have done if we pulled out of World War I or World War II? Where would we be now? You've got to do what you've got to do."

At the end of the line was Rich Gardner of Horsham, Pa., who was in the Navy for nine years until he suffered a stroke on the job a few years ago. Gardner, who uses a cane to walk, carried a sign that read "Support Our Troops. Bring 'Em Home."

"I am not a pacifist," Gardner said. "I do not believe all war is wrong. But I believe this particular war is wrong. ... I felt this action would be good for humanity in general."

When they reached the air-base fence, a Korean War veteran from Veterans for Peace played "Flowers of the Forest" on the bagpipes. Family members spoke of their sons and read the names of casualties. U.S. Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., a Korean War veteran, told participants he has introduced a resolution calling for an end to the policy that keeps families and the media from attending the return of remains at Dover, provided the families' privacy is protected.

Air-base officials have said the policy, which started in 1991 during the Gulf War, is intended to expedite the return of fallen troops to their families and to protect the families' privacy.

But many marchers Sunday said they believe the policy is intended to keep the American public from grasping the human toll of the war.

"It is immoral to close the door here," said Fernando Suarez of Escondido, Calif., whose son, Jesus, was killed while serving with the Marines in Iraq. "The American people have the right to see the truth - the injured boys and the body bags and the Iraqis, too."

Lila Lipscomb of Flint, Mich., carried a picture of her son on a sign that read "Black Hawk Down is not a movie to this mother." Her son, Sgt. Michael Pedersen, was killed in a helicopter crash in Iraq last April.

Jane and Jim Bright of West Hills, Calif., carried a picture of their son, Sgt. Evan Ashcraft, who was killed July 24. He was with the 101st Airborne when his humvee was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade. As Jane spoke of him, a demonstrator across the road tried to drown out the speakers with his bullhorn, urging them to stop what he called an "anti-American" march.

Sue Niederer of Pennington, N.J., whose 25-year-old son, Seth Dvorin, was killed in Iraq on Feb. 3, marched across the street to confront the demonstrator.

Not all military family members had lost loved ones. Some were veterans of the Vietnam War and other conflicts. Some had sons in Iraq.

Pat Gunn of Lansdowne, Pa., said her son, Jason, heads back to Iraq today after spending time in a military hospital in Germany recovering from an explosion that killed a soldier behind him. Her son lost hearing in his left ear and was hit by shrapnel.

Larry Syverson of Richmond, Va., said he had his cell phone turned off because he had just heard five soldiers were killed in Baghdad in the previous 24 hours. All he could think about was his son, Bryce, who has been in Iraq since May. He is expected home in a few weeks.

"There will be five American families notified that it was their sons or daughters," Syverson said. "It's a game of Russian roulette and five families are going to lose. ... I haven't turned my cell phone on. I don't want to hear gravel on my driveway. I don't want to hear a knock on the door."

Reach Beth Miller at 324-2784 or bmiller@delawareonline.com.