On Independence Day, when the Detroit Tigers were in town to play the first of a three-game series, the Fourth of July also was a sort of “Independence Day” for me. I was free from soreness and occasional pain during my peace initiative at the northwest corner of East Ninth Street and Carnegie Avenue during the late afternoon of the holiday. Cleveland Clinic orthopedic surgeon Matthew Deren, MD, replaced the cranky joint with a Stryker-brand titanium/ceramic joint at the clinic’s Mentor hospital in mid-June. I am one happy camper!
I was soon joined by two women and a man carrying signs critical of the Trump administration which they considered a fascist regime. I was not at all uncomfortable with their message. One of the women is a nurse at the Wade Park VA Medical Center and I told her how much I love the care I get at Wade Park. I explained to the trio my raison d’etre, noting I’m a drafted Vietnam veteran who likes “peace a lot more than unnecessary, unwinnable wars–Vietnam, Iraq Afghanistan”. I told the group, “Several years ago a man said that my peace symbol is “the footprint of the American chicken.” I sharply replied, “You been in a war? I didn’t think so”. He said nothing and walked away. I said to my three new friends, “Did you ever notice that those shouting the loudest for war have never been in one?” The name George W. Bush comes to mind. I told the group, as well as others I spoke to on the holiday, that a young man a few years ago waiting in line outside Progressive Field was annoyed with my peace flag while wearing my U.S. Army dress uniform. He said to me, “Do you love our country?” I said, “Of course I love my country. You need to make a distinction between our country and our government. I’m not too crazy about some of the things our government has done.” The young man said nothing. I told my new friends, “Some people have said to me, ‘Where are the stars? There are supposed to be stars on your flag?’ ” And I said, “The stars are in hiding. They’re ashamed, embarrassed and disgusted with all the death, destruction and instability and chaos we have caused in the Middle East”. The questioners were stunned by my response but said nothing.
While at my post during the holiday, a man stopped to thank me for my presence. I was puzzled when he said, “I work very hard for Lockheed Martin.” That company ranks first among war profiteers (ooops..defense contractors) with 2024 “defense” contract revenues of $64.65 billion. RTX (formerly Raytheon Technologies) came in a distant second with $40.60 billion in “defense” contract revenues. (Source: U.S. Global Investors Inc.) A few people walking by said they liked seeing me again and when a few gave me the peace sign I said, “We sure need it!”
While walking on Prospect Avenue toward East Fourth Street a couple of gentlemen asked if one of them could take my picture. Of course that was fine with me. I noticed they had an accent, and I asked where they were from. One of the men said, “Saudi Arabia” and quickly added that they were here on “a student visa”. They might have feared I would question the legality of their presence. There was no need to worry, as I believe no human being is illegal.
A couple stopped me on East Fourth Street, and I said to them, as I’ve said to others, “When people say to me ‘Thank you for serving our country’ I sometimes say, ‘I didn’t serve my country. I served deceitful, lying, fear-mongering, was-mongering politicians and their war-profiteering bed partners….chief among them Lyndon Baines Johnson and Robert S. McNamara, secretary of defense.” The gentleman said, “That’s dark,” and I said, “It’s true.” I added, “Those truly serving our country are medics, nurses, doctors and mental health professionals who work very hard to mend as best they can the psyches and bodies of those savaged and ravaged by war. They are the real war heroes. Not those who kill and destroy. That’s not heroic. It’s barbaric.” The gentleman said he supported President Trump and asked my thoughts about him. I said I liked the fact he did not start a war and brokered a truce between Israel and Iran. I criticized Republicans for cutting Medicaid funding and the man said people receiving Medicaid are “lazy”. I ignored his comment, remembering my late daughter, Bridget, benefited from the Medicaid safety net. For the record, Bridget was not “lazy”, working as a substitute teacher at several schools in Cleveland’s eastern suburbs.
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