Today was a little more entertaining than usual. The temperature was around 80, so I wore my U.S. Army Class A dress uniform complemented by my peace flag. I was looking to promote peace to Cleveland Cavalier fans outside Rocket Arena heading to a game against the Washington Wizards in the last game of the regular season. (The good guys won.) I mingled a bit among a group of about 30 people outside one of the entrances to the arena, as they waited for the doors to open at 4:30 for the 6 o’clock game.
A burly gentleman in black with embroidered gold letters reading SHERIFF on his Kevlar vest beckoned me. He said I was on private property and directed me to a public sidewalk along Ontario Street, about a hundred yards away. I said, “Are you a war veteran? “Iraq”, he said. I said, “Can you tell me what was accomplished by that war?” Dead silence. I “filled in the blanks”, saying “Lots of death and destruction. Billions of dollars for war profiteers. Lots of business for funeral directors. I was in Vietnam for a year. I like peace a lot better than unwinnable wars–Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan–and now Iran.”
The deputy said he couldn’t offer his opinion one way or the other since he was in uniform. He said if he was not in uniform, we could talk, but I got the distinct impression we would be at opposite ends of the peace-war continuum. We shook hands and I headed to Ontario Street, turned right onto the street next to the arena and headed to public property at East 4th Street where I had attended a rally a few weeks ago that objected to the mistreatment of immigrants. It was a terrific location. Here’s why. Pedestrians had to wait for a traffic cop to let them cross the street when he was directing vehicles on the road next to the arena. I had a “captive audience” most of the afternoon.
While people waited to cross the street, I smiled and waved at the crowd and if someone smiled and waved back, I would say loud enough for the entire group of 30 or so people to hear: “I was in Vietnam for a year. I like peace a lot better than unwinnable wars–Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan and now Iran. But there is lots of money in war.” No one contradicted me.One young man walking by said, “Not the American flag.” He kept on walking so I had to shout at him, “IT’S A PEACE FLAG! WE NEED PEACE!” He said nothing in reply. In contrast, a middle-aged man several yards away shouted “BRING OUR TROOPS HOME!!” I shouted back, “MY SENTIMENTS EXACTLY!!”
A few people said they “like” or “love” my flag. I gave them my “business card” indicating I am a Vietnam War veteran and Ohio coordinator for the U.S. Peace Memorial Foundation. One gentleman I gave my card to noted that so many people elected to Congress join the body with modest incomes but retire as millionaires. “They all own stock in defense contractors,” he said. One gentleman said he was in the Air Force from 1981 to ’89. I, an army veteran, said, “We were on the same team. We just played different positions.” One veteran who served in Korea said he reached E-5 rank, one level above mine.
I said, “I was an E-4. You’re not going to make me do 20 pushups, are you?” He smiled.
The crowd thinned out a little after 6 so I headed to Tower City to catch the Blue Line rapid home. As I approached the entrance, I furled my peace flag. Before heading down the steps to the ticket machines, I talked with a security officer. Turns out he is an Iraq War veteran, and I told him I was in Vietnam for a year and that I am a member of Veterans for Peace and unfurled my flag. The more we talked the more I realized we were “on the same page” regarding war and peace. He said, “I was in Baghdad. It was beautiful. Iraq was a beautiful place and we ruined it.” I said, “And now we’re ruining Iran. The news media loves war. They show images of missiles being launched and buildings being blown up. They never show images of dead bodies being pulled from rubble or body parts of people blown apart by an explosion. And you never hear the cries of people who survived our attacks.”
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