A brief bit of “performance art,” you might say, complemented my time promoting peace to hundreds of Cleveland Browns fans and some Tennessee Titans fans heading to FirstEnergy Stadium on Sunday for the first regular season game for both National Football League teams. As usual, I was wearing my 51-year-0ld U.S. Army uniform and carrying my peace flag, standing about a hundred yards from the southwest gate of the stadium. 

Several people–mostly men–shook my hand, which was gratifying, with them always saying “Thank you for your service.” Several men and women said same without shaking my hand, perhaps not agreeing with my peace message but appreciating my service, which included a year in Vietnam as a reporter, then editor, for the U.S. Army’s First Infantry Division newspaper. A few people recognized the “Big Red One” patch on my left shoulder. 

As usual I got a mixed and–one emotionally-charged negative response–to my peace initiative during the three-day Labor Day weekend. It was a busy time for this peace proponent, greeting people driving to and walking to Burke Lakefront airport for the annual Cleveland National Air Show, which my fellow peacenik Don Bryant has dubbed the Cleveland National War Show, and on Labor Day, greeting folks after I left the air show who were on their way to Progressive Field for the Indians-White Sox game, the first of a four-game set.          

Lou stuns a peace sympathizer with his rationale as to why a peace symbol is on his red-and-white-striped American peace flag, rather than stars, and a few days later tells some Boston Red Sox fans why his flag does not disrespect nor desecrate the American flag. 

On Wednesday, August 7th, members of the Cleveland Orchestra performed near Mall B in downtown Cleveland, its 30th annual Spar-Spangled Spectacular. The event, normally on or near Independence Day, was delayed a month due to various activities preceding Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game held at Progressive Field on July 9th.As I did last year, I arrived at the grassy slope populated by concert goers about two hours before the 9 p.m. concert, to promote peace.             

A smiling Sheriff’s deputy walked up and shook my hand and I said, “Nice evening,” as the weather was perfect after rain earlier in the day. Security was obvious at the venue, as the concert was held a few days after shootings in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio killed more than 30 people.            

Most people of a certain age are familiar with the old saying that goes something like this: “You can catch more flies with a spoonful of honey than with a barrel of vinegar.” That philosophy informs my approach in promoting peace while wearing my 51-year-old U.S. Army dress uniform and carrying a peace flag. I am unfailingly friendly, courteous and cheery when greeting people at various venues, most recently over the weekend when the Minnesota Twins were in town for a three-game series with the Cleveland Indians.