Culture of Peace Projects by Veterans
an article by David Kimball

Last week I was fortunate to sing with a chorus providing music for the Veterans For Peace (VFP) National Convention. In one of the songs we sang, someone had added a verse which included a reference to the Basra Water Project of the VFP. I realized that although I was familiar with their objectives, I was not familiar with their projects so I did some research.

Ambulance for Palestine: Because many of the ambulances in Palestine have been burned or blown up in several attacks, the VFP has bought an ambulance to send over to Palestine to help its many victims.

Iraq Water Project: Because many of the water treatment plants have been damaged through the ravages of war or by the many years of sanctions which prohibited them from obtaining necessary parts for repairs, the VFP has worked to repair these plants in several towns throughout Iraq.

Korea Peace Campaign: This campaign's objective is to bring the Korean War to a final end through dialogue and promotion of genuine reconciliation and friendship between Americans and Korean people. The Campaign hopes to accomplish its mission through 1) educating American public about the true history of the U.S.-Korea relations; 2) promoting mutual exchanges such as sending veterans’ peace delegations; 3) providing assistance to Korean victims of the War; and 4) building coalition on the U.S.-Korea issue at home and abroad.

Veterans Vietnam Restoration Project: This project's mission is to send teams of veterans to Vietnam to reconcile with the Vietnamese and to heal the emotional and spiritual wounds suffered in the war. Team members work alongside the Vietnamese in undertaking humanitarian projects such as the construction of clinics, houses for disabled veterans, vocational training centers, and kindergarten classrooms including the Village of Friendship - a village for orphans and elderly or disabled adults.

These projects and much more are described on the Veterans for Peace website.

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Could Armed Forces personnel be assigned to Culture of Peace projects?


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Latest reader comment:

It makes prefect sense to change military warriors into peace warriors.   Peace-keeping can involve protecting civilian populations while reconstruction of nations occurs.  It could also involve building schools and water plants and restoring forests.   Additionally military skills and equipment are useful during hurricanes and earthquakes and other natural disasters.  The dual role of soldiers as protectors and peacemakers makes sense in the transition from a Culture of War to a Culture of Peace.

This report was posted on August 2, 2004. The moderator is CPNN Coordinator.

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