Anti-war and peace march at the Department of Defense draws diverse crowd

Maurice Martin, a board member of Veterans for Peace, carries a windblown banner at the Women’s March on the Pentagon. Martin is a proud Army veteran and peace activist.

By Delpha Carpenter

WASHINGTON – Veterans and civilians alike gathered Sunday afternoon in front of the Department of Defense for the Women’s March on the Pentagon, to protest war and demand peace.  

Marchers called for the end of American foreign intervention, the closure of foreign military bases and a reduced military budget with redistribution to domestic social programs. There were around 250 attendees at the march, many carrying signs demanding peace.

While the march was largely organized by women and provided women with a platform for anti-war and peace activism, it drew in attendees of all ages, genders and walks of life.

“I’ve been in this anti-war thing for many, many years,” said Jane Christenson, a 70-year-old peace activist from Seattle. “We need to do something to stop this. Stop the killing. Stop the murder of innocent people.”

The director of the march, Cindy Sheehan, became a peace and anti-war activist after her son was killed during deployment in Iraq in 2004, according to the march’s website. Many attendees also shared personal connections to the military, including several veterans themselves.

“What did all my fellow military guys die for? They’re wounded. They’re maimed,” said Lorraine Barlett, an Army veteran and lawyer who marched with two peace organizations, Veterans for Peace and Codepink. “Much less, the millions of other innocent people worldwide, civilians and children, who continue to die.”

A fellow Army veteran and marcher, Maurice Martin, got involved with peace activism after experiencing the negative effects of war firsthand.

“It doesn’t matter what work you do or what money you make,” said Martin on his involvement. “It’s about finding your passion. I had a passion for it.”

Despite returning from combat with severe mental health issues, Martin found healing in activism. He now serves as a board member of Veterans for Peace while working on a degree in peace and conflict studies from the University of California, Berkeley.

Passion was a common theme throughout the afternoon, and many marchers spoke about their lifelong commitments to and involvement in anti-war efforts.

“This is the first march I’ve been (a) part of that’s been specifically at the Pentagon,” said Marty Kelley, a lifelong peace activist who drove down from Lancaster, Pennsylvania. “This is coming right to the Pentagon, identifying it as the war machine it is.”

Marchers not only appreciated the march’s strategic targeting of the Pentagon, but also its encouragement of female empowerment and activism.

“I think the fact that it was organized mainly by women is very important,” said Barlett, wearing her old Army jacket with protest buttons. “It shows that we (women) are not just passive observers of history and what’s happening in our country.”

The march, according to its website, took place on the 51st anniversary of the 1967 Vietnam War protest on the Pentagon, which brought back nostalgia for some marchers.

“So many people came out and really did influence the government,” said Kelley about the 1967 march’s success. “I really think we’ve fallen from that.”

Kelley and Barlett both hope that Sunday’s march will bring awareness to the anti-war and peace movement, spark greater interest among youth and mobilize more people.