Veterans Denied Rights By Veterans?
Washington D.C. May 9, 2008
Tony is a guy I served with and I find it very dissapointing that his Chapter of VFP is not being allowed to march. Please help! contact americanveteranscenter.org lend your support to VFP let them march.
Mackie Christenson
Parade Director
National Memorial Day Parade
mchristenson@americanveteranscenter.org
wvamackie@aol.com
Office: 703 302 1012 x 227
Cell: 703 350 0184
On April 14, 2008 Veterans For Peace, Delwin Anderson Memorial chapter
of Washington D.C. was officially accepted to join the National
Memorial Day parade on May 26, 2008.
http://www.nationalmemorialdayparade.com/
On April 28 Veterans For
Peace received notice that the organization did not meet the criteria
to participate. This notice was sent by the American Veterans Center
which is the organizer for the parade.
http://www.americanveteranscenter.org
The parade director's revocation of Veterans For Peace participation
stated "Unfortunately, we cannot have elements in the parade that have
any type of political message or wish to promote a viewpoint."
Veterans For Peace responded with a request for reconsideration
because there was no agenda for presenting any type of political
message or viewpoint. Veterans For Peace has not received any further
communication from the parade director or the American Veterans
Center.
This chapter has lost three WWII members since July 2007 and there are
not many parades left for the two survivors to join. Plans were made
to have the WWII veterans and Mrs. Delwin Anderson ride in a
convertible and VFP members would march in the front and rear of the
convertible with VFP and American flags. It is difficult to express
their disappointment.
Veterans For Peace chapters throughout America have been receiving
similar treatment from other parade organizers especially this past
Veterans Day. Veterans For Peace does not accept veterans trying to
keep other veterans from being seen in public. It is in the public
interest to be aware that veterans who once took an oath to support
and defend the Constitution are participating in efforts to deny their
fellow veterans rights that are accorded to us all.
Since 2006 the Delwin Anderson chapter of Veterans For Peace has grown
in number and participated in a number of local public events in
Virginia including the Prince William County Fair, the Vienna
Halloween parade, the Fall For Fairfax festivals and the Vienna
Memorial Day weekend festivals. On Veterans Day 2007 the chapter was
invited to the Kennedy Center by the Washington Chorus and the
occasion was used to officially name the chapter the Delwin Anderson
Memorial Chapter. The chapter has also been featured in the
Washington Post and local media publications and broadcasts. Veterans
For Peace is always warmly accepted by the general public when it
participates in mainstream events.
Why does it appear that fellow veterans are trying to block the
public's view of Veterans For Peace? Maybe it only seems that way
because the major sponsors of the parade include the Ross Perot
Foundation, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, the nation of Kuwait, the U.S.
Army and the National Rifle Association. If there is a political
message in the parade, it comes from the American Veterans Center and
not from Veterans For Peace. A closer look into the backgrounds of
the staff at the American Veterans Center reveals a very politically
oriented viewpoint built from the blood and bones of veterans.
http://www.americanveteranscenter.org/AVC_contactus.html
The original acceptance letter and rejection notice are online at
www.vfpdc.org.
Contacts:
Michael McPhearson
National Executive Director
Veterans For Peace
vfped@veteransforpeace.net
TEL: 314 725-6005
Michael Marceau
Vice President
Veterans For Peace
Delwin Anderson Memorial chapter
mikemarceau@juno.com
TEL: 301-542-9867
Anthony Teolis
Veterans For Peace
Delwin Anderson Memorial Chapter
vfpdc@vfpdc.org
TEL: 703-402-1763
Mackie Christenson
Parade Director
National Memorial Day Parade
mchristenson@americanveteranscenter.org
wvamackie@aol.com
Office: 703 302 1012 x 227
Cell: 703 350 0184
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