A Mile of Flags

In Search of Peace

with Cindy Sheehan
see: WarIsACrime.org

Gerald Ford is dead. Every time I get a chance to turn on the TV I am incessantly reminded of this fact.

His body is lying in state on the same structure that has held up every dead president’s body since Abraham Lincoln. His widow constantly has a military honor guard to support her, sometimes even physically. The flag draped coffin is never left alone: there is always a military presence there to guard and honor the body. We have seen Ford’s flag-draped coffin entering and exiting planes and cars. The tradition can be quite moving at times, but, to me, also quite frustrating and gut-wrenching.

On April 04, 2004, my son, Casey was killed in Iraq. Between April 04 and April 10, we had no idea how Casey was killed, or what condition his body was in. We heard from the son-in-law of a friend who was stationed at Dover Air Force base that he had "unloaded" Casey from the transport plane that brought him from God knows where. Baghdad? Germany? Ireland where he had just passed through alive barely 3 weeks earlier? On April 9 (Casey’s grandpa’s birthday) we heard that he would be delivered to San Francisco International Airport the following day.

The limo from the funeral home picked us up around noon-ish. Casey’s dad, brother, sisters, my Mom, his Auntie, I, and a few close friends took our final ride to pick Casey up from the airport on his final trip home. I couldn’t get it out of my mind that we had joyfully picked him up from the Sacramento airport less then 4 months earlier when he had come home for his last Christmas on earth.

The trip from Vacaville to the City by the Bay is never fun --- there is always heavy traffic, but Saturdays are definitely the worst. San Francisco is certainly a popular weekend destination. This trip to "The City" as we Northern Californians call it, would be the most nightmarish trip of my life.

When we arrived at SFO, our limo pulled up to the United Airlines loading dock. Casey’s body in his coffin, wrapped in a box had already arrived so we stood around and watched the United Dock Workers load Casey into the back of the hearse. If I remember correctly, about 99% of Casey’s collected loved ones were sobbing uncontrollably and trying to comfort each other, the remaining 1% stood alone in anguished and shocked bewilderment. This is the "honorable" way that Casey was delivered to us. And to make matters worse, his "honor" guard wasn’t with us yet --- so we had to sit on the curb under a 101 Freeway off-ramp for over 30 minutes waiting for him.

On December 31^st, our 3,000^th child was killed for the lies of another president. While Gerald Ford lies in state, our 3,000^th troop will be brought home on his final airplane flight in the cargo area. This fine young example of humanity will be sneaked into the USA as if he, and not his Commander in Chief, were a criminal. His family will be left to mourn alone and his body will not be guarded night and day. After the funeral (that Bloody George will not attend), he will be forgotten by the country that sent him to die in a war that is as corrupt as the day is long, but his family will never be able to recover from his loss.

The news channels are infusing us with coverage of Ford’s pomp and circumstance and CNN Headline News gave 10 seconds to the 3,000^th American casualty of the Iraq bloody blunder. Why is a soldier’s life less honorable than a president’s life? If our soldiers are worthless to the American people, where do the 655,000 innocent Iraqis that have been slaughtered by Bloody BushCo fit in to daily consumeristic consciousness?

Yesterday, Camp Casey in Crawford, Tx, placed 3,000 American flags down Prairie Chapel Road. The flags, which we planted about 12-16 inches apart extended for approximately a mile on each side down the road. The visual was somber, touching, and very reverent. We decided that yesterday was not a day for politics, but a day to honor our young people that have been so dishonored by the man on that same road who spends his days clearing brush while contemplating signing more death orders and his nights sleeping like a baby.

Being a peace activist is not a very safe position in Crawford, Tx. One of our neighbors came out with a shot-gun and threatened to shoot if we put flags in front of her property. Since the ditches are public property, and we believe that we are honoring the brave souls who are brave and dedicated, we put some in front of her home. When one of our Camp Caseyites went back this morning to pick up the flags, she had broken every one of them that we had put in front of her house. We already knew that many people in Crawford hate the sight of crosses, but we thought that the American flag would be a safe symbol that all of us, being patriotic Americans every one, could agree upon. Apparently, some people don’t like to visualize a number that was made possible by their support of serial killers.

After we had finished our memorial to our fallen heroes, we ciphered out a very sobering visual. If we put a symbol for each Iraqi death along a road, it would take up 220 miles of road, on each side! That is a road that would stretch from Crawford to Houston. From Baghdad to Vacaville and from Falluja to Crawford, and many points along the way, the heartache and mayhem just continue. Sorrow for war is borne by loving, caring families on both sides of the conflict and profit and satisfaction are borne with callous disregard for humanity on the other side---while any kind physical, financial, emotional, or political risk is minimal to the war-mongers, to say the least.

While millions of Americans, ordinary citizens, politicians, or news media, were very busy NOT thinking of 655,000 plus lives stolen and millions more lives destroyed, we at Camp Casey spent all New Year’s Eve day with our sorrow and with our devastating and totally un-called for and unnecessary losses.

May 2007 make such memorials obsolete.

The sorrow for the ones already gone will always be with us, but only grass-roots activism that is unrelenting and heartfelt will prevent more sorrow.

May 2007 see a massive dedication, or re-dedication to a Peace Surge.

In Search of Peace is a series of reflections on Cindy’s journey towards true and lasting peace.

Cindy Sheehan is the mother of Spc. Casey Sheehan who was killed in Bush's war of terror on 04/04/04.
She is the co-founder and president of Gold Star Families for Peace and the Camp Casey Peace Institute.

Cindy Sheehan is the author of several books which you can get right here:

Books by (or about) Cindy Sheehan

	"Writing this book is the second most difficult thing I have ever done, next to burying Casey." On April 4, 2004, Cindy Sheehan learned that Casey, the eldest of her four children, had been killed in Iraq, where he was serving in the United States Army. After struggling through crippling grief for three weeks, she came to an epiphany: "I will spend my life trying to make Casey's sacrifice count for peace and love, not killing and hate." Peace Mom is the heartfelt and profoundly moving story of Cindy's journey to activism. She recounts the dark days following Casey's death, when it seemed her life would never have meaning again. She tells of her June 2004 meeting with President Bush, and how that encounter ultimately set her on a path that would take her to hearings in the Capitol, test old friendships and family ties, and culminate outside Crawford, Texas, in a month long peace action that would draw thousands of supporters and worldwide attention. Here are the stories Cindy has never shared before about her own experiences at the center of a media firestorm, the life-altering events that were sparked by her simple act of defiance one hot August day in Texas. Going behind the headlines and sound bites, Cindy writes candidly about the toll her activism has taken on her own life and her family, as well the unforeseen rewards her quest for peace has brought. Through days of rage, despair, laughter, and tears, Cindy has found ways to celebrate the life of her son Casey and give meaning to his death. Her story points the way to a future of peace and justice for the world and for our children. Heartrending and powerful, Peace Mom is at once an honest account of one woman's triumph over loss and a clarion call to all those who wonder if they can make a difference.
	Well, some reviewers who are warmongers obviously have their agendas and their activists who have not read the books they are reviewing. They are part of the Neo-Con conspiracy to keep the American public in the dark about the truth. I am the author of "Land of Childhood's Fears" - a book about the Vietnam War - (just Google the title and see) and so I speak with a bit of authority. This book is so heart-wrenching that I had to read it in short sessions. It is a glaring example of the attitude of the current administration - THEY DON'T CARE ABOUT US - THEY NEVER CARED ABOUT ANYTHING BUT THEIR OWN GREED. My Web site has Video Documentaries you can download FREE - So before you buy the negative reviews on Cindy Sheehan, learn the TRUTH. Read this book, and my book "Land of Childhood's Fears" which you can also get at Amazon. Take a week to read these two books, and your views about the war in Iraq will drastically change - download the videos from my web site and your entire paradigm structure about the country you live in will change. In the Bible, 2 Peter Chapter 3, it says that in the last days, people are "WILLINGLY IGNORANT". It is a shame that people don't WANT to learn the truth, because what they would have to do to ACT on that truth is unthinkable.
	In 2004, Cindy Sheehan lost her son Casey Austin Sheehan in an ambush in Iraq. As information became available verifying that the war was based on lies and "cooked intelligence," she began speaking out and testifying in the halls of Congress. In August 2005, she went to Crawford, Texas, to confront President Bush, unexpectedly opening the floodgates of a renewed American peace movement. Ten thousand people joined her, and millions more worldwide followed. The founder of Gold Star Families for Peace, Sheehan here movingly recounts her first year of activism, sharing her thoughts and actions with readers for the first time in book form. Reflecting on war and peace, truth and accountability, she takes the Bush administration to task for its corruption and incompetence. Equal parts compelling memoir and call to action, Not One More Mother's Child tells in Sheehan's distinctive voice how historical events and personal tragedy transformed her from grieving mom to ardent activist.
	"The Silent Majority" in this country who are AGAINST THE WAR. POLITICIANS ARE ALL THIEVES AND LIARS - THEY DON'T CARE ABOUT US - THEY NEVER CARED ABOUT ANYTHING BUT THEIR OWN GREED. My Web site has Video Documentaries you can download FREE - So before you buy the negative reviews on Cindy Sheehan, learn the TRUTH. Read this book, and my book "Land of Childhood's Fears" which you can also get at Amazon.
	The compelling inside story of Cindy Sheehan's vigil in Crawford, Texas, that redefined the Bush presidency. At the center of it all was Crawford's own local paper, The Lone Star Iconoclast. The Vigil is an invaluable record of the Iconoclast's coverage, with Sheehan herself providing a scene-setting foreword. A high-stakes, blow-by-blow account of the events as they unfolded, The Vigil lets readers experience this vigil right along with the writers and participants as the paper's publisher (W. Leon Smith) and crew demonstrate a level of professional integrity that-to quote Sheehan herself-"shine[s] like a lone spark of integrity in the prairie darkness."
	AMERICAN Mourning" is an elegantly lyrical book about soldiers and sons killed in combat. The authors compare how two American families - the Sheehans and the Johnsons - reacted to the loss of their sons in combat in Iraq, and how they are in many ways a metaphor for the country itself. The story juxtaposes the grieving process of the two families - especially Cindy Sheehan, Casey's mother, and Joe Johnson, Justin's father, showing how each reacted to the worst news a parent can receive in radically different ways. Cindy Sheehan directed her grief and anger not at the terrorists whom she called "freedom fighters." She said that she "did not blame the man who killed Casey" but instead blamed President Bush whom she holds accountable for the lost soldiers. Joe Johnson's grief also flared as white-hot anger, and at age 45 he joined the National Guard determined to go to Iraq as a gunner and "kill the bastards" who killed his beloved Justin. The media portrayed Cindy as "Mother Sheehan," a grief-stricken mother whose world had been destroyed and who wished only to be consoled by President Bush. But the authors recount a back-story that documents a massive, highly professional and well-orchestrated PR campaign backed by deep-pocketed sponsors like www.MoveOn.org and George Soros. At some point Sheehan morphed into an aggressive feminist who abandoned her family, ran off with another man and embraced the radical agenda that the anti-Bush movement used her to promote. Joe Johnson trained hard, went to Iraq and patrolled the deadly roads laced with IEDs and ambushes. He resumed drinking after Justin's death and reportedly continues to seek solace in the bottle, though he has given up his mission of personally avenging his son's loss by killing terrorists. Both Cindy and Joe put their spouses and families through additional stress by internalizing their anger and abandoning their families to fend for themselves. Cindy left permanently, while Joe eventually came home to face --New York Post, November 19, 2006
	The presidency of George W. Bush promised to restore integrity to the White House, but instead it has been plagued by scandal. With his strong voice and biting humor, William Rivers Pitt guides readers through a jaw-dropping series of presidential blunders. In this collection of articles that first appeared on www.truthout.org, he dissects the entire war on Iraq, including the relentless push toward war, the missing weapons of mass destruction, the Halliburton contracting scandals, sectarian violence, and the possibility of a regional conflagration. Others pieces tackle the outing of Valerie Plame, the NSA’s warrantless wiretaps, the Abramoff scandal, Lewis Libby’s indictment, and the incompetent response to Hurricane Katrina. Several essays focus on Cindy Sheehan and other citizen activists. For anyone who suspects the Bush administration of playing fast and loose with the facts, William Rivers Pitt provides a welcome voice of truth, untainted by corporate ownership.
	"The Army's top recruiter, already struggling to meet his quotas this year, said ….that 2006 would be even harder, and perhaps the toughest year for recruiting since the all-volunteer force began in 1973."—The New York Times, May 13, 2005 So you're walking out of school and parked at the gate is a new, bright red Ford Mustang with a hulk of a man in the front seat. He's sporting a razor cut and wraparound shades. Before you can pass he's out of the car and blocking your path. "Mind if I take a minute"—he has you by the arm now—"to tell you about the great life in today's Army and why you should seriously think about signing up?" The armed forces are having a tough time attracting new recruits lately, in no small part due to the mess in Iraq. Young people are getting wise to the many excellent reasons not to join the U.S. Military, and this handy book brings them all together, combining accessible writing with hard facts and devastating personal testimony. Contributors with firsthand experience point out the dangers facing soldiers, describe the tricks used by recruiters, and emphasize that there really are other options, even in a sluggish economy. It's essential reading for anyone thinking of signing up. Over 2,000 American soldiers have been killed in Iraq, and over 14,000 have been wounded. • Nearly 100,000 civilians have been killed in Iraq as a result of the U.S. invasion. • One in six soldiers returning from Iraq experiences mental health problems. • Two-thirds of all recruits receive no college funding from the military, and only 15 percent graduate with a four-year degree. • According to the VA, 90 percent of recent women veterans reported experiencing sexual harassment; a third were raped. About the Author Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg is a journalist based in Washington, D.C. She writes for the Washington Blade, In These Times, and Common Dreams. Cindy Sheehan became a leader of the antiwar movement after her son, Casey, was killed in Iraq. Her efforts to get answers from President Bush, including a vigil in Crawford,Texas, have received national media attention. Other contributors include members of Military Families Speak Out, Iraq Veterans Against the War, the National Lawyers Guild Military Law Task Force, Citizen Soldier, and Code Pink.

Net4TruthUSA is an authorized affiliate of Amazon.com

Get my highly-acclaimed book:

"Land of Childhood's Fears - Faith, Friendship, and The Vietnam War" - ISBN # 1-4116-2452-1 - In Paperback - From Amazon.com. The Hardcover edition is only available directly from the publisher. The hardcover (special) edition has an additional section dealing with the recent media propaganda attempts to verify the validity of the Warren Commission's "magic bullet" theory on the JFK assassination. There is a short (different) essay on this subject by the author available as a FREE PDF download on the Publisher's Web site.

This is the book every American and every member of the military should read. Look at the cover and read the Foreword by Dr. Stan Monteith of Radio Liberty. You can read the reviews, read some poetry from the book's poetry chapter, Read the touching story about two GIs rescuing a wounded Vietnamese boy, and listen to several of the author's interviews on Radio Liberty. In order to understand what is happening in the Middle East right now, the astute student must understand Vietnam. This book is simply a "must read".