Veterans For Peace urges its membership to contact or write the Mayor of Phoenix, Greg Stanton to pressure him to support and advocate for the right of the Winter Soldier Chapter Veterans For Peace in Phoenix, AZ to participate uncensored in the city’s Veterans Day Parade.
His phone number is (602)-262-7111 and e-mail mayor.stanton@phoenix.gov.
Background:
Since late October 25, 2011, the not for profit organization Honoring Arizona’s Veterans (HAV), has waged a relentless campaign to censor (Phoenix) Winter Soldier Chapter Veterans for Peace’s (WSCVFP) Veterans Day Parade message and bar the chapter from participating in the parade.
On October 18th the chapter was notified by HAV with the tacit approval of Phoenix’s Mayor Greg Stanton that Winter Solider Chapter Veterans For Peace cannot participate in the parade.
Every year many VFP chapters find that they must struggle for their right to march in Veterans Day Parades because we carry a message of peace and demilitarization.
This year veteran members of VFP in Phoenix who suffer from varying degrees of service-connected disabilities are being denied their right to march.
Examples are
- Richard A. Smith,Esq. (USN ‘65-‘69) who has significant hearing loss from exposure to 3-inch and 5-inch naval gunfire.
- Dennis Stout(U. S. Army ‘66-‘69) who was shot and seriously wounded in action in Vietnam and
- Billy Clark(USMC ‘69-‘71) who was “blown up” by a rocket propelled grenade in My Lai, Vietnam on April 1, 1970.
We cannot stand aside and let this be. We must take action as a voice for our veteran comrades and as advocates for peace.
Call Mayor Greg Stanton now and let him know this is an outrage and unacceptable. The city of Phoenix must support all veterans, including those who work for peace. His phone number is (602)-262-7111 and e-mail mayor.stanton@phoenix.gov.
Call Michael McPhearson @ 314-725-6005 or email him @ mcphearson@veteransforpeace.org if your chapter is experiencing a similar issue entering your city's Veterans Day Parade.
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