Bradley Manning - A Hero For Peace
Chapter President and national board member John Heuer presents our annual peace award. Accepting the reward for Bradley was Jeff Patterson, coordinator of the Bradley Manning Support Network. Click to view the award.
The best coverage of the Manning Rally appeared on The Real News Network, which included David Swanson, our 2011 Peace Prize winner, Col. Ann Wright, our guest speaker many times, and Gerry Condon, national board member who was at our Chapter Meeting on 5/18/13.
John Heuer's Report on the Manning Rally
Dear VFP Friends,
Sue and I drove to Laurel, MD on Friday, and stayed at the Knights Inn, near Ft. Meade. Our nomadic VFP comrades, Gerry Condon and Helen Jaccard, had booked rooms for VFP members and friends from LA, TX, CA, WA, MI, MN, FL, SC, KS and NJ, as well as NC.
We had about 1,000 people demonstrate at the main gate of Ft. Meade on Saturday, in blistering heat. We had 100 turn out Monday at 7:00am to vigil in the rain. Gerry and Ward Reilly helped facilitate my presentation of “Hero for Peace” Award to Bradley Manning Support Network coordinator Jeff Patterson (photos attached, text below.) Jeff’s intention was to give the award to Bradley’s attorney, David Coombs, who would show it to Manning today.
I’ll let you know when I learn that that has in fact happened.
After the vigil, several of us drove on base, and were allowed into overflow rooms to observe the opening of the trial on video. Sue was in the right spot to get into the courtroom with a couple of dozen observers including Daniel Ellsberg, Cornell West and Chris Hedges.
Sue and I came home tonight, and were thrilled to learn about the action on Jones Street last night. A VFP friend in Boston sent out a video made by his sister’s friend. Let’s think about how we can help build critical mass next Monday!!
One of the many reasons Sue and I are glad we went to Ft. Meade to support Bradley Manning, was the opportunity to be reunited with our friend Ethan McCord, the soldier seen in the video “Collateral Murder” rescuing children from the burning van that had been attacked by the Apache helicopter. Ethan is one of Bradley’s most eloquent supporters |