Wednesday July 13

Three people at 5:00PM, maybe nine at 6:00. A bit before the end a soldier stopped by, a man who served two tours in Iraq. Some of his friends died in Iraq. He wanted to talk about a couple of our signs, "VETERANS FOR PEACE" and "THE HEROES ARE THOSE WHO REFUSE TO GO TO WAR". The question which he most wanted to talk about was, in as close to his words as I remember: "A young man who joins the army to defend his country, who goes to Iraq, who takes a bullet for you -- do you think that young man is a hero or not?" Although the talk went in several directions, we never really answered the question. The conversation was at least courteous, which is different from some of the vigil's other visits from opponents. At the end of the hour some of the vigilers shook hands with him, some left displeased. I wonder, beyond opposition, what is the vigil about? Confrontation? Compromise? Conciliation? Likely it will be an ongoing question.