By Gerry Condon
Winter’s arrival in the northern hemisphere brings increased concern about the war in Ukraine–now in its tenth month. Concern about the suffering of civilians under siege, and the fate of millions of refugees. Concern about the energy crisis and militarization in Europe. Concern about war-related food shortages in Africa. And concern about the possibility of a civilization-ending nuclear war.
In the face of these compounding disasters, the world’s people are confronted by the apparent readiness of Russia, Ukraine, the U.S., and NATO to dig in for a long war in which there will be no winners.
Veterans For Peace (VFP) shares all of these concerns. As far back as 2015, we called for the withdrawal of all NATO forces from Ukraine’s borders with Russia. Like many observers, we saw this unnecessary and totally avoidable war coming.
On February 24, 2022, the day that Russia invaded Ukraine, we issued an urgent call for Diplomacy Not War. Veterans For Peace is part of the Peace In Ukraine Coalition, which is calling for a ceasefire and diplomacy to end the war before it is too late.
Now, with the holiday season almost upon us, we join in the calls by religious leaders and others for a temporary truce in Ukraine, harkening back to the storied “Christmas Truce” in 1914 during World War I, when German and British soldiers came out of their trenches to celebrate together.
As veterans who have experienced the carnage of war, we feel great empathy for the young soldiers on both sides of this bloody war who are being killed and injured in the tens of thousands. We know all too well that the survivors will be traumatized and scarred for life. We say Enough is Enough–War is Not the Answer.
We want urgent, good-faith diplomacy to end the war in Ukraine, not more U.S. weapons, advisors, and endless war. And certainly not a nuclear war. We want to see those billions of dollars going for climate, jobs, healthcare, and housing, not for weapons manufacturers and war profiteers.
As soldiers who have resisted wars in Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq, we support war resisters on all sides, including Conscientious Objectors, draft resisters, deserters, and all who refuse to participate in the killing. We especially encourage U.S. military personnel to refuse to participate in training, arming, advising, or otherwise engaging in this and other wars of empire. We furthermore call on the U.S. government to end all its wars and withdraw our troops from multiple countries around the world.
It is time to reverse course now. Drop the weapons. Embrace diplomacy and peace. For the sake of Ukraine. For the sake of Russia, Europe, and the United States. For the sake of all the peoples of the world. A holiday truce could be the first step toward peace.
Enough Is Enough–War Is Not the Answer!
Ceasefire Now–Negotiate, Don’t Escalate!
Support Soldiers Who Refuse to Kill!
Signed,
Enya Anderson, VFP National Board
Ellen Barfield, Past Vice President, VFP National Board; Co-founder, Baltimore VFP
Medea Benjamin, VFP Advisory Board, CODEPINK Women for Peace
Marjorie Cohn, VFP Advisory Board; Past President, National Lawyer’s Guild
Gerry Condon, Past President, VFP National Board
Paul Cox, VFP National Board
Michael Dempsey, VFP National Board; President, Monterey, CA, VFP
Jim Driscoll, VFP Climate Crisis and Militarism Project
Mike Ferner, Past President, VFP National Board
Mark Foreman, Past Treasurer, VFP National Board
Gerald Hassett, Vice President, New York City VFP
Matthew Hoh, VFP Advisory Board
Helen Jaccard, Manager, VFP Golden Rule Project
Eric Johansson, Past President, San Francisco VFP
Tarak Kauff, Past Member, VFP National Board
Bob Keilbach, Secretary, New York City VFP
Kathy Kelly, VFP Advisory Board; Board President, World Beyond War
Barry Ladendorf, Past President, VFP National Board
Gene Marx, Past Secretary, VFP National Board
Ray McGovern, VFP Advisory Board; co-founder, Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity
Maj. (ret’d) Ken Mayers, USMCR; VFP National Board
Nick Mottern, VFP National Board; Co-coordinator, BanKillerDrones
Barry Riesch, Past President, VFP National Board
Doug Rawlings, Co-founder, VFP; Past Vice President, VFP National Board
Denny Riley, USAF, Our war in Vietnam
Susan Schnall, President, VFP National Board
Joshua Shurley, Secretary, VFP National Board
Alice Slater, VFP Nuclear Abolition Working Group
Rick Staggenborg, President, Mid-Valley Oregon VFP
David Swanson, VFP Advisory Board, World Beyond War
Mike Tork, Treasurer, VFP National Board
Michael Wong, Vice President, San Francisco VFP
Col. (Ret) Ann Wright, VFP Advisory Board; Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Jonas E. Alexis has degrees in mathematics and philosophy. He studied education at the graduate level. His main interests include U.S. foreign policy, the history of the Israel/Palestine conflict, and the history of ideas. He is the author of the book, Kevin MacDonald’s Metaphysical Failure: A Philosophical, Historical, and Moral Critique of Evolutionary Psychology, Sociobiology, and Identity Politics. He teaches mathematics in South Korea.
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When the USG or US Veterans called for peace talks, I translate that to mean they need time to restock and rearm the terrorists they are supporting .
The ONLY chance for a lasting peace is to bring the USG/Nato to it’s knees.
I repeat, Dear J.A.E, are you perhaps anallergic to J.F.K.’s death and the whys?
Yes, this sounds good, but that is as far as it goes. The US/NATO would do just what they did in Syria, get a truce and then use the truce to re-arm and re-group. There have never any ‘good-faith’ in negotiations with Ukr and Russia does not forget. Russia will not go for this, they would be fools to, any negotiations would go nowhere, as US/NATO/Ukr would only be playing for time…as in Syria. They would want this time to complete weapons arrivals, probably manned by NATO troops. This means there would be the possibility that this would extend the war, which would be to the favor of western forces and only serve to increase the possibility of confrontation. The Russians already know that the US is not agreement capable, something the Iranians have already learned as well. Russia needs to stay the course and end this as fast as they can once they begin their offensive.
Absolutely right. I’m not a warmonger, but this madness can be stopped only with our Victory.
Are the signatories to this appeal aware of the fact that during Yuletide and New Year there are two weeks between Catholic Christmas and Orthodox Christmas in The Ukraine — with two Mosaic & Jewish holidays thrown in between. just for good measure?
Looks like an end game…
let’ it’ burn’ – nato is an unreliable partner… “”
–> the russians hav mobilized their armed forces to 1.5M.. wagner is in africa…
total occupation v/s patisan crap, attempting to make a deal w the remamanants of the uki army
Sounds good, but you have to bring these ideas to JB. Otherwise, those Russian soldiers who died – will that be in vain? We have to finish our tasks.
Interestingly, it was veterans who finally led the antiwar movement against the Vietnam War. By 1970, the U.S. Army had 65,643 deserters, roughly the equivalent of four infantry divisions. This, from Marine Colonel Robert D. Heinl Jr., June 1971, “By every conceivable indicator, our army that remains in Vietnam is in a state approaching collapse, with individual units avoiding or having refused combat, murdering their officers and non-commissioned officers…Sedition, coupled with disaffection from within the ranks, and externally fomented with an audacity and intensity previously inconceivable, infest the Armed Services…”
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