Protesters mark war’s fifth anniversary

By Charles MELTON

Editor

Rodger Museus knows first-hand the realities of war, so it was no surprise that he celebrated his birthday protesting the Iraq War in downtown Bremerton Wednesday afternoon.

Wednesday marked the fifth anniversary of the current conflict, which has claimed more than 4,000 American lives, and a contingent of about 20 protesters greeted offloading ferry traffic with signs expressing their views on the war.

“I was at the Valley Forge Medical Center from 1964 to ‘66, so I’ve seen the results of war,” Rodger Museus said.

The Vietnam War began reaching its climax in 1965, and many of the wounded servicemen were treated at the military medical center.

“For our President to make war sound romantic is shameful,” he said. “He had his chance and he was a chicken hawk.”

Museus was joined by his wife, Linda, who said she was busy raising children during the Vietnam War, so she was unable to participate in the anti-war movement of that era.

“Now it’s my turn,” she said as she held a sign criticizing the President for his support of the war.

President Bush was not the only politician criticized for his support of the war by the Sound Peace and Justice group, which organized the protest.

“Norm Dicks should do more to bring the troops home,” Cathy Greenwald said.

Congressman Dicks initially supported the war, and now that he has more information about the reality of the situation, he should work harder to end the war, Greenwald said.

“We support our troops, because we know many of them have hard decisions to make,” she said.

Servicemen and women are obligated to obey the orders of their superiors, even if they are against the war, she said.

“It’s not easy and we support them wholeheartedly,” she said.

Wednesday’s protest is not the first for the group, she said. The group rallies every Friday at the intersection of 1st Street and Washington Avenue to greet the 5:20 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. ferries.

In between ferry runs, the group heads to a downtown coffee shop, because “we support our local coffee shops,” Greenwald said.

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