Veterans’ peace vigil on hold for now
The sign stands alone. For the first time in nearly two decades, members of Veterans For Peace Humboldt Bay, Chapter 56, were not present Friday evening alongside their large banner outside the Humboldt County Courthouse in Eureka as part of a peace vigil they have long participated in every Friday from 5 to 6 p.m.
“We’ve been standing this vigil for 17 years with only two absences in that period,” said Chapter 56 treasurer Nate Lomba, who was on hand Friday just before 5 p.m. to hang the sign, before stepping away indefinitely along with other members amid the coronavirus pandemic.
“We’re erecting the banner and we’re just going to leave it there,” he said. “No telling how long it’ll stay up — five minutes, five days, five weeks, who knows,” he said. (As of Monday afternoon, the sign was still in place.)
According to the Chapter 56 website (vfp56.org), Veterans For Peace, Inc. is an international organization of men and women veterans of all ages, many of whom served in Vietnam, the Persian Gulf, Iraq, Afghanistan and other military conflicts. Veterans For Peace was founded as a nonprofit in 1985.
“We’re not against our brother and sister veterans. We don’t blame them for making the same mistake we made. But, we are against war and we are against everything it brings with it,” said Lomba, who will miss participating in the regular peace vigil.
“One of the reasons why we stand here is because it’s cathartic to us as veterans, and so personally speaking, I’m going to feel a bit at a loss,” he said.
Membership in VFP Chapter 56 is open to Veterans For Peace members and non-members who share the organization’s values and mission, according to the Chapter 56 website. Annual dues are currently $20, though all are welcome to participate regardless of ability to pay.
For more information about Veterans For Peace, Chapter 56, call 707-2739815 or write to P.O. Box 532, Bayside, CA 95524.