Bring Them Home Now Tour


The "Bring Them Home Now Tour" stops in Rochester. A photo should appear below. Don't know why it won't publish! Grrrr.

Today I am wracked with pain, but I still managed to get to the rally for the "Bring Them Home Now Tour" at Downtown United Presbyterian Church. I'll write more on this later. For now I'll just link to the photos I posted on the web this afternoon. I also have some audio to post.

Among those I have pictured are: Al Zappala, Tamara Rosenleaf, Stacy Bannerman, and Cody Camacho. Tamara gave an especially moving speech. If it all recorded properly, I'll have that one up soon.


On the bus are:

Gold Star Families for Peace members:
Carlos Arredondo of Roslindale, MA, whose son Alexander Arredondo served with the Marines in Iraq and was killed in action on August 25, 2004.

Carlos Arredondo of Roslindale, MA, whose son Alexander Arredondo served with the Marines in Iraq and was killed in action on August 25, 2004.

Karen Meredith of Mountain View, CA, whose son, 1st Lt Kenneth Ballard, fourth generation Army, was killed in action in Najaf, Iraq on May 30, 2004. Karen has been active in speaking out to bring the troops home and has been working to change the DOD regulation that denies release of photographs of flag covered caskets as they process through Dover AFB. She was denied that photograph of Ken with the military citing it was "against regulations" and "to protect the privacy of the families." Karen was a resident of Camp Casey in Crawford Texas for 8 days.

Juan Torres of Chicago, IL, is a member of Gold Star Families. His son, John Manuel Torres, died July 12, 2004, 12 days before he was scheduled to come home from Afghanistan. His tour of duty had been extended there after spending 8 years as a specialist in the Army. Juan initially went to Camp Casey on August 14th and returned to Crawford on subsequent weekends before he joined the tour in Chicago. For more information, his website is www.uncoverthetruth.org.

Al Zappala of Philadelphia, PA, whose son Sgt. Sherwood Baker was the first Pennsylvania National Guardsman to die in combat since World War II. He was killed in Baghdad on April 26, 2004. Al has been active in the Peace and Social Justice movement since the early 60‚s. Al spent 4 days in Crawford Texas and is presently traveling on the Northern route of the Bring Them Home Now tour heading for Washington, DC.


Military Families Speak Out members:
Stacy Bannerman of Kent, WA, whose husband in the Washington National Guard and served an extended tour of duty at Camp Anaconda, the most attacked base in Iraq. A „stop loss‰ order forced him to serve in Iraq eight months past his 20-year commitment, which ended in June 2004. SFC Bannerman received a Bronze Star. Stacy‚s book „When the War Came Home‰ will be released by Continuum Publishing in the spring of 2006.


Sherry Glover of Houston, TX, is the granddaughter of a soldier, daughter of an airman, and wife of a disabled Marine. She is the mother of a Ready Reservist, who is eligible for recall, and 19 year old twin boys vulnerable to the possibility of reinstated Selective Service. Her son-in-law is an Active Army Specialist currently deployed to Tal Afar, Iraq and scheduled to return in March 2006. Her 4 month old granddaughter, Dakota, misses her daddy, needs her family to be together!

Tammara Rosenleaf of Belton, TX, Helena, MT and Olympia, WA. Her husband Spc Sean Hefflin of the US Army‚s 4th Infantry Division, is stationed at Ft Hood, TX before he deploys Fall of 2005. She attended the Veterans for Peace conference in Dallas, where she spoke as a representative of Military Families Speak Out (MFSO). When the decision to go to Crawford was made, Tammara returned to Belton for 2 days before taking up residence at the original Camp Casey in Crawford, TX outside the ranch of President Bush. Tammara stayed at Camp Casey for 22 days.

Iraq Veterans Against the War members:
Cody Camacho of Chicago, IL, served as Army specialist for four years. He was deployed to Iraq from March 2003 to March, 2004, and was honorably discharged in October, 2004. Cody works closely with Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) and VFP Cody was honorably discharged from the Army in October 2004.

Michael Hoffman of Bucks County, PA, served as a Lance Corporal with the 1st Marine Division during the U.S. invasion of Iraq from March to May 2003. He is a founding member of Iraq Veterans Against the War.

Patrick Resta of Philadelphia, PA, served as a combat medic in a tank battalion with the North Carolina National Guard from February to November, 2004. Since returning, Resta has been an outspoken critic of the war in Iraq, and a powerful voice in Iraq Veterans Against the War. His aunt and uncle were killed on September 11, 2001 in the attack on the World Trade Center. He is 26 years old, lives in Philadelphia, and is studying to be a nurse at the Community College of Philadelphia. His wife, Melissa Resta, is a member of Military Families Speak Out.

Veterans for Peace members:
Elliott Adams enlisted in the Army during the Vietnam. He served in Vietnam, Korea, Japan, & Alaska in the infantry paratrooper. He is active in Veterans for Peace, Peace Makers of Schohaw County & Fellowship of Reconciliation. He lives with his wife, Ann in Sharon Springs, NY.

Mike Ferner of Toledo, OH, is a freelance writer. He visited Iraq both before and after the U.S. invasion and is writing a book about his experiences. He served as a US Navy Hospital Corpsman during Viet Nam, is a former member of the Toledo City Council and a member of Veterans For Peace.


Posted: Tue - September 13, 2005 at 07:56 PM          

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