Community Columnist: It's time to bring 'em home

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BY MARK WEDDLETON

Bring ’em home.

That's what Susan Emanuel is asking. And she doesn't just mean her son, who has been serving in Iraq for the past year with the Nebraska National Guard 189th Transportation Co. She wants all the American men and women in uniform who are serving in that war-torn country pulled out of harm's way.

"The conflict in Iraq has changed into a civil war," Susan points out. "Only the Iraqis themselves can settle the differences between Sunnis and Shiites."

What about Bob Boyce? His son is a U.S. Marine who's been to Iraq and will be back there again. "My son and his fellow soldiers did not make the terrible decision to invade Iraq. Now they're making the best they can of a bad situation. They deserve our support."

What does supporting the troops mean to Bob? Bring ’em home.

Susan and Bob are both regulars at the weekly peace vigil held every Wednesday from 5 to 6 p.m. at the Federal Building, 100 Centennial Mall in downtown Lincoln.

On a typical week you'll find a diverse bunch of folks out there with them: a Goodyear striker, a pastor, a Lincoln High School student, a homemaker, a Vietnam vet, a college professor, a guitarist in a rock band, a medical doctor, a retiree, a sandwich maker and maybe two or three dozen others.

There are as many reasons folks come to the vigils as there are participants. Some have opposed the Iraq war and occupation all along. Others think it wasn't a bad idea in the beginning but has become a terrible mess. Concern about possible military action against Iran and North Korea also draws people out. The one thing that unites us all is that call: Bring ’em home. 

We're there to share our anguish and our conviction that in a democracy we as citizens cannot stand idly by as the human toll mounts. "When I miss a vigil, I feel guilty seeing the photos of the dead soldiers in the newspaper," one regular participant told me.

The gatherings have become a sort of dialogue with the folks passing by. And it's clear that most people are glad to see us out there.

Sure, we get some thumbs downs — and middle fingers up. But overwhelmingly we are greeted with what is at times a boisterous chorus of honks and cheers. And the support is broad: We're just as likely to get a supportive wave from the driver of a jet black Hummer with a yellow "Support Our Troops" sticker as we are from a passing bicyclist.

We've passed a turning point in people's perceptions about U.S. policy in Iraq. Whatever feelings were when the war started back in the spring of 2003, now there's a common understanding that we're in a quagmire.

No longer do most Nebraskans believe that to speak out is wrong because it might undermine the morale of the troops. They see that what is unfolding in Iraq is horrifically bloody. It's killing or crippling so many U.S. soldiers while costing the lives of tens or hundreds of thousands of Iraqis.

They question whether continuing these sacrifices can stop the steady descent of Iraq into what its own government calls "the darkness." Didn't Maj. Gen. William Caldwell, a top U.S. military leader on the scene, call the recent Battle for Baghdad a failure? It was supposed to be a decisive step in turning things around.

Nebraskans find it harder and harder to buy the argument that staying there will make us or the Iraqis safer. All indications are that the U.S. presence inflames sectarian violence and creates fertile ground for terrorists.

This points to another reason people come to the vigils. We find there a sense of community sorely needed in these times. So much of the daily news feeds into feelings of despair and hopelessness. When we come together at the peace vigils, it's a chance to take the weight of the world off our individual shoulders and share it collectively. 

To gather for an hour in this common cause, to spend this time with similarly concerned citizens, to see the response we get from the passersby — this is empowering and hope-inspiring. We come away invigorated when we blend our collective voices in the call: Bring ’em home.

Weddleton is a leader of the Coalition for Peace (www.fmclincoln.org/Coalition_for_ Peace.htm). He encourages you to honk and wave when you pass the weekly peace vigil. Better yet, bundle up and join in!