I better not see any anti-war puke do this either ....
No2War20050331CodePinkVigil_byRyme.mp3 (8192 k)
CODEPINK: Women for Peace announces a one-week night vigil at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC, designed to draw attention to the late-night arrival of seriously-wounded soldiers from Iraq and Afghanistan. These soldiers are the most seriously-wounded – with shattered limbs, brain injuries and post-traumatic stress disorders. They are delivered to Walter Reed (and Bethesda Naval Medical Center) under cover of darkness, at 10 p.m. or later. They believe the night-time arrivals are scheduled purposely to minimize public attention to, and knowledge of, the flow of seriously-wounded soldiers from the war. This is consistent with the Bush Administration policy prohibiting the photographing of coffins arriving at Dover AFB. (For investigative reporting of the Walter Reed arrivals, see Mark Benjamin's articles, "The Invisible Wounded," at www.salon.com on March 8, 2005. For Benjamin's reporting on the psychiatric ward at Walter Reed, see "Behind the Walls of Ward 54," Feb. 18, 2005.)
They vigil to:
Shed light on the flow of seriously-wounded soldiers to Walter Reed
Support soldiers in their efforts to achieve adequate lifetime disability payments
Protest unequal health benefits for injured National Guard soldiers as compared to Active Duty troops
Protest minimizing of numbers of injuries, including mental and PTSD disorders
Protest FY05 budget cuts in soldiers’ health care (including new fees and higher prescription drug payments)
Protest FY05 overall cuts in the Veterans Administration budget, including long-term funding
Protest FY05 budget cuts in education and family-support programs, directly impacting veterans and their families
Wear Pink, Bring candles, signs and banners that respectfully express our support.
CODEPINK asked all to JOIN THEM AT WALTER REED EVERY FRIDAY 8-10pm
Vigil Contacts: Ann Wilcox 202-441-3265; Ellen Taylor: 202-270-1861
Walter Reed Army Medical Center (North Gate)
7200 Georgia Ave., at Elder St., NW
See also:
http://www.codepinkalert.org