The 24 foot tall touring tower is covered with over a thousand silver wind-blown 'bricks' made from recycled beer and soda cans. It was created by volunteers and dedicated by Veterans For Peace to ALL victims and veterans of war, regardless of race, faith or nationality. Wherever the tower has appeared, visitors have added personal inscriptions to the cans, rung the bell, and shared stories about how they have suffered from war. It was inspired by a WWI-Era belltower in Raleigh, NC with the inscription, “And They Shall Beat Their Swords into Plowshares.”
We just found out our DC permit will require us to maintain a 24 hour vigil at the Belltower. This is a huge opportunity with thousands of visitors to the area around Memorial Day, but it is also a huge challenge. Please CONTACT US if you can be in the D.C. area during May about potentially doing a shift with a partner at the tower. Even if you CANNOT come to DC please DONATE so we can meet expenses of veterans and volunteers who can. The installation is being planned in conjunction with the arrival of Sam's Ride for Peace, Veterans For Peace lobby days and Vietnam Full Disclosure's Memorial Day 'Letters to the Wall” Effort.
Sign up for one shift or many! Volunteers needed for:
- Tower Raising and Stand Down (4-5 strong volunteers) on May 14 and May 27.
- Vigil - participate in 2 person shifts, at night, from May 15 – May 26 period.
- Food and Housing - bring food for one or more days or provide local housing.
- Tower staffing - instruct visitors in creating a commemorative inscription.
- Publicity/media outreach – help distribute flyers, contact media and get the word out!
- Documentation – help with graphics, video, webpage, and public history interviews.
To REGISTER TO VOLUNTEER send an email to stpbelltower2018@gmail.com
To DONATE via VISA or PAYPAL click on the Belltower Memorial link at: http://ncveteransforpeace.org/contacts/contacts.html
Background: (Follow the project at: https://www.facebook.com/STPBelltower )
Veterans and victims of war and their relatives know that the forms of suffering are complex and not suffered by only one nation. Nationally-chauvinistic ceremonies that remember only the American deaths, and glorify them as sacrifices for freedom, create cover for politicians and war profiteers. However they repress the sort of honest dialogue essential for healing and for preventing future wars and future trauma. It is well known that war leads to violations of human rights and civil liberties at home and abroad. Isn't it truer to the core values of democracy, and more supportive to veterans trying to recover from moral injuries, to take time to remember that ALL suffering from war is tragic, and that heroic and horrible acts are committed on all sides?
Mourn ALL the Dead and Wounded,
Rid the Earth of the Waste of War,
Beat Swords into Plowshares,
Let Peace and Freedom Ring!
