sws4420
11-28-2005, 08:14 AM
The rival phalanxes of flags in Waterville Veterans' Memorial Park are drawn up like hostile armies on an old military map.
Barely visible in the snow, 2,000 white pennants flutter in a wintry wind. They were planted by peace protesters to commemorate America's casualties in Iraq. In pride of place a placard proclaims: "War is not the answer."
http://news.telegraph.co.uk/news/graphics/2005/11/28/wflags28.jpg
White peace flags and the Stars and Stripes flutter side by side in the Waterville Veterans' Memorial Park
Jostling alongside them are a similar number of Stars and Stripes. They were planted as a riposte by veterans outraged over the appearance of "flags of surrender" in soil dedicated to the fallen in America's wars.
They too have placards, proclaiming: "Proudly Serving America" and "Support Our Troops."
Unsurprisingly in a nation as patriotic as America, skirmishing broke out soon after the white flags were first planted at the end of last month. In an apparent throwback to Vietnam war-era confrontations, five veterans, including the commander of the local branch of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, are due in court for trying to rip them out.
Briefly on a chill winter's evening this weekend it looked as if hostilities were about to flare up again. Arne Springorum, 33, and Elery Keene, 72, two of the local peace movement's leaders, were inspecting their flags.
Then Sam Shapiro, a Second World War era veteran, appeared on the scene and curtly demanded that they remove their "War is not the answer" placard. After a taut exchange, he strode forward and pulled it out.
"This is hallowed ground," he said. "It is absolutely inappropriate. This is a place to show a nation's thanks for limbs and lives lost. "I will help you plant your placards in your front yard, but not here."
When the history of the Iraq war is written chroniclers will no doubt see the flag war in a small town in the north-eastern state of Maine as a sign of simmering tensions on the home front. Peacenik v. Patriot, liberal v. conservative, appeaser v. hawk - the opposing sets of symbols conjure up inevitable memories of America's internal agonies over the Vietnam war.
But as Mr Shapiro and the peace leaders talked, it soon became clear the analogy with the bitterness of the Vietnam era may be misplaced.
The rhetoric in Congress may be getting increasingly vitriolic as Democrats sense a weakness in the Republicans' flank, but in Waterville both sides in the showdown are essentially in agreement over Iraq: the war was a mistake. The only disagreement is how and when the troops should come home.
"If I thought for a moment that white flags would bring the kids home sooner I'd put up a million of them," said Mr Shapiro, a Democrat, whose father served with the British Army in the First World War. "It's just that I don't think putting up white flags will put pressure on the President. This will, if anything, stiffen them up a little.
"The only thing that will put pressure on them is people calling their congressmen. One soldier dying is going to have a bigger impact on the President than 50 marches or four million white flags."
Michael Williams, who served with the USAF at RAF Lakenheath in the 1960s, was one of the five arrested for trying to remove the white flags.
He looks every inch a stalwart supporter of the war. His sweatshirt has "Army" on the front. He sports a yellow Military Police cap. And yet his sentiments are hardly what President George W Bush would want to hear as he tries to bolster public support.
"I am not really pro-war," he said. "I'd just as soon have the troops home. But I don't need the flags flying in my face to remind me of what I see on the news every night.
"Every night they spotlight a fallen hero. Every night I stop what I am doing and watch. I have a son who is in the military. I tear up seeing the birth dates, 1983, 1984 - these are my son's age. We are acutely aware that people are getting killed and I wonder if it isn't a needless thing. Even people who don't go out and demonstrate want the troops to come home."
Despite the growing public misgivings over Iraq, you stand accused of undermining the morale of the troops at your peril. A poll published yesterday suggested that only 16 per cent of the nation backs calls for an immediate and full withdrawal.
But Mr Shapiro believes the tide is turning. He effectively mediated between the veterans and the peace protesters by gaining permission to plant the Stars and Stripes alongside the white flags.
http://news.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/11/28/wflags28.xml
Barely visible in the snow, 2,000 white pennants flutter in a wintry wind. They were planted by peace protesters to commemorate America's casualties in Iraq. In pride of place a placard proclaims: "War is not the answer."
http://news.telegraph.co.uk/news/graphics/2005/11/28/wflags28.jpg
White peace flags and the Stars and Stripes flutter side by side in the Waterville Veterans' Memorial Park
Jostling alongside them are a similar number of Stars and Stripes. They were planted as a riposte by veterans outraged over the appearance of "flags of surrender" in soil dedicated to the fallen in America's wars.
They too have placards, proclaiming: "Proudly Serving America" and "Support Our Troops."
Unsurprisingly in a nation as patriotic as America, skirmishing broke out soon after the white flags were first planted at the end of last month. In an apparent throwback to Vietnam war-era confrontations, five veterans, including the commander of the local branch of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, are due in court for trying to rip them out.
Briefly on a chill winter's evening this weekend it looked as if hostilities were about to flare up again. Arne Springorum, 33, and Elery Keene, 72, two of the local peace movement's leaders, were inspecting their flags.
Then Sam Shapiro, a Second World War era veteran, appeared on the scene and curtly demanded that they remove their "War is not the answer" placard. After a taut exchange, he strode forward and pulled it out.
"This is hallowed ground," he said. "It is absolutely inappropriate. This is a place to show a nation's thanks for limbs and lives lost. "I will help you plant your placards in your front yard, but not here."
When the history of the Iraq war is written chroniclers will no doubt see the flag war in a small town in the north-eastern state of Maine as a sign of simmering tensions on the home front. Peacenik v. Patriot, liberal v. conservative, appeaser v. hawk - the opposing sets of symbols conjure up inevitable memories of America's internal agonies over the Vietnam war.
But as Mr Shapiro and the peace leaders talked, it soon became clear the analogy with the bitterness of the Vietnam era may be misplaced.
The rhetoric in Congress may be getting increasingly vitriolic as Democrats sense a weakness in the Republicans' flank, but in Waterville both sides in the showdown are essentially in agreement over Iraq: the war was a mistake. The only disagreement is how and when the troops should come home.
"If I thought for a moment that white flags would bring the kids home sooner I'd put up a million of them," said Mr Shapiro, a Democrat, whose father served with the British Army in the First World War. "It's just that I don't think putting up white flags will put pressure on the President. This will, if anything, stiffen them up a little.
"The only thing that will put pressure on them is people calling their congressmen. One soldier dying is going to have a bigger impact on the President than 50 marches or four million white flags."
Michael Williams, who served with the USAF at RAF Lakenheath in the 1960s, was one of the five arrested for trying to remove the white flags.
He looks every inch a stalwart supporter of the war. His sweatshirt has "Army" on the front. He sports a yellow Military Police cap. And yet his sentiments are hardly what President George W Bush would want to hear as he tries to bolster public support.
"I am not really pro-war," he said. "I'd just as soon have the troops home. But I don't need the flags flying in my face to remind me of what I see on the news every night.
"Every night they spotlight a fallen hero. Every night I stop what I am doing and watch. I have a son who is in the military. I tear up seeing the birth dates, 1983, 1984 - these are my son's age. We are acutely aware that people are getting killed and I wonder if it isn't a needless thing. Even people who don't go out and demonstrate want the troops to come home."
Despite the growing public misgivings over Iraq, you stand accused of undermining the morale of the troops at your peril. A poll published yesterday suggested that only 16 per cent of the nation backs calls for an immediate and full withdrawal.
But Mr Shapiro believes the tide is turning. He effectively mediated between the veterans and the peace protesters by gaining permission to plant the Stars and Stripes alongside the white flags.
http://news.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/11/28/wflags28.xml