GOSHEN —
Unless peace breaks out, they’ll be back next week.
That was the pledge made Wednesday afternoon by a group of local pacifists who have met every Wednesday at the intersection of Lincoln Avenue and Main Street in Goshen to protest the Iraq War since the U.S.-led invasion of the country began seven years ago.
With President Barack Obama’s announcement Tuesday that the U.S. combat role in Iraq is now officially coming to a close, the group’s goal of an end to the long and bloody conflict appears to have finally arrived.
Ask anyone in the group about their future plans, however, and they’ll tell you that their protesting days are far from over.
"The war in Afghanistan is still escalating, so we’re still here," said longtime group member Myron Schrag of Goshen. "Even though our focus has switched, our message is still the same. We’re trying to make people aware that there is another way other than warfare, and another way to resolve disputes rather than violence."
Group member Val Friedell of Goshen agreed.
"At this point we have a second war to deal with, and we feel that we want to remind everyone in Goshen about the fact that we are in a war," Friedell said. "We really want people to be aware of the terrible toll this is taking on our people, and all the people who are involved in this war. For me, I’m here to say ‘pay attention’."
While most are thankful that the combat troop pullout is occurring, many remain skeptical.
"Well, it’s good, but you know, are they really pulling out, and are they just leaving a big mess?" asked group member Jim Norton of Goshen. "What about rebuilding Iraq? Of course they say they’re rebuilding it, but what’s really taking place? Those are just some of the questions that I think still need to be asked.
"If we go in and mess up a place, we should be willing to take responsibility when we leave to make sure everything is working — the electricity, the infrastructure, all of that."
Like Norton, Friedell said she is glad the troop pullout is occurring, but added that she is skeptical whether or not the U.S. will ever truly be able to disengage itself from involvement with the war-ravaged country.
"Somebody said to George W. Bush when he was planning to invade Iraq, ‘if you invade it, you own it’, and that’s the truth," Friedell said. "We have no choice now but to try to make good on the terrible devastation we’ve inflicted on that country. So we’ll be here. It’s not over, and people need to know what’s happening."
Just under 50,000 U.S. troops still remain in Iraq today — down from a peak of nearly 170,000 in mid-2007. President Obama has pledged to have all remaining U.S. forces out of the country by the end of next year.
Even so, Schrag noted that while those 50,000 troops remain in Iraq, that is 50,000 too many, adding that he will be on the streets of Goshen calling for their safe return until the day they are back on U.S. soil.
"I’m glad that the troops are coming home, but there are still 50,000 there, and they’ll be in harms’s way," Schrag said. "I guess you can say (Obama’s) announcement is a hopeful sign, but it’s by no means the end."
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