Gold Star Families for Peace
Encyclopedia
Gold Star Families for Peace (GSFP) is a United States
-based organization founded in January 2005 by individuals who lost family members in the Iraq War, and are thus entitled to display a Gold Star
. It is considered an offshoot of Military Families Speak Out
. Gold Star Families for Peace now includes more than 65 families of soldiers killed in Iraq
.
Joining with organizations including Veterans for Peace
, United for Peace and Justice
, Code Pink
, Military Families Speak Out, the Crawford Peace House
and others, GSFP is actively protesting US military action in Iraq. They have used speaking engagements, congressional testimony and protests throughout the United States.
GFSP regards the George W. Bush administration
's reasons for those operations as falsehoods and grounds for impeachment of George Bush
.
On August 7, 2005, the group arrived in Crawford, Texas
in a bus provided by Veterans for Peace
, painted red, white and blue with the words "Veterans For Peace Impeachment Tour" on it and demanded to talk with President Bush
. Prior to arriving at Crawford, the group had been in Dallas attending a Veterans for Peace convention.
As of 2005 Gold Star Families for Peace included 65 family members of soldiers killed in Iraq.
Membership:
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
-based organization founded in January 2005 by individuals who lost family members in the Iraq War, and are thus entitled to display a Gold Star
Service flag
A service flag or service banner in the United States is an official banner that family members of service members in harm's way can display. The flag or banner is defined as a white field with a red border, with a blue star for each family member on active duty. A gold star represents a family...
. It is considered an offshoot of Military Families Speak Out
Military Families Speak Out
Military Families Speak Out is a US based anti-Iraq war group.Military Families Speak Out was founded by two military families in November, 2002 to speak out against the planned US invasion of Iraq to try to prevent the invasion....
. Gold Star Families for Peace now includes more than 65 families of soldiers killed in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
.
Joining with organizations including Veterans for Peace
Veterans for Peace
Veterans For Peace is a United States organization founded in 1985. Made up of male and female US military veterans of World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, and other conflicts, as well as peacetime veterans, the group works to promote alternatives to war.-Foundation:The...
, United for Peace and Justice
United for Peace and Justice
United for Peace and Justice is a coalition of more than 1,300 international and U.S.-based organizations opposed to "our government's policy of permanent warfare and empire-building."...
, Code Pink
Code Pink
Code Pink: Women for Peace is an anti-war group that is mainly composed of women. It has regional offices in Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York City, and Washington, D.C., and many more chapters in the U.S. as well as several in other countries...
, Military Families Speak Out, the Crawford Peace House
Crawford Peace House
The Crawford Texas Peace House is an anti-war activist organization located in Crawford, Texas near the home of President George W. Bush. It gained international attention in August 2005 during the protest of Cindy Sheehan, who is listed as serving on the board of directors.In March 2007, it came...
and others, GSFP is actively protesting US military action in Iraq. They have used speaking engagements, congressional testimony and protests throughout the United States.
GFSP regards the George W. Bush administration
George W. Bush administration
The presidency of George W. Bush began on January 20, 2001, when he was inaugurated as the 43rd President of the United States of America. The oldest son of former president George H. W. Bush, George W...
's reasons for those operations as falsehoods and grounds for impeachment of George Bush
Movement to impeach George W. Bush
During the presidency of George W. Bush, several American politicians sought to either investigate Bush for allegedly impeachable offenses, or to bring actual impeachment charges on the floor of the United States House of Representatives Judiciary Committee...
.
Protest in Crawford, Texas
Crawford, Texas
Crawford is a town located in western McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is best known as the home of former President of the United States George W. Bush. He currently resides at the Prairie Chapel Ranch, which is located just outside Crawford, Texas....
in a bus provided by Veterans for Peace
Veterans for Peace
Veterans For Peace is a United States organization founded in 1985. Made up of male and female US military veterans of World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, and other conflicts, as well as peacetime veterans, the group works to promote alternatives to war.-Foundation:The...
, painted red, white and blue with the words "Veterans For Peace Impeachment Tour" on it and demanded to talk with President Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
. Prior to arriving at Crawford, the group had been in Dallas attending a Veterans for Peace convention.
GSFP founding members
- Cindy and Patrick SheehanCindy SheehanCindy Lee Miller Sheehan is an American anti-war activist whose son, U.S. Army Specialist Casey Sheehan, was killed by enemy action during the Iraq War. She attracted national and international media attention in August 2005 for her extended anti-war protest at a makeshift camp outside President...
- parents of ArmyArmyAn army An army An army (from Latin arma "arms, weapons" via Old French armée, "armed" (feminine), in the broadest sense, is the land-based military of a nation or state. It may also include other branches of the military such as the air force via means of aviation corps...
Spc. Casey Sheehan, KIAKilled in actionKilled in action is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces at the hands of hostile forces. The United States Department of Defense, for example, says that those declared KIA need not have fired their weapons but have been killed due to...
in Sadr CitySadr CitySadr City is a suburb district of the city of Baghdad, Iraq. It was built in 1959 by Prime Minister Abdul Karim Qassim and later unofficially renamed Sadr City after deceased Shia leader Mohammad Mohammad Sadeq al-Sadr....
, BaghdadBaghdadBaghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
on April 4, 2004) - Jane and Jim Bright - mother and stepfather of Army Sgt. Evan Ashcraft, KIA in MosulMosulMosul , is a city in northern Iraq and the capital of the Ninawa Governorate, some northwest of Baghdad. The original city stands on the west bank of the Tigris River, opposite the ancient Assyrian city of Nineveh on the east bank, but the metropolitan area has now grown to encompass substantial...
, IraqIraqIraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
on July 24, 2003 - Bill Mitchell - father of Army Sgt. Michael Mitchell, KIA in Sadr City Baghdad on April 4, 2004
- Celeste Zappala - mother of Army Sgt. Sherwood Baker, KIA in Baghdad on April 26, 2004
- Lila Lipscomb - mother of Army Sgt. Michael Pederson, KIA on April 2, 2003 in KarbalaKarbalaKarbala is a city in Iraq, located about southwest of Baghdad. Karbala is the capital of Karbala Governorate, and has an estimated population of 572,300 people ....
, Iraq. (Lipscomb had been a featured subject in the 2004 documentary Fahrenheit 9/11Fahrenheit 9/11Fahrenheit 9/11 is a 2004 documentary film by American filmmaker and political commentator Michael Moore. The film takes a critical look at the presidency of George W. Bush, the War on Terror, and its coverage in the news media...
, both before and after her son was killed.) - Sue Niederer - mother of Lt. Seth J. Dvorin, KIA on 02/03/04)
- Dede Miller - aunt of Army Spc. Casey Sheehan (above)
As of 2005 Gold Star Families for Peace included 65 family members of soldiers killed in Iraq.
GSFP mission statement and purpose
- The group's mission statement reads as follows:
- GSFP Purpose statement:
- To bring an end to the occupation of Iraq.
- To be a support group for Gold Star Families.
Membership:
- Anyone who has had a relative killed as a result of war.
- Primarily, but not limited to the invasion/occupation of Iraq.
See also
- Downing Street memoDowning Street memoThe "Downing Street memo" , sometimes described by critics of the Iraq War as the "smoking gun memo", is the note of a secret 23 July 2002, meeting of senior British Labour government, defence and intelligence figures discussing the build-up to the war, which included direct reference to classified...
- 2003 invasion of Iraq2003 invasion of IraqThe 2003 invasion of Iraq , was the start of the conflict known as the Iraq War, or Operation Iraqi Freedom, in which a combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq and toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein in 21 days of major combat operations...
- United for Peace and JusticeUnited for Peace and JusticeUnited for Peace and Justice is a coalition of more than 1,300 international and U.S.-based organizations opposed to "our government's policy of permanent warfare and empire-building."...
- Movement to impeach George W. BushMovement to impeach George W. BushDuring the presidency of George W. Bush, several American politicians sought to either investigate Bush for allegedly impeachable offenses, or to bring actual impeachment charges on the floor of the United States House of Representatives Judiciary Committee...
- Yellowcake forgeries
- Gold Star Mothers ClubGold Star Mothers ClubShortly after World War I the American Gold Star Mothers Inc. was formed in the United States to provide support for mothers who lost sons or daughters in the war. The name came from the custom of families of servicemen hanging a banner called a Service Flag in the window of their homes. The...
- Gold Star WivesGold Star WivesThe Gold Star Wives of America was formed before the end of World War II to provide support for the spouses and children of those who lost their lives while serving in the Armed Forces of the United States. The first meeting was on April 5, 1945, when four young widows met in Marie Jordan's...
- Arlington West: The FilmArlington West: The FilmArlington West: The Film is a 2006 documentary about the Iraq War by Peter Dudar and Sally Marr. The title refers to Arlington West, the "temporary cemeteries" in Santa Barbara and Santa Monica, California which serve as memorials to those who have been killed in Iraq.The film features 105...
Further reading
- Boston Globe editorial "Mr. Bush, let's talk"
- Bereaved mom becomes one focus of war debate
- Google news search on GSFP
- Mother Takes Protest to Bush's Ranch, NYTimes
- Cindy Sheehan on Hardball (MSNBC), Windows Media
- Cindy Sheehan at the Downing Street Memo hearings (CSPAN), Windows Media
- Cindy Sheehan interviewed on 'The Tony Trupiano Show' (progressive radio) MP3
- Cindy Sheehan interviewed in Crawford, TX (CNN) Windows Media
- Cindy Sheehan speaks with Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) MP3
- Military Families Call for Truth Regarding Downing St. Memo
- Buzzflash editoral by Cindy Sheehan
- Soldier's mother protests near Bush ranch, by Deb Riechmann, Associated Press, August 7, 2005
- Day 3 of the Peace Occupation of Crawford, by Cindy Sheehan