George,

Two buses sponsored by the Charlottesville Center for Peace and Justice traveled to DC for the Peace March. I was fortunate to take part in the inspiring event.

We left Charlottesville about 8:00 am. Arriving in DC with our signs and enthusiasm, we left the bus and scattered to join the throngs. Four of us attempted to march together--Sallie Kate Park, Gerry Kruger, Lee Davis and I . We began at the pre-rally rally sponsored by CodePink with Cindy Sheehan and Joan Baez. From there we headed toward the monument and the beginning of the march.

The most impressive parts:

• Photographs of soldiers killed in Iraq on 8.5 x 11 pages in plastic sheet covers held together with string carried by a very long line of people - making real the almost 2000 dead.
• White crosses creating a Flanders Field beneath the Washington Monument. Behind the scene a banner said "Talk to Cindy".
• Singing the "Star Spangled Banner" as we passed the Pro-Bush, Pro-war group.
• The Ladies in Black - Muslim, Catholic, Christian - standing side by side for peace.
• The young with tattoos, piercings and wild hair, the "Raging Grannies" in flowered hats, the Code Pinks with boas & outrageous hot pink garb--all walking with the LL Bean and Polo-shirted "regulars," strollers and wheelchairs--and shouting "shame on you" as we passed the White House.
• And Cindy Sheehan thanking us for coming.

We must never give up the fight to end this war.

Donna Goings (electronic mail, September 25, 2005)

Here are some photos by Donna from the event, as mentioned above (Cindy Sheehan in the yellow shirt, third photo; Joan Baez, fourth photo). For more views of the March, see Code Pink, Bread and Puppets and Peace Flags.