Anti-War Activists Criticize Parade, Plan Peace Vigil

Even as banners, bands, yellow ribbon and floats were being readied for today’s massive “San Diego Salutes The Troops Parade,” a group of anti-war activists denounced the event Friday as a “glorification” of war and unveiled plans for a pro-peace vigil next week.

“We feel the appropriate response to this war is mourning and sorrow, particularly since this is a war that should never have happened,” Don Bashford, representing the Coalition for Peace in the Middle East, said during a news conference Friday.

Peace activists noted estimates that the Persian Gulf War cost more than 100,000 lives, mostly Iraqi conscripts killed by U.S. bombs, shells and bullets, and that it resulted in millions of refugees and caused environmental degradation of the Persian Gulf area.

“I think this celebration is misdirected,” added John Peterson, a Vietnam War veteran who is also a member of the peace group.

But Bruce Henderson, a co-chairman of today’s event, along with San Diego Mayor Maureen O’Connor, said the parade--expected to be one of the largest such events on the West Coast--was an appropriate expression of community gratitude and pride.

The San Diego area, which hosts numerous Navy and Marine Corps facilities and has long been identified with the military, sent some 50,000 troops to the Gulf, one of the largest numbers for any community nationwide.

“The purpose certainly isn’t to glorify war, but to honor veterans who have fought in various wars,” Henderson said. “No one’s happy that people died, but we’re very happy that Americans were ready, willing and able to go abroad and fight for peace.”

In an effort to avert a potential “confrontation,” Bashford said the peace coalition had decided not to stage any kind of demonstration today. Instead, the group is planning a vigil next Saturday at 1 p.m. at the Embarcadero, across Harbor Drive from the County Administration building.

Meanwhile, workers were busy Friday preparing the 1 1/2-mile parade route, which begins on 6th Avenue and A street downtown, heads south to Broadway, and west to Kettner Boulevard before ending at Kettner and G Street.

The procession begins at 11 a.m. and is expected to last 2 1/2 hours, officials said.

The parade is expected to include about 10,000 military personnel, including veterans of Operation Desert Storm and fighters from other U.S. wars. A vast array of military hardware is also slated to be rolled through city streets.

The parade, organized by the city of San Diego, has been funded through various sponsors, officials said.