This past weekend in Washington, DC was the a gathering of the veterans of the Vietnam Moratorium. This was the organization that was co-founded by Sam Brown, David Hawk, Marge Sklencar and myself to protest the War in Vietnam. Starting out in a small office that March in 1969, it grew by leaps and bounds over the next months.

On October 15, 1969, over two million people around the country in their own cities and neighborhoods held protests against the War. Some read names of the war dead in town squares, some churches tolled their bells for each of the dead and some gathered in cities like Boston, New York and San Francisco in massive demonstrations against the war. Folks who worked on this effort have gone on in so many ways to excell in leadership and change the world,

Sam Brown served President Carter as head of the Peace Corps and President Clinton in Vienna as part of the nuclear arms talks. David Hawk, the All American swimmer and draft resister from Cornell is now vigorously documenting the human rights abuses in North Korea after doing the same in Cambodia. Susan Werbe has won two emmys at the History Channel. John O'Sullivan is a powerful DC attorney. Greg Craig who ran the New Haven Moratorium is working as White House Counsel for Obama. Marylouise Oates (who couldn't make it) has become a best selling author, worked to assist the peace process in Northern Ireland and is one of the nation's strongest straight allies of the LGBT community. The list could go on and on of talented young people emerging from this effort to make the world a better place.

However, for a brief moment this weekend, it was about warm and loving feelings for old friends who were bounded in one of the great epic stories of this nation. A time with this country's young attempted to stop an unjust War. For many of us the most moving time was when, Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary fame, gathered us around and we sang old peace songs. For that brief moment, we could remember the battle that brought us together forever. Somehow the sacrifices and difficulties we all faced in that time vanished into the background as his music one more time brought us together