The best estimate is that the crowd exceeded its permit for 100,000 marchers (although CNN reported 300,000). A government surveillance helicopter circled and circled for hours, monitoring the crowd. Security guards were stationed on the roof of the White House. Others, looking so very young, about nineteen-years-old, and armed with four-foot-long truncheons, were stationed every ten feet along the route of the march. In front of the White House itself were three ranks of security: the guards themselves, backed up by a line of police, themselves backed up by a line of riot police with helmets and face guards.

The march, preceded by two hours of speeches and followed by an Operation Ceasefire Free Concert, was organized by two groups: United for Peace and Justice and the international A.N.S.W.E.R. coalition (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism). Similar demonstrations occurred in 200 other cities across the country.

Three buses from St. Joan of Arc, carrying about 100 parishioners and 50 others who wanted to join us, accompanied by three buses from WAMM and one from the DFL, carrying another 150 demonstrators, traveled to Washington to take part in the rally.

Our journey really began at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 21, two days before we left, with an ecumenical prayer service, blessing and brief reception in the church, led by Prayer Partners Pat Stevens, Joan Riebel, and Anna Mae Vagle.

At 8:30 Friday morning the parish graced us with a send-off ceremony in the church, with associate pastor Jim Cassidy blessing the riders and Mayor R.T. Rybak and Archbishop Harry Flynn offering their well-wishes and blessings. Each bus had two captains and a musician on board. Bus #1: Julie Madden and Todd Dalebroux (who also prepared posters, postcards, and publicity), with Fred Vagle. Bus #2: Marlys Weber and Jane Truhlar, with Deb Harley. Bus #3: Steve Boyle and Vicki Underland-Rosow, with Steve Kremer.

The ride itself took about 24 hours, the buses dropping us off around 9:30 a.m. Saturday morning on the south side of Freedom Plaza, just two blocks from the Ellipse in front of the White House. This gave us an hour or two to visit various information booths and to see displays reminding us of why we had come: the rows of white crosses near the Washington Monument or the rows of empty black combat boots outside of Cindy Sheehan’s tent.

Roger Dick is a retired English teacher and a frequent reader at St. Joans. He is also, not surprisingly, a member of the Choir and the Pastoral Council.

Speakers at the rally included Jesse Jackson, Jessica Lange, Cindy Sheehan (arrested the next day), George Galloway, (a British Member of Parliament who has been tangling with our own Senator Norm Coleman about the Oil-for-Food program in Iraq), and former U. S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark, who forcibly and repeatedly called for the impeachment of President Bush for “high crimes and misdemeanors.”

We left Washington about 5 p.m. Saturday and returned to a warm welcome-back gathering Sunday afternoon.

Two of the most satisfying aspects of the ride were seeing the number of young people involved and getting innumerable questions about our “red berets.” We had seventeen riders below age 18, the youngest being 10-years-old. And everywhere we fielded questions about the berets, at the march, on the subway, at rest stops and restaurants. When we explained that we were from St. Joan of Arc, a peace church in Minneapolis, the responses were invariably grateful and kind: “Thank you for being a voice for us,” “Oh, how good of you to make such an effort for peace.”

Roger asked others on the journey to share their thoughts. Here are Some Representative Comments from the Bus Riders: The most important part of this trip to me was the camaraderie, both on the bus and on the march. I always enjoy meeting people who share my values despite being so different from me. St. Joan’s dedication to peace is both remarkable and inspirational. -Anton Schieffer, lifelong student It’s inspiring to see that despite the confluence of religion and politics so often seen in the rest of the country, the members of St. Joan of Arc have not stopped working towards true peace and justice and universal human rights. -Ryan Simatic, student, U of M. I was happy to see all the young people angry about the war. Maybe the Democrats might take over the house next year. Then impeach. -John Winters I was so inspired by the thousands whose convictions don’t let the fear of “what will happen” but “what must happen now” prevail. I was honored to spend my sleep-deprived weekend with the wonderful group from St. Joans and thank my sister Linda for inviting me on such a great adventure! - Loralee Blanchet (sister of parishioner Linda Brisson) I enjoyed talking with other “kindred” spirits, finding out where they were from, explaining our red hats, reading the creative anti-war posters, and being inspired by the rally speakers, especially Ramsey Clark and the song of the Raging Grannies. It was disappointing to see the defensive perimeter at the White House, the many and sullen guards with nightsticks, tear gas canisters, and riot shields, as if they were in perpetual fear of our peaceful majority. We have work to do! -Margaret Reinhardt This was my first time in Washington, D.C. and my first peace march. I have a feeling it won’t be my last. This has been an amazing trip, very inspiring! I feel more connected to the great people of St. Joan of Arc. I’m so glad I did this and even enjoyed sleeping on the bus with my sister! -Linda Brisson I have to admit the bus trip was very grueling, but once we got to D.C. and started talking to all the wonderful, peaceful, non-violent people from all over (Seattle, Arizona, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Florida, Wisconsin), the weariness melted away. I was re-invigorated. It gave me hope that we can turn this country around. -Jane Truhlar I am so glad I came on this trip with the wonderful people of St. Joan of Arc. It was a powerful and inspiring experience to be in the presence of so many people dedicated to peace, nonviolence, and a more caring and compassionate world. As a very new member of St. Joans I would like to thank everyone who helped organize this trip. I really appreciate the opportunity to go to D.C. and look forward to continuing the connections I’ve made with other bus riders. -Katrina Plotz My experience can be summed up in six “Cs”: compassion, conviction, conscience, connections, camaraderie, and civic duty. -Jon Plotz This experience ranks as highest on my long list of adventures. I have had many traveled experiences, both far and near. But on this one it was total exhilaration, fulfillment and almost spiritual. Can you tell I loved it? I’d do it again! When do we leave? -Virginia Heinzen I was deeply touched by the people we met along the way. The manager at MacDonald’s in Toma, Wisconsin, who, with tears in her eyes, said, “My husband is on his second deployment. He is okay, he is in Kuwait.” Our son is 18 and my husband agrees with me that, should he have to go to war, my son and I would move to Canada. -anonymous When I first heard about the peace march I thought it would be a lot different than it was. When you are at school you do not see the real world, and when I was on the march I saw the real world. It was really cool seeing all the people. -Morgan Weber, age 13 When my grandma told me about this trip, I thought it was only going to be people from churches with red berets on. When we started marching I was so amazed by how many people cared about peace. It was wonderful. I learned that people are trying to impeach Bush because he lied to America and started an illegal war and many other things. I had a great experience! But I hope we never have to do this again. -Madeline Weber, age 11 I’m thrilled with the wonderful turnout for our St. Joans buses. So many new faces joining the peace movement. I’m thrilled with my two wonderful grandchildren who graced us with their presence and helped remind us that children are victims of war, whether it be the loss of their parents or of their own young lives. -Marlys Weber My thanks to you folks for what you’re doing!! The young high school boy at Subway said,” Wow, that’s cool that you’re going there. My teachers at school don’t like me because I speak out and have written papers opposing the war.” -Mary Morris Going to Washington, D.C. for the peace protest has reignited the glow in me to begin active participation in the social affairs of this country once again. Voting is not enough. We must take further action to make our voices heard. If we remain silent, only those with a voice will control our destiny. I have found my voice again and I will continue to use it. Many voices will create a roar, just as the huge crowd at the protest did. I hope more of us will add our voices to the case against the Iraq War and for other just causes. -Catherine Dauphinais-Oba One of the highlights of the rally for me occurred early Saturday morning, shortly after we arrived in D.C. A man in a booth next to the Washington Monument gave me a bright yellow t-shirt with the phrase “make levees, not war” in bold black lettering. He didn’t ask for any money or a donation. His only request was that I wear it during Saturday’s events. I gladly complied. This direct connection between war spending and money for infrastructure, education, health care, etc. is a point that I have made repeatedly to pro-war advocates and during peace vigils in Minnesota. This man’s generous gift enabled me to make this point in a way like I never have before. I am usually the one taking photos of others at rallies, but at this one I was asked to pose for numerous photos by people who wanted to convey this important message. -Bert Schlauch Thanks to Julie Madden for organizing, and thanks to the bus drivers for driving. It was worth the cramped muscles, the tired bones, and the sleep deprivation to speak truth to power! “Breasts not Bombs!” -Helen Tays-Jiral My first time. I liked the send-off messages, the music and sharing of thoughts on the way down, most especially the young teachers. The whole thing was very powerful. We need to continue to loudly and constantly voice our message. Thanks to organizers. Great job! -Cathy Bernard This trip to D.C. leaves me with a sense of hope that we can influence the timing of the end of the war, even though our march prior to the war did not stop it. This trip, however, was more painful. The empty black boots by Cindy Sheehan’s tent touched my soul. The senselessness of killing and the pain it inflicts on all of us left living in its wake was so overwhelming to me when I stood among those boots. -Leslie Knoblauch Our trip to D.C. was such a good experience and very fun and tiring. What I couldn’t learn in school that I learned in D.C. is that if you don’t speak up for what you believe in, nothing will change. But we did speak up, and I know something will change because of what we did. -Ellie M., age 11 What I learned on this trip that I couldn’t learn in school is that I have marched for peace with over 300,000 people (and even more because of all those who wanted to be there but couldn’t). I think that it was a great experience for me and I had a ton of fun and made a lot of friends. I want to thank all of you who supported us and prayed for us while we were in D.C. -Mackenzie O’Kane, age 10 ` I went on this march as a parent of the future world and as an advocate for peace. I feel it is not only important for us as individuals to speak out for what we believe in, but also to teach our children to follow their hearts, to fight for what they believe in, and always try to do what we can to make the world a better place for everyone to live in. It was very special to share this event with my daughter and my friends at SJA. -Kristi O’Kane, mother of three Nothing we do has a sure outcome, but the very act of doing what needs to be done strengthens us individually, strengthens the community, and moves energy in the right direction. Mandela, Gandhi, Tutu, M. L. King, Jr., never knew which particular speech or march or prayer or befriending of an “enemy” would be the tipping point-or if there would ever be one. Yet they acted in faith and in the sacred space of love. Going on this march with hundreds and thousands of others who know that the wars of aggression/imperialism being waged by the U.S. government are wrong was a small way to walk in the footsteps of much braver and authentic lovers of justice. I feel honored to have been part of this community, and extremely lucky that my health, finances and personal commitments were aligned so that I could go. -Luanne Nyberg From my first phone call to inquire about the bus ride, to the expert organizers, to our great “bus musician,” Deb Harley, and to “bus captains,” Marlys Weber and Jane Truhlar, and to staffer Julie Madden, this trip could not have been better! It has been such a privilege sharing these days with such great people from St. Joans and other places as well. The red berets are a brilliant idea. They helped our group stay together on the march and captured the interest of so many fellow marchers who now know about St. Joans in Minneapolis! Other marchers joined our songs and slogans along the way. Thank you for organizing this important event. I do believe we joined a huge crowd of like-minded peaceful people who brought an important message to D.C. -Maureen Malloy First, I thank my dear husband for making it possible to join up with a group of wonderful, peaceful people from SJA to travel to D.C., where we joined with hundreds of thousands of others to express our frustrations over this very illegal and useless war. We do this for our darling grandson so he may one day know what a wonderful country this truly is. Thank you SJA people for allowing us to be who we are-somehow our pain is lessened! -Deb and Denny Siems, Faribault Monuments, music and marchers together in the city of the people’s dream of democracy. Migrating among the diverse group of Americans from all over the country and joining with brothers and sisters from other countries, I felt unity of strength and purpose. Colorful banners and insightful slogans on t-shirts like “make levees, not war” carried our message. We have had enough of the propaganda of fear and hoarding goods for the ‘next’ catastrophe. The rally and march message for me is this: unite and create together a community of peace, respect and generous abundance. -Kathy Hanson I noticed the range of people who had come to D.C. from all over, including people who had overcome significant physical difficulties. Also remarkable was the good humor among the people rallying, very cooperative and accommodating of difficulties. -Nancy Olson Coming on this trip made me realize that there are a lot more people paying attention than I thought there were. I was so impressed with the passion that was displayed by so many people, young and old, and from all walks of life. I’m feeling more optimistic and hopeful after this trip than I did before. -Linda Freemon Thanks to the Social Justice Committee for all their time and energy in planning our adventure to D.C. This experience opens my heart and expands my mind to a higher level. Our togetherness proves our strength of will to create a better nation and world. As a new member of St. Joans, I look forward to participating in more events and volunteering opportunities! -Susan Conter This is holy work. This is a holy bus. This is a holy cause. I’m reminded of a song we sing at St. Joans, “Holy Ground.” All creation is holy. Challenging war and the non-democratic structures of power that bring us war, with its companions or necessary baggage: poverty, authoritarianism, corruption. To do this is holy work. When we marched we sang songs of St. Joans, “Down by the Riverside,” “Let there be peace on earth,” and others. We stood out by this, by our spiritual rootedness. We have more than anger and personalized hatreds (like “anti-Bush” signs). We have love. We came with a message of love, and our march was prayer and our duty to rescue the suffering and right the nation from its structural wrongs. Structural wrongs. One moment stands out. When we went by the White House, three layers of fences, guards, guns, machine guns everywhere. Jon and I collaborated for a compelling chant: “Over there’s hypocrisy, Out here’s democracy.” The huge crowd picked it up. The people want to end this war. -Paul Rozycki I was deeply moved by the sheer numbers of all ages of people coming from every corner of this country, joining together for a common goal. The sight of the Washington Monument surrounded by people will stay with me as well as the fact that they just kept growing in numbers. Truly awe-inspiring. -Judy Bergstrom This was a first experience for me. If the need ever arises, it will not be the last. I was very impressed by the courage, the emotion and the originality of all those thousands who participated. Thank you for allowing us to go with you. We were so grateful to find a bus ride from Minnesota. Loved the red berets. It was a blessing to us. -Sondra von Arb First let me say again that I am proud to have been on the bus with the St. Joan of Arc group. I will be happy to support this effort should it be necessary to revisit D.C. Please keep us informed. My major memory of this rally will be the march around D.C. for peace and justice. Hopefully this rally will be part of changing history for the common good. The first will be ending the regime of the Bush Mafia. -Don von Arb Deb (our musician on board #2) is going to lead a songfest in a few minutes. She’s a great lady! I am so grateful for having been given the opportunity to meet all these nice people, who feel the way I do about our beautiful country. I enjoyed every minute of the march, the trip and doing (in my small way) anything to help our cause. -Virginia Heinzen Reflections on the difference between our last D.C. march and this one. Pre-Iraq we marched armed with love and hope, a brother/sisterhood united in our convict ions. A palpable peace ran through the streets; some new kind of joy. God was behind us after all. We believed we could stop this addiction to power “at any cost.” The sparks of real transformation were lit. We could taste it. This weekend’s march. We marched armed with love, but this time like a memory of an old lover, for the way our beautiful country was. We want the world to see the real America. We’re angry and tired and we have no hope for the transformation of our administration. We don’t trust it, we don’t want it and we will not be represented by a president with no integrity, with a politically convenient set of values. We are marching for a better world and, angry we may be, but our hope is centered in truth, so we shall prevail. -Deb Harley

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Linda Freemon has been a member of St. Joan of Arc for approximately 10 years. She is a mother of 3 grown boys (including identical twins) and is a new grandmother. Linda likes to spend her free time with friends, family, volunteering in the community, and running.