Veterans picnic with U.S. troops who have taken refuge in Canada at border

VANCOUVER, CANADA (August 13, 2006) – At the conclusion of the national Veterans for Peace convention held this year in Seattle, 150 veterans boarded buses for Peace Arch Park on the US/Canadian border. On Canadian soil, but without the need to go through customs, veterans of all wars from the current Iraq occupation war to World War II vets gathered for a picnic lunch and reunion with U.S. servicepersons currently residing in Canada.

These military members have entered Canada in order to resist and oppose the current occupation of Iraq. Some of them have been in Canada for a couple of years now, others for only weeks. Some are vocal anti-war spokespersons who have formally applied for refugee status; others are quietly considering their options. All expressed gratitude for the generosity of their Canadian hosts and supporters who wore t-shirts declaring, “War resisters welcome here.”

Retired U.S. Army Colonel Ann Wright embraced 22-year-old Iraq veteran turned refugee Kyle Snyder at the border. Of his resistance to the war, Col. Wright stated, "It is part of military tradition that you can refuse illegal orders," she said. "They have the courage to stand up and say... 'I'm not going to have this war on my conscience.'"