Veterans' bus stops in Fresno on way to Winter Soldier event in D.C.

Three members of the Portland, Oregon chapter of Veterans for Peace stopped in Fresno for an hour today on their way to the Winter Soldier Conference in Washington D.C. Their Fresno stop was at Olive and Van Ness Avenues in the Tower District, where motorists honked and many people stopped and gave thanks and other signs of appreciation to the veterans. One member, Malcolm Chaddock, had lived in Fresno before moving to Portland in 2004. Riding along with Malcolm are Gordon Sturrock and Jack Dresser in their 1967 Gillig bus. All three are veterans of the Vietnam War. The Winter Soldier Conference is being held by Iraq War veterans, doing much like the Vietnam veterans did 37 years earlier. In 1971, Vietnam vets held a conference they called the Winter Soldier Investigation, to speak out about what was really going on in the Vietnam War. And now, 37 years later Iraq War vets are holding there own Winter Soldier Investigation to speak out about what is really going on in Iraq. The conference is scheduled for March 13 - 16 in Washington D.C. Their next stop is Albuquerque, New Mexico, 750 miles from Fresno, where they will give a presentation at a dinner on March 7. Malcolm and his companions will film their trip and post it on You Tube as they go. The Winter Soldier Conference will be broadcast on Pacifica radio stations. For more information on the Portland veterans group go to www.Squadron13.com and for information on Iraq Veterans Against War go to www.IVAW.org .