Youtube clip, slide show, attached photos and reporet of annual Aug
6-9 Vigil and Line Crossing at STRATCOM

8 Minute Youtube clip of statements at the line and the line crossing.
The four Catholic peace activist in their own words. A MOST SEE!!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XG8A_V8IeoQ

Flickr Slide Show of Aug 6-9, 2010 STRATCOM Vigil and Line Crossing
http://www.flickr.com/photos/frank_cordaro_and_the_dm_catholic_worker...

Nonpareil, Council Bluffs IA, Aug 10, 2010 "Navy veteran protests on
bomb anniversary"
http://southwestiowanews.com/articles/2010/08/10/council_bluffs/doc4c...

THE VIGIL:

This year’s 3 ½ day vigil at the STRATCOM gate started with a Mass and
pot luck dinner at the Omaha CW Thursday night Aug. 5th.  Fr Bert
Thelen, SJ was our celebrant. Fr Bert is the pastor of St John’s
Church on Creighton University campus and is the reason we are able to
do hospitality in its basement for our retreats. All the main folks
who were joining us for the full 3 ½ days of vigiling were on hand for
the Mass and pot luck.  Fr. Kevin Maksym and Sr. Michele Denton, who
traveled from the Detroit area were a welcome addition to our small
contingent, consisting of Ed Bloomer and myself from the Des Moines CW
community, Mark Kenney from Omaha, and Jerry Ebner and Mike Brennan
from the Omaha CW.

One could rightly say that this year’s vigil truly was done in a
spirit of penance, if the heat of the days is factored in. We started
off on a typical hot day on Friday Aug. 6, with the temperature in the
mid 90’s; the temps and humidity got progressively hotter each day. On
our last day of vigiling the heat index reached well over 100 degrees.
At times it felt like we were in a Lakota Indian Sweat without a
lodge. Plenty of breaks were taken and water consumed. Throughout the
first three days friends and supporters came out to visit and
encourage us. We reached the critical double digit mark of people at
the vigil on Saturday, Aug 7th. (See attached photo) The high point
came on Sunday, Aug 8th with Fr Kevin Maksym presiding over the Mass
we celebrated on site. (See attached photo)

The interactions between we protesters and the Offutt security
officers remained cordial throughout the entire vigil, with the
officers regularly making certain we were holding up well in the heat,
and had enough water to drink.

THE WITNESS AND LINE CROSSING:

Before the vigil two, long-time Omaha peace activists, Fr. Jack
McCaslin (81), and Mark Kenney (53), declared their intent to ‘cross
the line’ on Aug 9th.  Both Fr Jack and Mark have long histories of
protesting at Offutt AFB and have 'crossed the line' multiple times
through the years. Both have been charged and convicted of Federal
trespass and “breaking ban and bar letters" for doing so. Mark is a
veteran of the US Nuclear Navy. He  has served over a year of jail
time for previous 'line crossings' and Fr. Jack has served a 30 day
sentence for similar charges at Offutt.

Fr. Jack last 'crossed the line' on Dec, 28, 2005. After being found
guilty of trespass in US Federal Court, the Federal Magistrate did not
send Fr. Jack to jail but instead sentenced him to probation because
of his age and his health issues. However, the judge promised he would
not hesitate to send Fr. Jack to jail should he 'cross the line'
again.

So the word went out that Fr. Jack and Mark were planning on crossing
the line again.

Then after the Mass at the Omaha Catholic Worker House on Thursday
Aug. 5th word came that Peg Gallagher was going to join her friends
Fr. Jack and Mark in crossing the line on Aug 9th.  Peg has also
“crossed the line” at Offutt AFB multiple times and she was not going
to let her friends Fr. Jack and Mark ‘cross the line’ and risk going
to jail without her. Peg is 92 yrs old. She was last arrested at the
STRATCOM Space Weapons Show last Nov. in Omaha.
http://www.omaha.com/article/20091110/LIVING/711109911

The following day, Saturday, Fr. Jack let it be known that his friend
Charlie Wolford, a Catholic Deacon from Missouri Valley, IA, was also
planning to cross the line. Charlie has crossed the line a number of
years ago with is wife Gurina. A widower now, at 83 yrs old, he is
retired and helps out at St Patrick’s Church in Missouri Valley part
time. Charlie was also in the US Navy during WWII and visited Nagasaki
Japan a month after it was A-bombed and saw firsthand the
catastrophically destructive nature of nuclear weapons.

Now the number of line crossers was four and a buzz was going around
about their planned crossings. By the time of the closing ceremony on
Monday Aug. 9th at 11 a.m. over 30 gathered at the main entrance of
Offutt AFB to be support for the four. Kudos go to Mike Sprong and
Dagmar Hoxsie from the Yankton CW who came the furthest to be on hand.

The temps and humidity were on the rise and Monday’s forecast was no
different than Sunday’s, where the heat index reached well over 100
degrees. In our pre-witness talk on Monday morning with Offutt
Security people we told them that we wanted to do the closing ceremony
and line crossing in as short a time as possible because of the heat
and the age of the line crossers and their supporters. I told the
officers that this year we were honoring our elders in the movement
and wanted to give them a chance to speak their truths and put their
bodies on the line with their convictions.

The actual witness and line crossing was simple and short. At 11:00 am
we all gathered in the exit lane of the entrance drive, between
Offutt’s property line and the public road. Offutt Security
re-directed traffic to give us the lane. A song, “Go Be Justice” was
sung by some thirty protesters now present at the vigil. And than the
four line crossers stepped forward and each gave their statement.

Fr. Jack was first, and began his statement by emphasizing how he has
always valued his consistent life ethic, his ‘womb-to-tomb’ approach
to social justice. He shared that he had recently joined his
Archbishop and fellow Omaha “Pro-Lifers” in a public prayer service at
a new abortion clinic in Omaha . A few days latter, he visited and
celebrated Mass with a number of death row inmates at the Nebraska
State Prison. Now, today, here he was about to cross the line at
Offutt AFB – yet again – to protest the anti-life nature of our
nuclear weapons. Earlier in the week Jack called it the ‘Trifurcate”
of a true pro-life activist.

Peg spoke next and her message was simple, “Let’s stop all these
useless wars and bring our military people back home.” At 92 years of
age, Peg possesses a perspective that few of us do. She has spent the
better part of her adult life as a peacemaker protesting USA-led wars,
all of them human failures with little gained and much lost in life
and resources.

Charlie was next to speak. He had a prepared statement. He spoke of
his visit to Nagasaki a month after the cataclysmic and
incomprehensible aftermath its being A-bombed by the USA. He pleaded
for the US military personnel, who continue to be sent to fight in
these ill conceived wars. (A copy of his statement is attached.)

The last to speak was Mark. At 53 yrs old, he was the youngest of the
four by 28 years! His message was the simplest of them all. He was
holding a processional crucifix. He looked to the crucifix and said,
“Our Faith is in the crucified Lord and no one else.  No one who
believes in Jesus can ever justify the possession or use of any
nuclear weapons. Wars are never an option for a follower of Jesus in
solving human conflicts.”

When Mark was done, and all the speakers had made their statements, a
simple Our Father was prayed by all as the four Catholic peacemakers
then proceeded to cross the property line onto Offutt AFB, walked
about ten steps onto the base, and were then greeted by Offutt
Security personal, placed in vans and taken to the main guard house up
the drive. All four were processed and released within the hour. We
now await word from the Omaha Federal Attorney’s Offices regarding
trespass charges and court dates.

For updates and follow through contact:

The Omaha Catholic Worker
Jerry Ebner, Mike Brennan
1104 N. 24th St. Omaha, Nebraska USA 68102
www.no-nukes.org/cwomaha
Email: cwom...@gmail.com
402- 502- 5887

Frank Cordaro
Phil Berrigan CW House
713 Indiana Avenue, Des Moines, IA  50314
(515) 490-2490  www.DesMoinesCatholicWorker.org
Frank.Cord...@gmail.com

Sat. Aug 7 - Vigil reaches double digit mark....JPG 283K Download

Sun. Aug 8 a.m. Mass at vigil site with Fr Kevin Maksym.JPG 207K Download

Mon. Aug 9 - Group photo on entrance drive..JPG 271K Download

Mon. Aug 9 - 4 Line Crossers and supporters at the line - photo by Dale Heise.jpg 136K Download

Mon. Aug 9 - Crossing the line onto base - Wolford 83 yr, Kenney 53 yr, Gallagher 92 yr and Fr McCalsin 81 yr.JPG 223K Download

Charles Wolford Aug 9, 2010 statement at Offutt.doc 36K Download