signs of the times

I was walking down Princeton when I spotted the sign pictured above. I was pretty curious because I had seen a number of their fliers around town. You know the ones that say “You are not Alone” with a lone soldier staring at a makeshift memorial. I was staring at the sign and a gentleman came out and invited me to talk to some members inside. I was a bit hesitant at first but the folks could not possible have been nicer. They seemed like honest, thoughtful, caring people not fanatical zealots like I initially suspected. So the Iraq Veterans Against The War DC chapter has been located on Princeton Place since November of 2007. I learned that there are 40 members in the DC chapter and that they have no political affiliation (members are Democrats and Republicans). They stressed that they are not against all wars but do advocate the immediate withdrawal of all troops in Iraq. What I found most interesting was the support group that they host every Sunday. It is called Homefront Battle Buddies. They meet every Sunday, 3-5pm for “Today’s veterans coming together to heal the wounds of war because our obligations to our brothers and sisters in arms and to our values do not end when we are out of uniform.” I also like the fact that they provide legal advice for those who are having difficulty getting their VA benefits.We don’t get too political over here at PoP but I thought it was noteworthy that the DC Chapter was located in Petworth.