God Bless Ed Epley in Oregon

Sharon Cohen, AP National Writer- Sat Nov 21, 2009 (this is an excerpt from a longer article called, "A bad month in Afghanistan rippled across the US"

 

IN OREGON, THE VIGIL GOES ON...

Every afternoon, seven days a week, Ed Epley has a 5 p.m. appointment with the war.

He pulls a protest sign from his maroon 1961 Volkswagen van — he has 30 to 40 stashed inside — and joins a one-hour peace vigil at the Benton County courthouse in Corvallis, Ore. Epley has been doing this, day in and day out, since the U.S. launched its first air strikes on Afghanistan on Oct. 7, 2001.

"I really don't look at it as a job, it's just part of the daily task of being a citizen," says the 73-year-old retiree.

More than eight years later, this small, 365-day-a-year vigil may seem quixotic. But it stands apart for another reason: It has kept a steadfast focus on the war. Even though hundreds of thousands of troops have served, even though more than 800 members of the military have died, the marathon war in Afghanistan has, for long stretches, been off the nation's radar.

Ed Epley is in year nine in the vigil at the county courthouse in Corvallis.

He's among 8 to 12 regulars who gather from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. — weekends and holidays included.

Mike Beilstein, a city council member, still comes by a few times a month. He helped launch the vigil in 2001 when he brought a "Peace on Earth" sign to the courthouse the day after the first air strikes on Afghanistan.

"We never feel we're wrong, but we've asked ourselves is this the best way to address the issue," Beilstein says. "Would I be more effective going home writing letters? That question has been there from the start and it's there now, but now that we've been doing it, how do we quit?"

Most days, about 10 people or fewer show up. On the October anniversary of the war, about 50 did. When big announcements are made — including events tied to the Iraq, which also is part of the protest — the numbers swell.

They've endured shouts of "nuke them," "go back to Russia," "dirty hippies, get a job." Motorists have pelted them with cans and food.

They've also been greeted with peace signs, honks of support and letters from as far as New Zealand and Tunisia. (Al-Jazeera taped a segment on the vigil.)

"The message does get out," Epley says. "It's really hard to tell how much effect we're having. People will stop by and write letters and say they do appreciate we're out there. That's what keeps us going. ... I think most of us realize we're never really going to win world peace."

As for the future?

"I don't know what the signal is going to be to say, 'Let's call it quits,'" he says. "We never thought we'd be here this long."

I feel gratefulness for Ed's stand. I think, however, that Peace is Happening. I Have Adopted 'Peace is Happening' as a Major Focus in my Life.