Iraq War Veteran Speaks Against War on Sept. 11

On the 10^th anniversary of Sept. 11, Iraq War veteran Paul Chappell wants to spread a message of peace.

“Propaganda has made the word war synonymous with security, but in fact, peace is synonymous with security,” Chappell said through a written statement released by Citizens' Action for Peace.

Chappell, also a graduate of West Point Military Academy, will speak at 1:30 p.m. Sunday at Redlands United Church of Christ, 168 Bellevue Ave. The event is being sponsored by Citizens' Action for Peace.

He is the author of two books promoting peace around the world: "Will War Ever End? A Soldier's Vision of Peace for the 21st Century" and "The End of War: How Waging Peace Can Save Humanity, Our Planet and Our Future."

According to the statement, Chappell reasons that war makes us less secure.

“We have the most powerful military in human history and we’re some of the most terrified people on the planet,” he said in the statement. “War and military occupation haven’t made us more secure. They’ve made us more hated in many parts of the world.”

“They hate us because we’re free?” he asked. “How come the terrorists aren’t attacking the many other free countries around the world that don’t have soldiers deployed in the Middle East? Look who Osama bin Laden was fighting before us: the Soviets. They weren’t free. Moreover, when bin Laden was our ally, he apparently didn’t care that we were free.”

Citizens Action for Peace asked Chappell to speak to their group after CAP member Sunny Wallich heard him speak at a Veterans for Peace event in Los Angeles four months ago.

“Some of our members are also members of Veterans for Peace,” said Katy Ahearn, CAP members. “We believe Paul Chappell is one of the most articulate and thoughtful persons we have heard on issues of war and peace.”

“We hope people will understand from Paul’s talk that peace is not just ‘pie in the sky’ talk but that our history gives us examples of how we have fought the myths that have put us on the wrong path,” Ahearn said. “Myths such as ‘Humans are naturally violent,’ that ‘It is the nature of some races to be slaves,’ ‘Women are not intellectually capable of voting.’ Western Europe at one time was the bloodiest place on earth, but we cannot imagine those countries fighting one another today.”