Quaker House proposal for Heroes Homecoming unwelcome
By Michael Futch Staff writer The Quaker House's representation of dissent and protest of the Vietnam War will not be a part of the Heroes Homecoming celebration in the fall, Fayetteville Mayor Tony Chavonne said Thursday. The Quaker House still can participate, he said, but the anti-war organization's partnership in the event must be "about veterans and welcoming them home and honoring those who came home." Organizers behind the Vietnam War homecoming appear to have reversed their initial stance, which was to present a complete picture of the controversial conflict from a local perspective. Initial plans included a look back at the anti-war sentiment that stirred anger and passion in Fayetteville and across the nation. That leaves the Quaker House out unless its leaders forgo their proposed accounts of activism in Fayetteville during the war. "It appears the situation has changed. The invitation's not there anymore," said Chuck Fager, director of the Quaker House. "We're not pursuing any projects under the auspices of the Heroes Homecoming as we were previously invited to do." The homecoming invitation to the Quaker House remains open, Chavonne said. "Heroes Homecoming is open to anybody who is committed to honoring Vietnam veterans or honoring those who came home. If you are there to do other things, we ask that you not be there," he said.
From the beginning, Fager has said he could not join in a celebration of
war. "It's an invitation to do something entirely different from what we were invited to do," he said. Don Talbot, an Army retiree and advocate for veterans, organizes the city's annual pro-military Veterans Day Parade. Talbot said he was confused by Chavonne's decision that still could allow the Quaker House to participate. "Because I thought he was telling me it's a dead issue. That it would not happen," he said. "If the invitation still stands, that's kind of phony. ... I don't know how you can print that and not (anger) 100,000 veterans. That will be misinterpreted. "We have been to several veterans meetings. They said if Fager is anywhere on the agenda, they will not attend. He may not be on the agenda, but he's still there. That's like throwing gas on the fire. The hostility is out there. No one has removed the heat from the fire. What we have tried to tell him (Chavonne) is remove the invitation totally." The heart of the celebration, as Chavonne emphasized from the start, is intended to give Vietnam War veterans "the homecoming that they never received." But a critical backlash from the guests of honor - the Vietnam veterans - followed news reports that he had extended an invitation to the Quaker House to participate. Chavonne said the city has a story and the Quaker House "is an important part of the story we're trying to tell" during a Jan. 19 meeting held to discuss ideas and events for the project. The Quaker House, established in 1969, serves as a military counseling center supported mostly by pacifists and Quakers. Anchored by Veterans Day, the homecoming celebration is planned across the city Nov. 4 to 13, with about 50 events booked over the 10-day affair. Chavonne said both he and the celebration's executive committee have been consistent on what would be appropriate for the Heroes Homecoming. "We invited anybody to come," he said. "We haven't changed on it. It would be more wishy-washy if everybody can come but this group. We've reaffirmed all along, if it's consistent with our message. I don't think that's a reversal." The executive committee met earlier this week, Chavonne said, and reached the conclusion that Fager's proposals for the project were "not consistent with what we're trying to do here." Chavonne said he didn't know that during the meeting held last month, Fager was going to discuss the idea of presenting a series of films giving different viewpoints on Vietnam. Two of the proposed films, the anti-war "Coming Home" and "FTA," feature actress Jane Fonda. "I think the context was maybe lost a little previously," Chavonne said. "No one had seen that information. No one had ever seen what he wanted to do." The executive committee includes Vietnam veterans, military spouses and civilians. The group sanctions all events for the Heroes Homecoming project. In this case, Fager's ideas for consideration were not approved by the team, Chavonne said. "Every event that comes through gets a look at," he said. " Staff writer Michael Futch can be reached at [email protected] or 486-3529. -- http://www.fayobserver.com/articles/2011/02/11/1070353?sac=Home%3E Via InstaFetch -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Sixties-L" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/sixties-l?hl=en.
