PEACE VIGIL IN SUPPORT OF CAMILO
A hearing will be held on June 23 at Ft. Sill on Camilo's Conscientious Objector application. Testifying at this hearing will be Bishop Thomas Gumbleton from the Archdiocese of Detroit, Daniel Ellsberg, Lewis Randa (Conscientious Objector from the Vietnam Era; founder of the Peace Abbey in Massachusetts); Fernando Suarez del Solar (MFSO member and father of one of the first Marines to be killed in Iraq); and Nancy Lessin, co-founder of Military Families Speak Out.
During the time of the hearing, there will be a vigil outside of Ft. Sill in support of Camilo's stand of conscience and the cause of peace. PLEASE JOIN US!
What:
Peace Vigil Outside of Ft. Sill (OK) During the Conscientious Objector Hearing
for Camilo Mejia
When:
Wednesday, June 23, 2004
Events beginning at 11: 00
Vigil from Noon to 4:00 p.m.
Dinner following, for those who can stay
Where:
Meeting/Convening Site: Elmer Thomas Park, Lawton, OK (see directions, below;
there will be car pooling from here to Vigil site)
Vigil beginning at noon: Near intersection of NW Fort Sill Blvd. and Rodgers Lane, just south of gate into Ft. Sill (see directions, below)
Dinner following Vigil at Bavarian House, 10 Mission Blvd., Lawton, OK (see directions, below)
Who:
Military Families Speak Out
(including MFSO members Maritza Castillo, Camilo's mother, and Norma Castillo,
Camilo's aunt); Veterans for Peace, Code Pink, Pax Christi-USA and MANY
other peace and justice organizations from the greater Oklahoma/Texas area
and beyond!
For more information, contact:
James Branum at jmb@jmbzine.com or
405-476-5620
Nancy Lessin at mfso@mfso.org or 617-320-5301
Directions:
1. Directions to Elmer Thomas Park, Lawton and to the parking site: Coming into Lawton from Oklahoma City on Interstate 44, take Exit 39B to Ferris. You will turn right on Ferris, following the signs to McMahon Auditorium and Museum of the Great Plains. You will drive past Prairie Dog Town (easily recognizable because of all the little critters running about), and see the McMahon Auditorium marquee at 7th St and Ferris. There are lots of parking places near the marquee. The coordinator will be standing near the marquee to organize transportation to the vigil site.
A map to this location can be found at: http://maps.yahoo.com/maps_result?ed=C4pzG.p_0TrFVSairTqFoAbfcAJOAA--&csz=Lawton%2C+OK&country=us&new=1&name=&qty=
2. Directions to the Vigil site:
To get to the vigil site from McMahon Auditorium, go west on Ferris and
turn right on Fort Sill Boulevard. The site is a little over one mile north
on Fort Sill Boulevard. Watch carefully for M&M Motors and Hilltop Drive.
You will need to pull off the roadway in front of M&M Motors to let people
out so they can walk to the vigil site. If this does not seem safe to you,
you may want to park on the other side of Fort Sill Boulevard in a vacant
parking lot to let your passengers out of the car. They will have to be
very careful, however, crossing Fort Sill Boulevard to get to the vigil
site.
While on Fort Sill Boulevard, once you pass Hilltop Drive, you must either cross the overpass over Rogers Lane and enter Fort Sill or take the exit onto Rogers Lane going east, and take the long drive around to the highway and Exit 39B again, to get back to McMahon Auditorium.
A map to this location can be found at:
http://www.jmbzine.com/graphics/vigilsite.jpg
3. Directions to the after-vigil dinner site:
For those who want to come, we plan to meet for dinner at Bavarian House
after the vigil. It is also easy to find because you will pass it on your
way into Lawton before you get to Exit 39B. It is advertised with a large
sign.. The address is 10 Mission Blvd. Get off at the Cache Road exit.