Wethersfield, CT
2/23/2003

Patty Sullivan, in her own words...

I invited Wethersfield residents to my home to start Wethersfield Peace and Justice following several years of lonely cyberactivism....

My desire to bring a spirit of unity and active passivism to my town drove me to form WP&J. I did not know of a local peace group, so I decided to create one.

Given a mailing list of about 25 people (from Marcia Morris of American Friends Service Committee), I set out to form a group with whom I could share the same spirit I felt...

Four people showed up for our first meeting on February 4th {this year}. Robbins and Meg Barstow were the first two people to walk through my front door. Jo-Anne Baccielo and Mary Ann Brown followed. We had warm conversation, hot tea, and planned the 'Walk for Peace' to follow the World Day for Peace on February 15th. Finally, I was among like-minded, peace-loving folks who were brave enough to stand up to action and vocalize our objection to the horrific consequences of a pre-emptive war in Iraq.

I have always been passionate about peace and have felt responsible to speak for the voiceless. In 7th grade, I became a member of VIVA -Voices in Vital America- a California organization that maintained a database of all Vietnam Prisoners of War. I ordered POW bracelets for my classmates, and wore mine with the name Capt. Laurent Gourley, 8-9-69, for many years. Capt. Gourley was listed as MIA. His body has never been found. At the Vietnam Veteran War Memorial in D.C., I sadly learned many years later that his status was changed to "presumed Killed in Action." The loss of that one single life has remained with me since 1972.

My father is a retired United States Air Force Colonel. My only son Brian just received a nomination to the Air Force Academy, and if appointed, he will proudly defend this country. Brian says, "If we go to war, I will fight." I am sandwiched between two men who believe in and defend this country; our motivations are not dissimilar.