Dear Founding Members and Friends,

2021 included the "withdrawal" of troops from Afghanistan with the promise of "bombing from a distance." Many Americans falsely believe that, after 20 years, the wars are over and U.S. attacks in the Middle East and Africa have ceased. Yet, the Democrats and Republicans joined forces to pass the largest war budget ever in the history of the United States rather than redistributing military funds to crucial climate, health, education, infrastructure, and social programs.

The $768.2 billion for national "defense" programs included billions more than President Biden's original bloated budget request. The budget contains $30 billion for new nuclear weapons, $17 billion to continue the Space Force, and $51 billion to maintain over 800 overseas military bases and establish new ones.

Biden has failed to close the Guantanamo Bay prison after decades of torture, cruelty, and other human rights violations. He continues sanctions against many countries struggling to survive. These blockades and sanctions are acts of war that lead to starvation and medical crises just as deadly for civilians as other, more overt forms of warfare. They harm those least likely to be a threat to our country, not the leaders of the governments with whom we quarrel.

Our nation's priorities are clear. The U.S. continues its role as the greatest war machine and supplier of weapons the world has ever known. Our tax dollars have been used worldwide to intimidate and do harm rather than good. Our government and media continue saber-rattling toward Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea, apparently trying to decide where the next U.S. war will be. With nuclear weapons in the mix, our aggressive war-making and militarism puts the entire world at grave risk. Active public opposition to war is crucial to world peace.

The Foundation believes that recognizing, documenting, and honoring the work of antiwar activists will cause an evolutionary shift in our culture and motivate more Americans to speak out for peace. By advancing our knowledge about and showing appreciation to heroic U.S. peacemakers, new role models can shape public discourse and education.

The need to end our culture of war is more urgent than ever. In a country that funds and esteems war-making, the long-overdue respect for peacemaking must be taught and modeled. Building a national monument to peacemakers can help achieve that goal. It can change our cultural mindset, making it no longer acceptable to label those who speak out against U.S. wars as un-American, anti-military, disloyal, or unpatriotic. With public recognition of our peacemakers – celebrating their actions and accomplishments and normalizing their roles in society – we can challenge the social barriers that citizens face when they publicly express antiwar sentiments.

The US Peace Memorial Foundation, a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization, does this work by:

· Publishing the US Peace Registry, which documents the antiwar and peace activities of individuals and organizations.

· Awarding the annual US Peace Prize to an individual or organization that has made an exceptional effort to stop wars and work for peace.

· Raising funds to build the US Peace Memorial in Washington, DC.

Work with us to end the U.S. war culture by honoring courageous Americans who stand for peace. Your contribution shows that you value and support our programs, and it demonstrates your commitment to building the US Peace Memorial. If you are already a Founding Member, please make your 2022 contribution now. If not yet a Founding Member, make a $100 donation and your name will be included on our website (www.uspeacememorial.org/Donors.htm); in any future editions of our book, ENDING U.S. WARS; and, eventually, at the National Monument we will build in Washington, DC.

YES, I want to contribute to building the US Peace Memorial.

BRIEF REVIEW OF THE YEAR

Our Book – ENDING U.S. WARS by Honoring Americans Who Work for Peace was published in 2021. The book:

1. Explains the American war culture from historical, emotional, and cultural perspectives, and how this war culture permeates many everyday aspects of our lives.

2. Presents a strategy for creating a culture of peace by honoring Americans and U.S. organizations that are working to end war, in hopes of inspiring more Americans to speak out for peace while feeling safe and comfortable when they challenge militarism.

3. Honors Americans who are publicly outspoken and actively antiwar, and documents their work and their organizations in the US Peace Registry.

4. Celebrates the extraordinary recipients of the annual US Peace Prize.

5. Reaches out to a wider American audience, one that is antiwar but not necessarily active in the peace movement, in order to inspire them to learn ways to become more engaged.

6. Promotes the development of the US Peace Memorial as a national monument and shows readers what it might look like and how they can get involved in making it happen.

7. Offers a wide scope of valuable information for activists; students and scholars who study peace, protest, and civil disobedience; and practitioners who engage in research, teaching, action, and organization building.

Until it is built, this book is the US Peace Memorial.

US Peace Prize

The 2021 US Peace Prize was awarded to World BEYOND War “for exceptional global advocacy and creative peace education to end war and dismantle the war machine.”

We thanked World BEYOND War and its members “for years of outstanding and prolific antiwar actions and extensive peace educational projects involving many people and organizations. The Foundation appreciates your leadership and the significant impact your members and programs have had throughout the world.” Click here to watch a video of the 2021 US Peace Prize presentation.

The US Peace Prize was accepted by David Swanson, Executive Director and Leah Bolger, President, during A Global Webinar “The Past and Future of Armistice/Remembrance Day” held on November 04, 2021.

Upon learning of the award, David said, “World BEYOND War has grown so large that this prize needs to be shared among hundreds of thousands of people, not just in the United States but around the world. We are deeply honored to be placed in the company of the amazing individuals and organizations who have previously received the US Peace Prize and are grateful for all the work done by the US Peace Memorial Foundation to advance demilitarization and the building up of a culture of peace in the world's leading war-making nation.”

Leah remarked, “I am thrilled that World BEYOND War is the recipient of the 2021 US Peace Prize! I believe that World BEYOND War is doing some tremendous work, and it is so gratifying to have that work recognized and lifted up by the US Peace Memorial. Winning this year's US Peace Prize is quite an honor, and validation that WBW might just be onto something! The publicity and attention this award will bring will only help broaden our international network working together to abolish war forever.”

The other 2021 US Peace Prize nominees were Julian Aguon, Bruce Gagnon, David Hartsough, and National Network Opposing the Militarization of Youth. You can read about the antiwar/peace activities of all recipients and nominees in our publication, the US Peace Registry.

See photos and full details at https://www.uspeaceprize.org.

Honored Individuals and Organizations

This year, the US Peace Registry recognized and documented the antiwar work of the following Americans and U.S. organizations. You can read about their specific contributions and activities at wwww.uspeacememorial.org/Registry.htm.

Those honored in 2021

Julian Aguon

Leah Bolger

Larry C. Egly

Guahan Coalition for Peace & Justice

Edward Hasbrouck

Martin Sheen

Rivera Sun

Publications & Public Speaking

The Tampa Bay Times published a guest column about the US Peace Memorial www.tampabay.com/opinion/2021/07/17/lets-create-a-memorial-to-peace-not-war-column.

Articles were also published in CounterPunch and Truthout.

“Imagine a Culture of Peace: the U.S. is a War Culture, But that Can Change” was published in

We gave many interviews during the year including:

 Pea

 Mem

Peace Memorials: What if We Honored Peace Activists Like We Honor Military Veterans?
Top of Mind with Julie Rose, BYU Radio.

Search for Antiwar Quotations

Our Founding Members are helping us find and choose the best antiwar and pro-peace statements made by well-known Americans. Eventually, the selected quotes will be chiseled on the US Peace Memorial we will build in Washington, DC.

Here are two quotations under consideration:

All Founding Members are encouraged to help choose quotes. We are looking for well-referenced statements to inspire Americans to speak out against war and to work for peace. As new quotations are vetted, they are posted on FFacebook, TTwitter, and IInstagram for review. Please add your own comments on these social media sites. See www.uspeacememorial.org/Quotes.htm for more details about the quotation selection process. Let us know which ones are your favorites – and share with us any great quotes we may have overlooked.

NOTES OF APPRECIATION

Thank you to our Directors: Medea Benjamin, Dr. Lucy Bradley-Springer, Margaret Kimberley, Jolyon Sasse, and Dr. Charles F. Clark (emeritus), and volunteers including Tracy Blalock, Sue Chen, Dr. David Chiriboga, Tom Cloud, Michael Dwyer, Dr. Martha Friedrich, Jess Greenburg, James Knox, John Knox, Beverly Lowenstein, Dr. Kathleen Malley-Morrison, Donald Martin, Dr. Lynette J. Menezes, Dr. Tom Neilson, and Christopher O’Brien. Without these incredible and dedicated supporters, very little would have been accomplished during the year. We greatly appreciate their contributions.

Thank you to our new Founding Members and 2021 donors:

Claudia Aguirre         

AmazonSmile Foundation     

Philip D. Anderson, WI

Anonymous   

Dr. Jeffrey A. Beal, FL

Holly Beazley, CO

Medea Benjamin, DC

Hope Harmeling Benne, MA

Dr. James R. (Dick) Bennett, AR

Richard Bernard, MN

Rachael Roberts Bliss, NC

Leah Bolger, OR

Paulus Bommarito, GA

Douglas Bonar, FL

Dr. Lucy Bradley-Springer, CO

Joan Brannigan, MD

Craig Brenner, IN

Edward J. Briody, NY

Thomas P. Casey, NY

Sue Chen, FL

Dr. David A. Chiriboga, FL

Richard Chiriboga, MA

Stephen D. Clemens, MN

CODEPINK Women for Peace, CA

Dr. Claire Cohen, PA

Ethan London Crowell, CA

Linda Curatolo, MI

Jean Darsie, WA

Larry C. Egly, TX

Engaging Peace, MA

Jack Erickson, CA

Facebook       

Dr. Manal Fakhoury, FL

Barbara Fite, FL

Dr. Linda Rose Frank, PA

Stephen Fryburg, OH

Jeff Fundukian, MI

Edith Gail, CO

Marilyn Gallant, MA

Dr. Zelda F. Gamson, MA

Barbara Gerten, MN

Katherine A. Gildemeister, MD

Patricia Gilliam, NC

Cybelle Greenlaw, KS

Dr. Michael Haas, CA

Amanda Hall, FL

Dr. Nuzhat Haneef, MD

Anna Hurtubise, NY

Dana Dodd Immordino, AL

Robert Keilbach, NY

Dr. Barbara A. Kidney, NY

Linda Musmeci Kimball, OH

Dr. Russell S. Kirby, FL

Chris A. Knox, OH

James R. S. Knox, FL

John M. P. Knox, MN

Dr. Michael D. Knox, FL

Dr. Jeffrey D. Kromrey, FL

Erich Kuerschner, NM

Stephen D. Landers, NC

Josie Lenwell, NM

Jonny Lewis, MI

Robin Lloyd, VT

Fred Louis, CT

Henry Lowendorf, CT

Beverly Lowenstein, MD

Karen Lentz Madison, AR

Dr. Kathleen Malley-Morrison, MA

Donald W. Martin, MI

Gayla Maxwell Martinez, CO

M.L. McGaughran, FL

Dr. Victor A. Molinari, FL

Ellen Murphy, WA

Alan Mytty, FL

Dr. Tom Neilson, MA

Dr. Dennis C. Neyman, KY

Scott Oates, NC

Dr. Rosemarie Pace, NY

John Clark Pegg, MN

Susan Pelican, CA

Amanda Englebert Phillips, MI

John M. Porter , MI

Louis H. Pumphrey, OH

Dr. Kathleen M. Rehl, FL

Barbara A. Riordan, FL

Doug Rippey, CO

Dr. Floyd W. Rudmin, Canada

Phil Runkel, WI

Cynthia Sampson, NC

William Samuel, MD

Jolyon Sasse, FL

Dr. Jack Sawyer, CA

Barbara Schechtman, IL

Dr. Richard D. Sharp, India

Barbara Sinnott, FL

Dr. John T. Sinnott, FL

Fredric D. Sirasky, FL

Garwood G. Smith, CA

Dr. Richard Staggenborg, OR

Regine Steinvik, Norway

Rev. James L. Swarts, NY

Frank L. Tetrick III, VA

The Walt Disney Company, FL

Sally-Alice Thompson, NM

Ronald Unger, TX

Dr. Richard Van Dellen, MN

Dr. Peter van den Dungen, United Kingdom

Sally J. Van Slambrouck, MI

Jeff Voelcker, FL

Danni Vogt, FL

Dr. Ronald Wilcox, DC

George Wilhelm, WA

Dr. Joseph M. Wronka, MA

Stephen G. Yovino, FL

We need your help, too. Without your ongoing generosity the US Peace Memorial will never become a National Monument that can help move the United States toward a culture of peace.

MEASURED PROGRESS

Early on, we set four benchmarks to achieve before announcing our national campaign to raise the millions of dollars needed to build the US Peace Memorial as a national monument. In the press release announcing the campaign, we will be able to say that we have one thousand Founding Members representing all fifty states, have honored one thousand individuals and organizations in the US Peace Registry who are working for peace, and have already raised one million dollars in donations.

This chart shows how we are doing and where we need your help before we can move forward.

45 States Represented - 90% of our goal

The Foundation has achieved 90 percent of its goal of having Founding Members from every state. We now have Founding Members from forty-five states (plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands). The five leading states in terms of membership are Florida (130), Minnesota (40), California (33), New York (21), and Massachusetts (19). Help us increase the number of supporters in your state. Please help us add Founding Members from the five remaining states that are not represented: Delaware, Mississippi, Nebraska, South Dakota, and South Carolina.

449 Founding Members - 45% of our goal

We have achieved 45 percent of our goal of one thousand Founding Members to begin our nationwide fundraising campaign. We must have 551 more Founding Members from throughout the country. Currently, our Founding Member list includes 406 individuals and 43 organizations/businesses, 12 of which are faith-based. If you are one of the nearly 5,000 people on our email list who have not yet joined, please take action today – become a Founding Member. By supporting the Foundation you will be working for peace.

272 Registrants - 27% of our goal  

The US Peace Registry documents and honors the antiwar efforts of Americans. Anyone who has spoken out publicly against war can submit a description of their activities and apply to be considered. What better way to end current U.S. wars than to have more people speak out against them? There are many ways to make your voice heard. We currently recognize the work of 194 individuals and 78 organizations that are role models for a broad range of peace and antiwar activities.

Donations - 18% of our goal

To date, we have received donations totaling $181,381 toward the $1,000,000 benchmark we must reach before making a public announcement of our major fundraising campaign to build the US Peace Memorial as a national monument. If you are in a position to make a charitable contribution, please consider the importance of supporting our goal of moving the U.S. toward a culture of peace.

SOCIAL MEDIA / INTERNET / ONLINE STORE

Like us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram.

ENDING U.S. WARS by Honoring Americans Who Work for Peace is available at your local bookstore, Barnes & Noble, Powell’s, Bookshop, and Amazon.

Hardcover $44.95: ISBN 978-1-7360994-0-7

Paperback $29.95: ISBN 978-1-7360994-1-4

E-book $9.99: ISBN 978-1-7360994-2-1 (at Kobo.com and Amazon)

All proceeds from the sale of this book go directly to the US Peace Memorial Foundation, a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization.

Order our t-shirt to show your support for the Foundation and our antiwar/pro-peace message: www.cafepress.com/uspeacememorial.

Sally-Alice Thompson, a Founding Member and Foundation honoree, wears our button on the occasion of her 98th birthday. Read details about her antiwar/peace activities in our publication, the UUS Peace Registry.

You can also purchase other items with our logo including pins, yard signs, tote bags, baby shirts, and even a shirt for Fido. Encourage your friends and everyone you meet to think about peace and to join us. It’s always time to get the conversation started!

If you make Amazon purchases anyway, you can support the US Peace Memorial Foundation by shopping at ssmile.amazon.com. The AmazonSmile Foundation donates 0.5 percent of the purchase price every time you shop this way. You’ll use your regular Amazon login info, and you’ll get the same products, same prices, and same service. These donations have garnered more than $1000 for the Foundation. Please tell your family and friends about this easy way of supporting us.

WHAT WE NEED FROM YOU

Those of us who work for peace are pulled in many directions. Antiwar resources have been stretched thin, and peace seems elusive as our country's militarism maintains a fixed hold on our culture. The endless wars will stop only when the American people demand it, and the more people who demand it, the louder our voices will be. We need your help, now more than ever, to make our voices heard.  

Add Your Voice to Our Cause. Donate or, if you haven’t yet, become a Founding Member by adding your name to our list of nearly 450 visionary leaders, and be permanently associated with the US Peace Memorial.  

o Click here to contribute by debit or credit card.  

o Mail a check to: US Peace Memorial Foundation • 334 East Lake Road #136 • Palm Harbor, FL 34685.

We Need Your Financial Support. All donations are tax deductible to the extent provided by law. CLICK HERE to see our 2021 Financial Report.

· Already a Founding Member? Please make your 2022 contribution.

· How about a move to the next donor level? Credit for your contributions is cumulative.

We Need More Role Models for Peace.

· Apply to the US Peace Registry. We are looking for Americans whose antiwar behaviors, examples, and successes can be emulated by others. If you have opposed U.S. wars in writing, speaking, marching, or in other ways, submit your bio here: Individual Bio. (See examples: www.uspeacememorial.org/Registry.htm.)

· Add your organization’s bio to the US Peace Registry here: Organization Bio. (See examples: www.uspeacememorial.org/Organizations.htm.)

We Need Volunteers

Please volunteer. Our volunteers are the backbone of the foundation. Even if it’s only a few hours a month, your help is still greatly appreciated. As a nationwide grassroots organization with annual expenses of less than $18,000, we are especially in need of:

· assistant editors

· researchers

· marketing specialists

· fundraisers

· coordinators 

Choose any or all of these options – you can inspire other Americans to speak out against war and to work for peace.

We Need to Keep in Touch

Join us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and Instagram. Don’t hesitate to contact me if you would like to discuss any aspect of the Foundation's work and/or how you might like to participate. I can be reached at Knox@USPeaceMemorial.org or (202) 455-8776.

Thank you very much for your support.

Michael Knox, Ph.D. Chair

US Peace Memorial Foundation, Inc. is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) public charity.

Donations to the Foundation are tax deductible to the extent provided by U.S. law.

Florida registration #: CH20094. A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE FLORIDA DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING TOLL-FREE (800-435-7352) WITHIN THE STATE. REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL, OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE.

Copyright 2022, US Peace Memorial Foundation, Inc.