Tag Archives: Veterans for Peace

100 Years Young, Congratulations F. Lincoln Grahlfs

Happy birthday, Lincoln! Behind him, Madison VFP members Larry, Phil, Steve, Daryl, John, and Tom. Photo credit, Sandy Franzen.

A copy of Lincoln’s book can be found here at the following link or Amazon or where Veterans for Peace Madison might be tabling.

Undaunted: The Story of a United States Navy Tug and Her Crew…by Grahlfs, F. Lincoln

Picture credits to Larry, Phil and Tom


Members of Madison Veterans for Peace joined a large crowd today to celebrate the 100th birthday of Lincoln Grahlfs, our oldest member currently. Lincoln served in the US Navy during and after World War II.

After the war, he was at the infamous US nuclear weapons tests on Bikini and Eniwetok Atolls in the Pacific, receiving much radiation. Many of his buddies died too young, but he has survived and fought for better health care for veterans suffering from nuclear exposure. During the Summer of 2022, US President Joe Biden called him to Washington DC, to witness the signing of a bill mandating that care.

– Larry


It was a wonderful party for Lincoln

Who celebrated his 100th birthday

With so many friends and family.

Lincoln was recently honored with
A personal meeting with President
Biden at the White House for his work
With the veterans who survived the
Atomic testing programs held after
WWll.

Members of Madison’s Clarence
Kailin chapter 25 Veterans For Peace
Were on hand to honor their most
Distinguished member.

– Tom Glassel

 

A War Veteran Recounts His Journey to Becoming a Sociologist (asanet.org)

Lincoln during the war. We were all so young during our wars. Some are forever young.

National World War II Museum oral historian Hannah Dailey talks about “atomic veterans” and interviews four veterans including Lincoln Grahlfs

Veterans and Nuclear Radiation Exposure | C-SPAN.org

 

Joan and Lincoln Grahlfs


 

“F. Lincoln Grahlfs, a World War II Navy veteran, is a sociologist who has studied the effects of radiation exposure on United States military veterans. He has served as president of the National Association of Radiation Survivors.”

Veterans of US Atomic Age Deserve Compensation (militarytimes.com)

 

 

Lincoln and President Joe Biden Summer 2022

The President signed a 2-year extension of the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA), which provides partial restitution to Downwinders, atomic veterans, and uranium workers exposed to radiation. – Lilly Adams

 

Lincoln’s ship putting out fires on one of the expendable ships that was anchored near ground zero of an atomic bomb test.

“The United States conducted nearly 200 atmospheric nuclear weapons development tests between 1945 and 1962 spreading radiation across several Western states and the South Pacific. All the while, the Atomic Energy Commission insisted to surrounding residents: “There is no danger.”

‘Downwinders’ ignored despite radiation fallout from US nuke tests – Responsible Statecraft

 

Floating on a U.S. Navy tugboat in the Pacific Ocean nearly a year after the end of World War II, Lincoln Grahlfs and his shipmates could hear a countdown over a radio, signaling their mission would soon begin.

The sailors were told to cover their eyes with their hands before the countdown hit zero. Four hours later and wearing no protective gear, Grahlfs and his ship traveled 11 miles through Bikini Atoll to ground zero of where the United Stated military had tested a nuclear weapon.

The crew was tasked with putting out fires on empty ships used as targets and towing those that hadn’t sunk to shallower waters for examination. More than 75 years after cleaning up the aftermath of two atomic tests in the central Pacific, the Madison resident has used his personal experience to advocate for ridding the world of nuclear weapons and on behalf of fellow veterans exposed to dangerous radiation…”

 

‘You can’t live with them’: Madison WWII vet exposed to atomic testing warns about nuclear weapons

Wisconsin State Journal

 

Help Promote Peace ~ Memorial Mile ~ Memorial Day Observance

Opportunity to volunteer in Madison, Sat. May 28th, starting at 9 am for a couple hours: You can help Veterans for Peace Chapter #25 set up the “Memorial Mile” along Atwood Avenue in Olbrich Park.

Because of COVID, for the past two years, we were unable to install the long stretch of tombstones, which we have created as a remembrance of one of the worst costs of war. We find the world today in a hazardous state and believe it is important to again install the Memorial Mile as a reminder of the costs of war, particularly when use of nuclear weapons is now “on the table”.

 

Do you think you might be able to assist with the Memorial Mile this year? Let us know as soon as you can.  Let us know if you can bring friends.

 

Please respond to John at

jhfour@gmail.com

 

Volunteers are critical to installation of the 6,000+ tombstones (Photo by Paul McMahon)

350 Madison: James Janko of Veterans for Peace Speaks On Militarism & Climate 7 Feb @ 7pm

The Cost of War & Militarism for the Climate Crisis

WHAT: 350 Madison Monthly Meeting
WHEN: Monday, February 7, 2022, 7:00–8:10 pm, followed group discussions
HOW: Register in advance for the meeting here. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting via computer, tablet, or smartphone. 


Join 350 Madison and Quakers on Monday, February 7, to hear James Janko of Veterans for Peace speak about militarism and the climate crisis. This is an excerpt from what Jim, a medic in Vietnam, has written about why he joined the Veterans for Peace Climate Crisis & Militarism Project:

“In Viet Nam, I saw first-hand the destruction in the Cu Chi and Tay Ninh countryside, the forests and fields razed by bombs and defoliants, the land seemingly stripped of all life for as far as the eye could see. Sometimes I felt we were fighting the earth itself…. The destruction occurring because of climate change dwarfs the almost indescribable devastation I witnessed in Viet Nam. No organization in the world emits more greenhouse gases than the Pentagon. For this reason, issues of militarism and the consequences of militarism need to be at the forefront of the climate movement.”

As part of his presentation, he will talk about the environmental impact of the F-35s, something that he talks about with all groups, but of particular relevance for us at 350 Madison. His talk is co-sponsored by the Madison Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers).”

Jim Janko Statement: WHY I’VE JOINED VFP’S EFFORTS TO ADDRESS CLIMATE CHANGE

350 Madison Climate Action Team on Facebook