A Central Ohio Chapter of Veterans For Peace (VFP) has been operating in the Columbus and surrounding areas for over a year. We have 15 core members, all of whom are experienced activists.

It is Chapter 183. Up until it was formed, Columbus was one of the largest cities in the United States that was not represented by a local chapter. Ohio was the most populous state without a chapter. There are over one hundred chapters throughout the U.S. and several international chapters. The national organization has had activists on the flotillas that have tried to break the Gaza blockade. VFP members have been arrested numerous times at demonstrations for standing up for freedom, veteran's rights, and the civil and humanitarian rights of people throughout the world while promoting peace and opposing unnecessary militarism, intervention, and war.

The Central Ohio Chapter has members from as far away as Yellow Springs and Sidney, Ohio. We have been active in questioning the need for Anduril, another example of needless militarism. And another way of big business getting huge tax abatements the taxpayers of Ohio fund, without any public input or debate. We have demonstrated at Elon Musk's Tesla, have performed actions to support veteran's clinics and hospitals against the cuts the Trump administration have implemented.

We have been very active in opposing the horrendous genocide being perpetrated by Israel against the Palestinians with United States support. It does not matter to us what administration is in charge of the military in opposing this obvious genocide, whether it be Trump, Biden, or numerous others that have supported inhumane policies. Any immigration policy should be based on humanitarianism, not cruelty and sadism, as is the current policy of the Trump administration, and we have been very active in the role of trying to counter those policies.

We have worked closely with other groups in all of these endeavors, and we also work closely with Move To Amend, because if we want real and lasting change for the better, we need to take a great deal of corporate money out of politics. Gerrymandering and uncontrolled PAC money contribute greatly to the upheaval of democracy we are seeing now. A system that always had deep flaws has become unmanageable for the purpose of serving anyone but the corporate masters and the politicians who do their bidding.

We welcome other veterans to our cause. Veterans For Peace was formed in 1985 in response to the global arms race and U.S. intervention in Latin America. There are chapters in just about every state. Locally, our ages range from early twenties to past 70 years old.

“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible make violent revolution inevitable.” – John F. Kennedy, thirteenth of March, 1962