Epilogue
- November 4, 1996 -
Northwest Veterans for Peace is an organization of veterans ranging from World War II to the Persian Gulf. We have a method whereby the offices are rotated yearly and I happen to be president this year. As a group we came together in 1990 to protest the Gulf War. Being veterans we are well aware of the horrors of war and seek to encourage the peaceful resolution of conflict.
Our Speakers Bureau does many talks to schools in the area regarding our personal experiences in war and our retrospective on the results of war. Another of our activities is our annual visit to the Nevada Test Site (NTS) to lend our voices to the many that decry the continuing development and testing of nuclear weapons. We feel that nuclear weapons development and testing is a crime against humanity and as such should be halted immediately and all nuclear weapons world wide should be outlawed and destroyed.
As an anti-nuclear advocate for decades I have made many trips nationally and internationally to help in the world wide effort to bring sanity back into the realm of world conflict. The world wide arms race has deprived us all -- living under the constant threat of nuclear winter, the world has become a less joyful and more foreboding place. As human beings we have a right to a life free of the constant threat of nuclear annihilation. My trips to Russia and Japan confirm the idea that the quest for peace is world wide, therefore, we must continue the struggle against oppressive governments -- domestic and foreign.
Bill Bires, president
Northwest Veterans for Peace
William "Bill" Bires, Sr, Portland, Oregon, died 24 October 2014. His funeral was held at Willamette National Cemetery Monday 10 November 2014, 2:30 to 3:00 pm. His ashes are held there for all who want to visit. Stop at the Kiosk and enter his name. It will give his plot and location. A wake was held afterwards at a friend's house to remember him and meet with others who knew him.
Veterans For Peace
For many years Bill was the President of Northwest Veterans for Peace and was a co-host on Veteran's Voice, a monthly radio program on KBOO. He and his co-host, Marvin Simmons, brought veterans together who needed comraderie and friends who understood the military experience. I believe part of the reason Bill and Marvin got along so well is that both were drafted and both served in unpopular and unjust wars. Together they would visit local high schools at the request of the school. They would tell about being in the military and answer questions from students and teachers. Marvin continues to co-host the Veterans Voice at KBOO 90.7 in Portland, Oregon on the third Friday of each month.
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Credits:
Many thanks to the Defense Special Weapons Agency for photographs, the Department of Energy for their Open Net database and the staff of Bechtel and Reynolds Electric for their prompt response to my numerous requests. --Keith R. Whittle, editor
