National Conference of Viet Nam Veteran Ministers
As the twentieth century staggered to a conclusion, reviews of the events of those past 100 years asserted that we lived through a bloody century of war. As veterans of one of those conflicts we of the National Conference of Viet Nam Veteran Ministers cannot disagree. From highly censored warfare to the living room war of modern communications, one common denominator has been blood shed by the warriors. Those who have served have paid a great price.
As we begin this new century, we believe it is time for all who have been, and are now, warriors to come together to honor one another. For this reason we offer the following pledge as a basis for meeting together over the coming years.
Oh warrior, my brother, my sister: We once prepared for battle, and served our causes as best we could. Perhaps we are stained by blood shed by others, or carry scars from our own wounds. Yet our task is not complete until we have acknowledged one another. Oh warrior, my brother my sister, I offer to you the following: I will honor your experience of service, recognizing that while your cause may not be mine, the terrors of war bind us together. I will listen to your story, and share with you my own, for without each other we cannot know the truth, nor can we tell the story to our children. I will value your life, even though in the past we may have sought to destroy one another and may indeed have destroyed lives precious to each other, today your life is precious to me. I will give you the gift of my presence, that we may know each other as the warriors we are, complete our task, and welcome each other into our homes. Alan Cutter, 1999 |
We invite other warriors from around the world to join us in affirming this pledge by signing our Guestbook.
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©1999-2005 National Conference of Viet Nam Veteran Ministers, now serving veterans as the International Conference of War Veteran Ministers. All Rights Reserved. The National Conference of Viet Nam Veteran Ministers is a registered trademark. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. ICWVM/NCVNVM is funded by membership dues, donations, and major grants from organizations believing in our work. Contact information for officers and webmaster on separate page. This page last updated February 24, 2005.