By Toby Blome

Last week two dozen activists from 8 different U.S. states converged at Creech Air Force Base to protest the criminal and covert U.S. Drone Assassination Program. In our 13th year of bi-annual protests at "Creech Killer Drone Base", the week culminated with a nonviolent action on Thursday morning.  We solemnly held life-sized cutout figures representing the 10 victims of the Ahmadi family, 7 of whom were children, who were tragically killed by a U.S. drone strike on August 31, 2021. We first quietly stretched ourselves along the highway, holding those figures.  The figures had the names and ages of the victims, and as the military drove into the base that morning, we were hoping to humanize the lives of these victims and encourage the employees at the base to consider the real consequences of their jobs and of the drone base. Ultimately we carried these figures onto the entrance road of the base and stretched ourselves across the roadway, impeding "business as usual" for as long as possible.  We also chalked the figures onto the pavement of the road, writing the ages of the victims, 5 of whom were two-5 years old.

The traffic was interrupted for nearly half an hour, though we removed ourselves from the road in time to reduce the risk of arrest due to the Covid pandemic, and avoid corona infection from jail detention.  It was a hugely successful action, extremely poignant, leading some of us to a deeper than usual level of sadness.  After we left the road and the chalking, we processed back out to the highway, while traffic continued to be held in a standstill for a prolonged time, and we processed the figures past the stalled traffic along the highway, some of us solemnly calling out the name and age of the drone victim that we carried.

Watch these short videos of our nonviolent resistance (one-two min. each) by Fred Bialy & Michael Kerr.

So many other aspects of the week remind us of our successes.  Here are just a few of the highlights, including many improvements from the past:

• Three of our vigils featured strong messaging around GI Support and GI Resistance, and every vigil included at least one of two AskVets.org banners. Check out the AskVets.Org website that Veterans For Peace Staff created connecting the military to veterans organizations supporting veterans and working for peace.
• We leafleted dozens of new houses in Indian Springs (across from the base, where many of the military are living).
• New: Silent Vigil - Standing Still -  proposed by VFP member Dave Patterson:  Without holding any signs or banners, we stood quietly, stretching ourselves along the police barricades, barely 10 feet away from military employees who were exiting the base, cars often backed up and stalled.  Most of us thought the experience was very moving and effective...connecting on a personnel level between ourselves and each person leaving the base.  Thanks Dave Patterson for your inspiration!  Silence can be powerful in itself.
• Improved communications with Las Vegas Metropolitan Police/County Sheriff authorities that helped to reduce the chance of any unexpected abusive police arrests like the one that occurred last fall, and helped us better prepare ourselves for future peaceful nonviolent civil resistance.

We continued effective past vigil themes:

• Creechers for the Planet: Militarism and the environment, addressing the negative side-effects of the U.S. drone program.  (Some of us held puppet "Creechers" and wore animal costumes to highlight our interdependence on other living creatures we share the earth with, and should protect.)
• Drones Attacks are..."Cowardly, Racist, Illegal, Unjust, Wrongful, Immoral, Barbaric..."
• Fly A Kite NOT A Drone
• War is A LIe....Presidents lie, Congress lies, Media lies, CIA lies, Generals lies.....and now we've added Recruiters lie!

A bazillion thanks to all the Creechers who participated in the week of peaceful action, and the many contributions and gifts you offered to help make our convergence so successful.  Special thanks to MaryClare and Areeya, the current stewards of the land at Sekhmet Temple for providing great nourishment and nurturing care to all of us during the week.

With much appreciation to all,