After a couple years hiatus, we welcome back Patricia Stansbury (AKA Sunny Gardener) as guest-host for today's Spirit In Action, sharing programming from her What Wakes Me Up shows on WRIR - Richmond Independent Radio. She speaks with 2 different military veterans, one who served in Vietnam, one who served in the Middle East, about their experiences, some while in the military, and some from after their time in the military, things like PTSD, community, veteran benefits, and much more.

President Trump has been wreaking havoc in so many corners of our country, including the disruption caused by his executive order to dismantle all DEI (Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion) programs throughout the country. Harvard has been the most prominent school to refuse the order, causing joy & celebration among many. Today we're talking with John Bach about Harvard's policies and ethics from his perspective as a Harvard chaplain.

With the passing last week of Joe Elder, a bright light for peace and justice and a dear friend and neighbor to so many has left us. We feel led to bring you again the interview we did with Joe 15 years ago, so that we can all hear Joe's voice once more. Back then, we told you that Joe Elder was the recipient on October 3rd, 2009, of a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Wisconsin Network for Peace & Justice. Joe has traveled the world with quiet off-the-record messages and worked for peace from Vietnam to Sri Lanka.

Brad Wolf has just released the book, A Ministry of Risk – Writings on Peace and Nonviolence – Philip Berrigan, powerfully capturing the life and ministry of Phil, in Phil's own words, his witness in the struggle for racial justice, against the Vietnam war and all wars, and against nuclear arms through the Plowshares movement.

I interviewed Geoffrey Gates back in 2017 about some of the notable experiences of his life, including his service with the International Voluntary Service in the war zone of Vietnam in 1971, and his service with the 

George Lakey has been on the vanguard of nonviolent activism for over 50 years, doing, innovating, and teaching organizing & activism with ever more effective ways of helping humanity forward.

David Eberhardt was one of the Baltimore Four, along with Phil Berrigan, and David spent 21 months in prison for pouring blood on Selective Service draft records.

Mike Boehm has spent 3 decades working on healing Vietnam, where he served in the US military during the Vietnam War. With the help of Joe & Joanne Elder, Mike founded MQI (Madison Quakers Inc) to do things like build schools, establish a loan fund, construct a My Lai Peace Park, and much more. There remain deep wounds in Vietnam, and Mike and his supporters, including Phan Van Do, Mike's Vietnamese counterpart, continue to do the necessary work of healing & rebuilding.

Geoffrey Gates, MD, in addition to a life of professional healing work, book-ended his career with some off-the-beaten path world service. Though registered as a CO during the Vietnam War, he served as a member of IVS (International Voluntary Services) in a Vietnam war zone, 1970-71, and after his retirement served with the Peace Corps, Tanzania.

Bruce Dancis is author of Resister: A Story of Protest and Prison during the Vietnam War, was raised by secular Jewish parents, nurtured at the NY Society for Ethical Culture, and became a passionate advocate for social justice and student leader as a student at Cornell U.