United for Peace of Pierce County, WA - We nonviolently oppose the reliance on unilateral military actions rather than cooperative diplomacy.

"Armed Forces Day" was first observed in 1949 as a consolidation of what had previously been Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard Days (though observance of these separate commemorations continues). -- Congress had passed the National Security Act unifying the armed services in 1947, which also created the Central Intelligence Agency. -- This year, the Bremerton Chamber of Commerce has organized a number of events, one of them being the "60th Annual American Financial Solutions Armed Forces Day Parade" in downtown Bremerton, featuring "[m]ore than 150 marching units including nearly two dozen bands and the Pearl Harbor Survivors [who] will parade through the streets of downtown Bremerton to celebrate Armed Forces Day."[1] -- (Incidentally, Bremerton has miscounted: since Armed Forces Day was first observed on May 20, 1950, this 2008 events are the 59th, not the 60th annual observance.) -- Admiral Gary Roughead, Chief of Naval Operations, is serving this year as the parade's Grand Marshal. -- The parade will be broadcast live on Bremerton Kitsap Access Television, and will feature among its entries the National Guard's M1A1 Abrams tank ("a huge crowd favorite"), the Combat Veterans International's motorcycles "offering a moving tribute to service members." -- But the application of North Olympic Peninsula Veterans For Peace (Chapter 139, based in Sequim) to join in Saturday's parade has been rejected, David Jenkins informed VFP members on Monday.[2] -- The board of directors of North Olympic Peninsula VFP has decided to challenge this rejection by "form[ing] up at the tail end of the parade procession," and is asking supporters to join them. -- "Now is the time to commit words and beliefs to action," Jenkins wrote. -- "Now is the time to be unified in our effort and demonstrate that our belief in our constitutional right to speech and free expression is real. . . . We appear to have a great deal of support." -- Jenkins said that the "Bremerton Armed Forces Day Festival and Parade is a week-long celebration of the false and fatal misleading culture of war. It generates the excitement and energy that sucks in the future of our country, our youth, to become fodder. -- It has little to do with defending the freedoms guaranteed by our constitution and much to do with defending the interests of wealth and the oligarchs of America." -- Jenkins invites supporters to join them to "demonstrate that our belief in our constitutional right to speech and free expression is real." -- Thanks to David Jenkins for permission to post his message here....

7:00 p.m., Wednesday, April 30
Puget Sound Energy Armed Forces Festival
Ambassadors Program
Naval Undersea Museum, Keyport
FREE
Five outstanding students from throughout Kitsap County will compete for more than $7,000 in scholarships and cash awards. The featured speech is based on an interview the candidates have conducted with either a military veteran or someone who was born in another country and chose to become an American citizen.

Admission is free, however, the candidates have tickets available. The candidate who has the most tickets redeemed at the event wins a $100 cash prize.

Armed Forces Festival Luncheon
Keynote speaker: Admiral Symonds, Commanding Officer, Navy Region Northwest
Tucker's at Gold Mountain Golf Complex
$17 in advance, $20 after May 6

Admiral James Symonds, Commanding Officer, Navy Region Northwest, is the featured speaker at this event, which is open to the public.

Cost is $17 in advance, $20 after the May 6 reservation deadline. Contact the Bremerton Area Chamber of Commerce at (360) 479-3579 or CHAMBER for reservations.

Pepsi Armed Forces Festival Golf Tournament
Cascade Course, Gold Mountain Golf Complex
$400 for a foursome
Half price ($200) for uniformed military personnel (active duty and reserve)

This is one of the region's most popular golf tournaments and is held at Gold Mountain Golf Complex, an award-winning facility. $400 for a foursome includes greens fees, putting and chipping contests, lunch, and a chance to win a new vehicle in the hole-in-one contest.
Sponsors include: Event - Bremerton Pepsi Company
Banquet -- John L. Scott Real Estate
Birdie -- Sabelhaus West
Chipping -- Harrison Medical Center
Putting -- EHT Enterprises, Inc.
Closest to the Pin -- Suquamish Clearwater Casino Resort
Hole-In-One -- Thomas Lincoln Mercury & Advantage Nissan

Once again, the tournament features a "tournament-within-a-tournament." The top military team will win special prizes in addition to being eligible for prizes in the main tournament.

Two shotgun starts are featured this year: 7:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. An awards dinner will begin immediately following the afternoon round.

This tournament usually sells out so early reservations are highly recommended. Contact the Bremerton Chamber at(360)479-3579 or CHAMBER for reservations and information.

7:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.
Bremerton Central Lions Pancake Breakfast
Fourth Street, between Washington and Pacific
Masonic Lodge Pancake Breakfast
Fifth & Warren

Peninsula Community Health Services Smile Rescuers
Sixth and Pacific
Activities for kids,teens and adults focus on dental hygiene and good clean fun.

10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Kitsap County Historical Society Museum
280 Fourth Street
Featuring hands-on activities for kids.

10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
USS Turner Joy
Adjacent to the Louis Mentor Memorial Boardwalk
Open for tours all day.

10:00 a.m.
60th Annual American Financial Solutions Armed Forces Day Parade
Downtown Bremerton
More than 150 marching units including nearly two dozen bands and the Pearl Harbor Survivors will parade through the streets of downtown Bremerton to celebrate Armed Forces Day. The newly selected Armed Forces Festival Ambassadors will also make their first public appearance.

The National Guard's M1A1 Abrams tank - a huge crowd favorite Combat Veterans International's impressive motorcycles offering a moving tribute to service members This year's parade features Admiral Gary Roughead, Chief of Naval Operations, as the Grand Marshal.

Noon to 4:00 p.m.
American Financial Solutions Heroes Barbecue
Fourth Street, between Washington and Pacific
"Honoring Our Pearl Harbor Survivors"
Military personnel, dependents, retirees, and the entire community are invited to enjoy a free barbecue lunch while honoring local Pearl Harbor survivors. This is a terrific opportunity to meet heroes who have served in the past and thank those who are currently serving.

1:00 p.m.
Advanced Acoustic Concepts
Military Culinary Arts Competition
Bremer Student Center, Olympic College
Military chefs and culinary specialists from throughout the Puget Sound Region will compete in the Military Culinary Arts Competition. Fabulous cakes, dazzling ice sculptures, and an Iron Chef competition are also featured. After the entries are judged, audience members may enjoy the fruits of the chefs' labor.

6:00 p.m.
Navy League Gala
Admiral Theatre, 515 Pacific Avenue
$45 per person
The Bremerton/Olympic Council of the Navy League is hosting a dinner and show with a keynote speech presented by Admiral Gary Roughead, Chief of Naval Operations.

Tickets for the Gala, which includes dinner, are $45 and tickets for the 8:00 p.m. show are $15 per person. Tickets may be purchased from the Admiral Theatre box office (373-6743).

10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Kitsap HydroFest on Kitsap Lake
Personal watercraft races on Kitsap Lake.

For information about the Armed Forces Festival, contact the Bremerton Area Chamber of Commerce at (360) 479-3579 or CHAMBER.

North Olympic Peninsula Veterans for Peace Board of Directors has made a decision to challenge the Bremerton Chamber of Commerce's decision rejecting our application to participate in the Armed Forces Day Parade on Sat., May 17th, in Bremerton.

We believe it is imperative for our voice to be heard and that we have the right and obligation to make our position known to the citizens of Bremerton and to the Bremerton Chamber of Commerce and to the military command based in Bremerton. We do not accept that letters to the Chamber or the media are sufficient to express our outrage at the blatant denial of constitutional guarantees of speech and expression by opposition voices. Additionally, we do not find legal channels to be adequate for the short term though we have two attorneys interested in this issue for our future participation in such parades.

We are asking for your support and, more importantly, your participation with us on Saturday, May 17th. Whether or not you are a veteran is immaterial. We ask that you join us as supporters of Veterans for Peace and be present as we form up at the tail end of the parade procession.

We cannot be effective as a small group of 4-5 veterans and supporters, but we can be very effective as a large group of energetic citizens expressing their opposition to this war and war-like policies as expressed by our government. Bremerton Armed Forces Day Festival and Parade is a week-long celebration of the false and fatal misleading culture of war. It generates the excitement and energy that sucks in the future of our country, our youth, to become fodder.

It has little to do with defending the freedoms guaranteed by our constitution and much to do with defending the interests of wealth and the oligarchs of America.

We have received many words of outrage since my initial announcement of the Bremerton Chamberof Commerce. Most of you recognized its import immediately, a few didn't. Thank you for those words.

Now is the time to be unified in our effort and demonstrate that our belief in our constitutional right to speech and free expression is real.