The Veterans Fast for Life was a water-only fast that lasted from September 1 to October 17, 1986 on the steps of the

United States Capitol The United States Capitol, often called The Capitol or the Capitol Building, is the seat of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, which is formally known as the United States Congress. It is located on Capitol Hill ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, as a protest against the U.S. policies in Central America (see

Contra wars The Contras were the various U.S.-backed and funded right-wing rebel groups that were active from 1979 to 1990 in opposition to the Marxist Sandinista Junta of National Reconstruction Government in Nicaragua, which came to power in 1979 follo ...

). Charles Liteky, former Army Chaplain,

Vietnam veteran A Vietnam veteran is a person who served in the armed forces of participating countries during the Vietnam War. The term has been used to describe veterans who served in the armed forces of South Vietnam, the United States Armed Forces, and ot ...

and recipient of the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valo ...

, George Mizo, Vietnam veteran, Duncan Murphy, World War II veteran, and S. Brian Willson, Vietnam veteran, participated in the fast.S. Brian Willson, "Blood on the Tracks: The Life and Times of S. Brian Willson", PM Press, 2011, , pp. 166-182. Before embarking on the fast, Charles Liteky renounced in July 1986 his Medal of Honor in protest against the U.S. policies in Central America. Charles Liteky and George Mizo started the fast on September 1, 1986, whereas Duncan Murphy and Brian Willson started on September 15, 1986. By the end of September, people were rallying to support the veterans. On October 15, 1986, the veterans appeared on ''

The Phil Donahue Show ''The Phil Donahue Show'', also known as ''Donahue'', is an American television talk show hosted by Phil Donahue that ran for 26 years on national television. Its run was preceded by three years of local broadcast on WLWD in Dayton, Ohio, and i ...

''. The fast ended on October 17, 1986 when the four veterans decided that the fast had been sufficiently successful in raising awareness of the public and escalating opposition to Ronald Reagan's policies. "By this time, there had been five hundred documented actions around the country in solidarity with the fast". Various

U.S. senators The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

and members of the House of Representatives expressed support for the then ongoing fast, including

Tom Harkin Thomas Richard Harkin (born November 19, 1939) is an American lawyer, author, and politician who served as a United States senator from Iowa from 1985 to 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously was the U.S. representative for Io ...

Charles Mathias Charles McCurdy Mathias Jr. (July 24, 1922 – January 25, 2010) was an American politician and attorney. A Republican, he served as a member of the United States Senate, representing Maryland from 1969 to 1987. He was also a member of ...

, Robert J. Mrazek,

Patrick Leahy Patrick Joseph Leahy (; born March 31, 1940) is an American politician and attorney who is the senior United States senator from Vermont and serves as the president pro tempore of the United States Senate. A member of the Democratic Party, ...

(who inserted a statement into the '' Congressional Record'' to support the fast) and

John Kerry John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician and diplomat who currently serves as the first United States special presidential envoy for climate. A member of the Forbes family and the Democratic Party, he ...

in September 1986, and thirteen senators and seventy-five members of the House of Representatives issued a supportive joint public statement on October 7, 1986. In contrast, on October 11, 1986, Senator

Warren Rudman Warren Bruce Rudman (May 18, 1930November 19, 2012) was an American attorney and Republican politician who served as United States Senator from New Hampshire between 1980 and 1993. He was known as a moderate centrist, to such an extent that Pr ...

likened the four fasting veterans to terrorists. Shortly thereafter, in late 1986, the

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, t ...

initiated a "terrorism" investigation of the activities of the Plowshares group (who jammed the locks of eleven military recruitment stations in Chicago on October 29, 1986Antony Schmitz
The Spy Who Said No

Mother Jones Magazine ''Mother Jones'' (abbreviated ''MoJo'') is an American progressive magazine that focuses on news, commentary, and investigative journalism on topics including politics, environment, human rights, health and culture. Clara Jeffery serves as edi ...

, April 1988, pp. 16-19.) and, at the same time, those of the Veterans Fast for Life peace group, an investigation which FBI agent John C. "Jack" Ryan refused to conduct, being notably "convinced of the totally non-violent posture of the eterans Fast for Life group. Jack Ryan was fired for refusing to conduct the investigation. Sanford J. Ungar,
The F.B.I. on the Defensive Once Again
, New York Times, May 15, 1988.

References

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References

Further reading