'Just intolerable': Protesters at Fairchild decry U.S. involvement in foreign wars

Rusty Nelson was a 23-year-old in Vietnam when he witnessed something that forever changed his view of war.

After the artillery unit his boat platoon was supporting used an M101 Howitzer to strike a target miles away, he saw two artillery officers, one of whom was a West Point graduate, do something odd: dance.

A forward observer had confirmed that one of the highly explosive shots fired from the Howitzer had killed two people about 6 miles away.

"They got a call back that they had a body count of two," Nelson said. "And (the artillery officers) were just deliriously happy... Here I find out that it's all about body count. Nothing to do with patriotism or defending the people. So, that was a seed."

That seed planted more than 50 years ago in Nelson's mind eventually influenced him into becoming a staunch anti-war activist.

Now at 81 years old, Nelson joined close to 40 protesters outside of Fairchild Air Force Base in Airway Heights Saturday afternoon to call for a permanent end to the war in Iran.

"As citizens of the United States, it's not our job to support every war or every powerful individual who loves war or who makes money off of war," Nelson said. "There's this great thing in Gandhian philosophy where you don't try to have a victory over somebody. It's your job to convert them and to bring them into a wider circle of understanding. So it's not our job to yell at Air Force members or civilian Pentagon workers, it's our job to love them."

Nelson compared loving his country and government to the way he loves his kids, meaning he doesn't let them do everything and anything they want. He said it's the responsibility of citizens to start at the grassroots level to attempt to persuade hearts and minds that war is rarely, if ever, a viable solution.

The protest's location centered on the fleet of KC-135 aviation fuel tanker aircraft held at the base. Or, as Hollis Higgins put it, the gas stations in the sky. The global reach of the United States military wouldn't be possible, he said, without the fleet of KC-135's. Fairchild has the only "super" wing of KC-135's in the entire Air Force, with a total of 63 as of 2021.

Higgins, 80, served in the Army between 1968 and 1969, but admits he wasn't a very good soldier. He had a deferment because he went to college and said by the time the military got to him, he was already influenced by the peace movement of that era. He was given an honorable medical discharge about a year into his term of service.

"Most of the people that get involved with the military, their brains aren't even developed yet," he said. "It takes until you're 26 to understand what you're doing. If you get drafted at 18, you'll do whatever they say, and you're just like cannon fodder."

He's concerned about a new measure that automatically registers young men ages 18 to 26 for selective service in case a draft is required. The Selective Service System's 2024 report indicates that automatic registration is already in place across 46 states and territories, but this mandate makes it nationwide.

Juxtaposed to the group of protesters on Saturday were Brian Bowman and Tony Rasberry waving American flags on the opposite side of U.S. Highway 2.

Bowman said he was driving to Walmart and saw about 40 protesters outside of Fairchild. On his way back home, Bowman decided he was going to grab his flag and speak his mind. He said the people protesting aren't anti-war. Instead, they have "Trump Derangement Syndrome."

Bowman said he parked across from the protesters and hurled insults at them, including calling them "commies."

"And they just went livid. They can't handle it. I'm surprised there weren't 1,000 people on this side of the highway (counterprotesting)."

Even with strong feelings toward those on the other side of the highway, Bowman said he would be willing to get a drink with any of them. He said he'd be willing to listen to why they think what they do as long as he's able to share his opinion.

"We're never, ever going to agree," he said.

Bowman said he has a strong sense of patriotism that was instilled in him from a young age because of his mother and father. His dad was in the Air Force Office of Special Investigations for about 15 years and ended his career at Fairchild. Bowman was even born on an Air Force base in Utah, although the military wasn't something he considered for himself, as his father advised he should either have a 20-year military career to incur retirement benefits or find another line of work. Bowman chose to pick up a smattering of jobs over his life, including working for the water department in Spokane and a stint with the Washington State Patrol.

When it comes to the situation in Iran, he believes the United States should do whatever it takes to limit the threat of Iran ever possessing a nuclear weapon.

"I mean, a little destruction is what it takes," Bowman said. "Unfortunately, in World War II, a lot more civilians died than military people. They were bombing London, they were bombing Berlin, they bombed Tokyo, Hiroshima, Nagasaki. So yeah, a lot of civilians are going to die, and hopefully we can keep that to a minimum. But with Iran, if it's a plant that makes computer chips for whatever, blow it up. The bridges, the tunnels, the power plants, just wipe them out. They can take another five, 10 years to get out of the Stone Age."

Maybe one thing that Bowman and the protesters outside Fairchild can agree on is that the United States shouldn't be the world police and that "American tax dollars should go to American taxpayers." While he sees modern Iran as an existential threat to our country, Bowman said the United States should have never gotten involved in the Vietnam War.

David Brookbank's father was a Vietnam veteran pilot who regularly called in airstrikes. Brookbank surmised that his dad never wanted him to follow in his footsteps, even when he was given the opportunity to do just that.

Brookbank was appointed to the Air Force and Naval academies fresh out of high school. One day, his father received a call from the commander of the Air Force Academy asking if Brookbank wanted to go. He said 'no,' and he and his father never spoke of it again.

With around 800 U.S. military installations around the world and a proposed military budget of $1.5 trillion for 2027, Brookbank is more than concerned for the future of the nation and the world. But he stressed the protest on Saturday was never against the soldiers themselves, rather the government policies, regardless of the political party in power, that have encouraged wars in foreign countries for decades.

"It's just intolerable," Brookbank said. "We've had too many wars. We're looking at a trillion-and-a-half-dollar military budget for this coming year after a trillion dollars this year. Our economy is falling apart. The social system is falling apart. People are homeless. People can't pay for their health care. So we need money for jobs and education, not for war and occupation."

Copyright 2026 Tribune Content Agency. All Rights Reserved.