Stuart Chase of Boulder, Colorado – long time peace activist, member of Veterans For Peace, has died.

Stuart Chase

From Tom Mayer, Boulder (June 6, 2014):

“A few weeks ago our Middle East Collective (of the Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center) lost one of its most dedicated members: Stuart Chase. Stuart was a Vietnam veteran who understood the insanity of warfare and the brutal injustice of capitalism imperialism. He had deep sympathy for exploited, oppressed and unfortunate people of every kind. Week after week Stuart stood on the corner of Broadway and Canyon in Boulder holding signs saying “No Attack on Iran,” “Stay Out of Syria”, and “end U.S. Funding for Israeli Aggression” among other things.”

“Stuart Chase participated in several progressive organizations in addition to our Middle East Collective including Veterans for Peace, Occupy Wall Street, and Move-On. Stuart’s friends and political comrades will hold a peace vigil in his memory on Saturday, June 21 from 11 am – 12 pm. Quite appropriately, the one hour memorial vigil will be held on the corner of Broadway and Canyon. Please join us!”

He was found dead in his Boulder apartment a few days ago. The cause of death has not yet been determined; there will be an autopsy. A very decent, committed human being and a longtime friend of mine, yet another one, has died. I cannot remember when I met him but have known him for the better part of 30 years. Stuart was a fixture in the Boulder, Colorado peace movement (and that is meant to be a compliment). He was a long distance runner for peace, a modest, disciplined, tormented soul. His torment came from the time he spent in Vietnam as a medic; his experience with war was painful enough so that he was driven, all these decades, to spend the rest of his life working for peace.

He was particularly active in the Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center’s Middle East Group. Whether it was support for the cause of the Palestinian people, opposing the war in Iraq, trying to prevent a U.S. military assault on Iran or calling for an end to the bloodshed in Syria, Stuart was there – on the street, with banners, petitions, leaflets. Try doing that for four decades and see how long you’d last. He had a great understanding of the psychological problems of not just of veterans, but of everyone and reached out his whole life to help people. I am concerned about how he died, but let’s wait for the autopsy before drawing any conclusion. Never much of a stylish dresser, when I last saw him three-four months ago, I noted that he looked disheveled and not in good spirits. Good bye Stuart.