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Former UM pastor walks to end wars Mary Jacobs, May 23, 2007
PHOTOS COURTESY OF BILL McDANNELL
By Mary Jacobs Associate Editor
Bill McDannell has actively opposed the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq for years. But last fall, he sold his possessions, left his home and embarked on a pilgrimage to express that opposition.
"As events unfolded, I thought about the way that people sit around and say, 'Somebody ought to do something,'" he said. "We realized we were 'somebody.'"
Mr. McDannell began a cross-country protest walk on Nov. 4 in Lakeside, Calif., that will take him to Washington, D.C., sometime in the late summer. There, he plans to present a petition to both the executive and legislative branches of the U.S. government urging an immediate end to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
By the time you read this, he will be more than 2,000 miles into his trip, somewhere, he hopes, near Hannibal, Mo.
Mr. McDannell is a father of five, a grandfather of four and a Vietnam-era veteran. He's also a former United Methodist pastor (Illinois Great Rivers Annual Conference).
In order to finance his walk, Mr. McDannell and his wife, Jonna O'Dell (also a former UMC pastor), sold their home in Lakeside, their cars and most of their possessions. They say it's a journey of faith, one that has them relying on the help of strangers along the way.
The couple bought a 23-year-old camper which serves as their support vehicle. Mr. McDannell started walking about 10-12 miles a day and now covers about 20.
His wife and their two dogs follow along in the camper as he walks.
"This gives me companionship as well as a place to sleep each night," he said. It also gives him regular Internet access so he can update his Web site, www.wtetw.com. The site features Mr. McDannell's petition and lets viewers monitor the progress of his journey.
"My petition is not based on any particular political ideology; I don't think it's left or right or conservative or liberal. It's based on logic, reason and moral and ethical choices.
"I am making this journey as an individual citizen and not as a member of any organization or political party," he said.
He has no quarrel with the governments of Iraq and Afghanistan, who both have freely elected governments.
"As I see it, the war on terror isn't a war; you can't declare a war on an idea or an action. We need to redeploy our military in a way that's consistent with the fact that we cannot be conducting war operations if we're not at war."
Mr. McDannell says he's striking a powerful chord with people he meets on his journey.
"What we're about is dialogue -- getting people to think about what we are doing as a nation and what kind of future we are leaving for our children and grandchildren," he said. "We are calling the churches to have the courage to stand up and claim Christ's message of peace to the world."
The couple says they are willing to speak to any church group or organization that would like to have them come by. Many churches -- including St. Francis in the Foothills UMC in Tucson, Ariz. -- and schools have received them graciously and allowed Mr. McDannell to share his message.
Some United Methodists have even welcomed them into their homes.
One of the couple's daughters compared her dad's journey to the "trust exercise" used in youth groups, where someone falls backward and the rest of the group catches that person.
"She said, 'What Dad is doing is like doing the same thing with his entire life,'" Mr. McDannell said. "It's an act of faith, based on our belief that people will hear us and support us.
"I still believe that one voice can make a difference. Unless I act, I'll never know if it was my voice that was to make the difference."
PHOTOS COURTESY OF BILL McDANNELL
Mr. McDannell began a cross-country protest walk on Nov. 4 in Lakeside, Calif., that will take him to Washington, D.C., sometime in the late summer. There, he plans to present a petition to both the executive and legislative branches of the U.S. government urging an immediate end to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. 
Mr. McDannell says he's striking a powerful chord with people he meets on his journey. 
