Even though Dave Cline has passed on I think all of us that have met him know that he hasn’t really left us. He carries on in a kind of legacy most of us can only wish we will leave behind.
I first meet Dave back in December of 2004. I had only been home from Iraq a few months but was chomping at the bit to fight against my war just as he and other vets had in decades past. He gave me direction. Dave told me that the truths that I and other Iraq vets witnessed were our weapons in a new fight and we had to use them to the best of our abilities. Dave helped get me in contact with other recent vets like Jimmy Massey that shared my feelings. Then when we were ready to step forward and create Iraq Veterans Against the War. Dave was the man who vouched for us to Veterans for Peace to give us the support we needed in those early days.
Dave had an incredible sense of history and humility. He taught the Iraq vets about Vietnam Veterans Against the War. Even as he told us about the great deeds VVAW accomplished, he also told us of their and his own mistakes. He had the gift of being able to admit and tell of his own mistakes so that future generations could learn from them. This alone allowed IVAW to grow and avoid many pitfalls early in its life.
Beyond any of this Dave was a great friend. He was the person to talk to no matter what. We had discussions rambling late into the night at many events, talking about everything from relationships, philosophy, and politics, to the general craziness that all vets deal with. It didn’t matter who you were or what the topic was, you could simply grab a seat and within seconds Dave had you in the conversation.
As to the legacy Dave left behind, you can look at IVAW, VFP, VVAW and many other organizations and people and see it instantly. He has touched many lives and all of us agree that we are better and wiser for it. I think I can say that the world is a better place because of Dave Cline. I think the world will be a better place because of Dave Cline. It will become the kind of world that will finally appreciate a man like Dave; a world without hate, without injustice, without war. A world at peace.