We held hands to form our morning prayer circle, then sang several songs ending with the Buddhist prayer for peace. Those with cameras took one last group portrait. We were happy that on this morning no local person joined the walk.

We held hands in prayer circles during each of two long rest breaks, with little conversation. About a mile south of the Pentagon we were escorted by mounted policemen, bringing back memories of peace demonstrations over a decade ago. I was happy in the thought that my ideals had not changed since youth, that my commitment to them had not changed either. We walked even more slowly, being a little early. We crossed a small hill and there was the Pentagon ahead. It was two minutes til noon, so we stopped and stood in line awaiting the Los Angeles walk while beating the drums and chanting. At noon exactly, they arrived.

I can't easily describe the elation, the great joy we all felt on seeing each other. Here came almost our mirror image walking up the hill. Two people carried the banner, "World Peace March l982, Los Angeles to New York, `Time Has Come', Set the Dates for Nuclear Disarmament." Behind this banner another walker carried the Buddhist prayer banner. Then came the four Buddhist monks and the single Buddhist nun. Behind them walked the others, forty or so in double file. They didn't look tired, but healthy and tanned

_ As they got near, we rushed to greet them. People were hugging each other everywhere. Greetings were enthusiastic but short. First we must walk to the Pentagon, then vigil, then talk.

The L.A. walkers led the way of this now-single march, made of two great peace walks which had crossed thousands of miles and joined exactly as had been planned.

There were less than a half-dozen local people at the Pentagon to join with us, but we were feeling too high to be affected by the number. That evening, one of the monks asked me, "Aren't there any peace groups in Washington, DC?" Of course there are many.

We lined in front of a main entrance and began the prayer vigil. I sincerely believe that, though the numbers were small, this was one of the most powerful demonstrations ever held at the Pentagon. I have never felt such intense energy generated by any other group of people. Our prayer for peace was loud and earnest. We knew that our prayer was being heard not only by the Pentagon employees but also by God.

After the vigil, in a nearby empty parking lot, we stood in a silent circle. No directions were given, but we all knew what to do. Yoshida stood inside, speaking in Japanese in a firm and accusatory voice, not like Morishita's slow and soft speech, not smiling and happy like Morishita. Yoshida did not smile and spoke with anger. Both men were excellent speakers, but Yoshida did not speak English.

His interpreter, Tetsul, was not a monk, although his head was shaved. His wife and two young children had been on the walk since Los Angeles. As an interpreter, Tetsul was said to get the words accurately, but he did not try to speak with the same emotion that Yoshida did. When Yoshida pointed to the Pentagon and named it with the fire and anger of an Old Testament prophet, Tetsul's "Castle of Evil" was spoken in a flat, almost emotionless voice.

After the speech, Yoshida was presented with a wreath of flowers from the DC-based Hiroshima/Nagasaki Committee. We were about to end the circle when Mercury suggested, in a loud voice, that we now sing a song. The L.A. walkers looked a little confused, but everyone joined in the song. The confrontation between Mercury and the leadership of the L.A. had begun.

When the circle broke up, the press wandered among us for interviews. I was interviewed by a TV crew from the Federal Republic of Germany. They asked me questions about Reagan's disarmament speech, which I had anticipated.

Now we were to have a short lunch break. It was a lunch break in name only, as there was very little food. The L.A. walkers had some boiled eggs and celery sticks which they shared with us. There was also very little water. This showed that we should not expect to rely on local supporters to provide us with all our food. It would be too much of a drain on local resources to provide three meals for so many people.

We used the lunch break to talk with some of the L.A. walkers. We told them of our concern for their safety as they crossed the Rockies in the winter. We had heard that the wind chill factor had been as low as forty below zero. They told of their concern for us as we walked through conservative areas of the South. They had been especially concerned about the threat from the Klan. Each of us minimized our own hardships. We did not have much time to talk before it was time to resume the walk.

I was impressed with the discipline and orderliness of the L.A. walk. A person would bow slightly to the person whom he/she had stepped in front of to get in line. We imitated the L.A. walk by also walking in double line. The miles went by quickly, and soon we were at the Mall, approaching the Capitol.

Hundreds of people were sunning themselves around the reflecting pool. We drew everyone's attention and some people ran up to talk with us.

At the Capital building we held another powerful prayer vigil. Almost immediately, the Capitol balconies were full of Congressional employees who had come out to see what was happening. The people remained until the vigil was over. They may not have known who we were, but I believe they had some understanding of the chant. The intensity of the prayer equalled that at the Pentagon.

Now my thoughts went to another historical event. Here we were, gathered to plead fervently for peace before one of the seats of government. The people of Paris gathered before the palace during the French Revolution to plead for food. I believe that we too were part of a revolution, a peaceful revolution occurring around the world, demanding an end to war and the restructuring of priorities for a more just world.

It was a great feeling to have the L.A. walkers with us. There were forty additional prayer drums and people chanting. The echo of the drum beat bounced from the buildings in Washington. Our presence was felt long before we arrived and long after we left. This was true even in the city traffic.

We had to walk five more miles through ghetto areas to St. Stephen's Church. Along the parade route we saw many posters announcing the peace walk --on light poles, city garbage cans, and the sides of buildings. We walked on crowded sidewalks, but were still able to maintain the order and discipline of the walk.

During supper the different walkers got to know each other better. It was also an indication of how the walk would be different. The room was filled with people, all speaking hushed voices. The Buddhist monks and nuns were sitting by themselves with the other Orientals sitting near them.

A respectable time after he had finished eating, Mercury took out a harmonica and began to play softly. A woman from the L.A. walk immediately came up to him and spoke sternly in German. She had admonished him for playing before the monks had said grace. We had never said grace after a meal, nor had we ever waited for the monks to dismiss us after meals.

Another incident after supper showed how the mood of the walk would change. Sandy perched on the edge of a table while she chatted. A monk scolded her for not showing proper respect for the table. I could not imagine Morishita's doing such a thing. Later Sandy told Mercury and Carole that she felt as if she had entered the twilight zone. So much for the "death of the dragon." This was even more than Doug, Bill, or I had anticipated. The dominance of Yoshida and the other monks of the L.A. walk seemed total.

After supper, we walked a short distance to the Calvary United Methodist Church where we were to have a program and spend the night. But after the program Morishita asked me to represent the New Orleans walkers as group leader at a meeting tonight. It was my week to be group leader anyway, but Morishita wanted me to continue in that role for the rest of the walk. He said it would be too confusing for Yoshida to deal with different people.

It was an L.A. type meeting. Yoshida was sitting cross-legged, with his eyes almost closed. He appeared to be detached, but it was obvious that he knew almost everything that was going on around him. In my mind, he was the stereotypical Buddhist monk. Tetsul sat beside him with three other monks. The sole nun present massaged Yoshida's shoulders. Later she served us tea. Two people from DC attended to discuss the local agenda. Finally there were Mary Jane, the L.A. walk representative, and I.

First we talked about supporting the Vietnam Veterans Against the War which was now in the city to draw attention to the effects of Agent Orange. Yoshida had decided that the prayer fast at Lafayette Park would end each day at 7 o'clock. The VVAW would arrive at the Park at 7 o'clock. It was suggested that we stay to welcome them to the park. Yoshida opposed the suggestion. When I again argued that we remain until the group arrived, Tetsul would not even translate my words. If anyone spoke in English against an opinion of Yoshida, Tetsul would not translate.

The next topic was the prayer fast. It would not be compulsory, but no food would be provided. Yoshida had decided the format: all walkers encouraged to remain at the site of the prayer fast; presence maintained for three days from 8 a.m. until 7 p.m.; cabbage soup at the temple at the end of the second day but no food on the third. There were discussions about the fast, but nothing was translated into English. It was apparent that Tetsul was doing what Yoshida wanted.

This was the last such meeting that I attended. I doubt that my absence was felt. We were told to communicate back to our respective members, but no input was allowed. The decisions had already been made.

I returned to talk with some of the people of the New Orleans walk. There were many good people on the L.A. walk, but we were angered -- the character of our walk had changed. go to page 43