Convoy of Aid Pauses on Winding Route to Nicaragua

When Vietnam veteran David Lynn visited Nicaragua last summer, the high humidity of the Central American jungle region, the sound of artillery fire in the near distance and the fear in the faces of the children brought back the painful memories of the earlier war.

But this time, Lynn and several other Vietnam veterans were on a mission of peace to rebuild a medical clinic that had been destroyed three times by Contra rebels, he said.

“For a lot of us, part of the healing process is in going into a war zone, only this time doing something constructive and being welcomed by the people instead of being despised,” he said.

Convoy Welcomed

Lynn was among a small crowd of well-wishers and supporters, including several Hollywood celebrities and peace group representatives, who Saturday welcomed the national Veterans Peace Convoy to Los Angeles--one of hundreds of stops on its way to Nicaragua where organizers said they plan to deliver tons of food, clothes and medical supplies for children in the war-torn country.

Four such caravans--each consisting of about a dozen trucks and vans chauffeured mostly by Vietnam veterans--are traveling across 40 states, collecting donations along the way.

Most of the supplies will be sent in shipping containers. The convoy, which is scheduled to meet in Austin, Tex., next month before heading south and reaching Nicaragua June 17, will deliver a symbolic load to the Nicaraguan Red Cross as well as church and community-based social service groups.

Supporting Groups

The humanitarian aid effort, conceived by members of the Veterans Peace Action Team, is supported by veterans peace groups and organizations such as Let Nicaragua Live and Quest for Peace, which also oppose the Reagan Administration’s policy of support for the rebels.

Across the street from the gathering at Our Lady Queen of Angels Church, about 30 demonstrators from the conservative Fundamentalist Baptist Tabernacle of Los Angeles protested the event with American flags, pickets and chants of “Commies” and “traitors.” The Rev. J. Richard Olivas, who led the group, claimed the aid is targeted for military aid for Nicaragua’s Sandinista government.