By Jane Stoever
Ann Suellentrop, MS RN, vice chair of PeaceWorks KC, is learning how much public health depends on peace and justice. She’s in Washington, DC, at the first American Public Health Association annual meeting she’s ever attended. She’s sending us pictures of speakers, pictures of slides, pictures of tablers—yes, she’s tabling with her very own APHA member group, Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR).
And what is she talking to folks in DC about? Well, DC—like KC, MO—is one of only 5 sites that, in spring 2026, will host federal public hearings where WE the people will have the opportunity to oppose the new nuclear arms race. In advance of the not-yet-announced date in spring 2026, Ann is spreading the word and encouraging everyone to speak up at the hearings.
Ann is also networking with public health leaders from across the country and gaining new ideas on how to effectively advocate for nuclear abolition. She attended a fascinating panel of content creators and social media influencers who engage hundreds of thousands of followers on health topics. They shared that young people especially are using the Internet to get news rather than print media.
Ann plans to share highlights from several of her recent travels for peace and justice on 11/12, Wed., 7pm, at Cherith Brook Catholic Worker House (address above).
This 2025 APHA conference marked the first-time appearance by Vets for Peace, at the invitation of the 40-year-old APHA Peace Caucus. Susan Schnall, a Vietnam-era military nurse, moderated a powerful session: “Veterans Issues: The Public Health Costs of War and Militarism.” The panel discussed:
1—History of military greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and reporting,
2—Poisoning around military bases and other environmental destruction,
3—Economic impact of military and emissions on public health, and
4—Public response and activism to address the military’s GHG emissions.
Schnall, president of Vets for Peace, recounted that, after becoming aware of the evils of war, she and a pilot friend dropped anti-war pamphlets over a Navy base during the American war in Vietnam which led to her court-martial. She reported that currently Vets for Peace “works on the TPNW (Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons), runs the Peace Boat project, and is trying to save the VA.” Schnall said the “PTSD” disorder is actually in the military system itself, not in the soldier or person who suffers from war’s moral injury. Further, Vets for Peace is pressing the US to take responsibility for the damage Agent Orange has done.
The slide here, from Vets for Peace, showed that if the world’s militaries were a country, it would have the fourth-highest carbon footprint (see https://militaryemissions.org/about/). The carbon footprint chart shows, from the top, China, US, India, the militaries, Russia, and Japan.
Another slide (see below) took aim at CEO yearly salaries in the “Big 5”—Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, General Dynamics, and Raytheon. The CEOs got $22 million, military members got salaries averaging $51,600, and defense industry staff got $80,688.
All this from the APHA and more—such as trips to Nagasaki, Hiroshima, and US civil rights landmarks—Ann will share with us 11/12 at the address atop this story. Do come!
–Jane Stoever serves on the PeaceWorks KC Communications Team. © 2025, Ann Suellentrop & Jane Stoever, Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike 4.0 International License.
