Peter De Mott
Encyclopedia
Peter De Mott was born in 1947 and died in 2009. He served in the Vietnam War
as a United States Marine and later served in Turkey as a U. S. Army translator . During this time he developed strong anti-war beliefs, and joined the Catholic Worker Movement
in 1979, with a focus on addressing the causes of poverty, unemployment and homelessness. In the early 1980s he spent time living at Jonah House
and participated in the Plowshares Movement
.
On March 17, 2003, Peter, Danny Burns, and Clare and Teresa Grady poured their blood at the local Army/Marine recruiting center, two days before "shock and awe" bombing of Iraq began, in an act of nonviolent symbolic action. They became known as the Saint Patrick's Day Four. In 2003, he travelled with Danny Burns to Iraq as part of a Christian Peacemaker Team.
He married Ellen Grady (sister of Clare and Teresa) in 1984, and they had four daughters together.
He died when he fell out of a tree that he was trimming. He is interred in Greensprings Natural Cemetery in Newfield, New York.
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
as a United States Marine and later served in Turkey as a U. S. Army translator . During this time he developed strong anti-war beliefs, and joined the Catholic Worker Movement
Catholic Worker Movement
The Catholic Worker Movement is a collection of autonomous communities of Catholics and their associates founded by Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin in 1933. Its aim is to "live in accordance with the justice and charity of Jesus Christ." One of its guiding principles is hospitality towards those on...
in 1979, with a focus on addressing the causes of poverty, unemployment and homelessness. In the early 1980s he spent time living at Jonah House
Jonah House
Jonah House is a faith-based community centered around the concept of "Nonviolence, resistance and community". Founded in 1973 by a group that included Philip Berrigan, a Catholic priest, and Elizabeth McAlister, formerly a Catholic nun, Jonah House has grown to be situated on a area of land in...
and participated in the Plowshares Movement
Plowshares Movement
The Plowshares Movement is an anti-nuclear weapons movement that gained notoriety in the early 1980s when several members damaged government property and were subsequently convicted.-History:...
.
On March 17, 2003, Peter, Danny Burns, and Clare and Teresa Grady poured their blood at the local Army/Marine recruiting center, two days before "shock and awe" bombing of Iraq began, in an act of nonviolent symbolic action. They became known as the Saint Patrick's Day Four. In 2003, he travelled with Danny Burns to Iraq as part of a Christian Peacemaker Team.
He married Ellen Grady (sister of Clare and Teresa) in 1984, and they had four daughters together.
He died when he fell out of a tree that he was trimming. He is interred in Greensprings Natural Cemetery in Newfield, New York.