SAN ANTONIO — There was anger and hope along North Walters Street Sunday afternoon, when about 30 protesters gathered outside Fort Sam Houston to demand no war against Iran, and that U.S. troops leave the Middle East.
This comes after more than 80 protests happened across the country on Saturday, according to the ANSWER Coalition, a protest group consisting of many anti-war and civil rights organizations.
U.S. Air Force veteran Jules Vaquera poured her pain into music, singing to the crowd about her experience in Iraq.
"I'm not somebody who just saw this on the news," Vaquera said. "I saw it in person."
She said that, during her deployment, it felt like she was taking away the freedom of others rather than protecting the freedom of Americans. Now she wants to make sure young soldiers aren't sent off for the wrong reasons.
"I'm a teacher and one of my students is a senior this year and she's joining the military when she graduates," Vaquera said. "And I will not allow them to send her to die."
Other protesters carried signs that blamed money as the cause. They said war is profitable to the upper class, but at what cost?
"You don't see any or the rich or the powerful sending their kids over," said John Sutton, a protester.
Sutton smiled and jumped at passing drivers as he held a sign that read "Honk for peace." With each honk, Sutton felt like they were making a difference.
"I want to see change in my country," he said. "I care about change in my country, I care about the future."
They take action today for an uncertain tomorrow.
On Friday, President Donald Trump addressed the public for the first time since ordering the strike on Iranian military leader Qasem Soleimani. Trump declared from his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida that the United States's intention was to quash a war, not to begin one.