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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend December 7, 2005 Annaliese Watson of Grants Pass, a volunteer with the non-missionary Christian Peacemaker Teams, holds a vigil at Medford�s Vogel Plaza on Tuesday in honor of her friend, Tom Fox, who is being held hostage in Iraq. Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli Vigils held for hostages Christian Peacemaker Team member fondly recalls hostage Tom Fox By CHRIS CONRAD Mail Tribune Christian Peacemaker Teams trainees were always thankful when it was Tom Fox’s turn on dinner detail. "He’s a great chef," said Grants Pass resident Annaliese Watson. "He went to a French culinary school." Watson, 29, recalled several stories about Fox as she held a black-and-white photo of him during her candlelight vigil Tuesday night at Vogel Plaza. Her vigil was in support of four peace activists currently held hostage by insurgents in Iraq. Fox, 54, of Virginia, was among the hostages taken Nov. 26 from their car in western Iraq. Since then the worn faces of the men have been broadcast on Al-Jazeera television. The insurgents are claiming the men are spies working for the U.S. military, according to a Washington Post story, and have threatened to kill them. Watson spent 30 days with Fox in Chicago earlier this year, training to join the Christian Peacemaker Teams. Watson said they spent hours studying the lives and work of nonviolent leaders such as Mohandas K. Ghandi and Martin Luther King Jr. Advertisement "Tom is one of the most naturally peacefully people I’ve ever met," Watson said. Watson spent Monday night in Grants Pass handing out candles and speaking to about a dozen people about Fox and the war. She said she received mostly positive responses from passersby. She plans on staging another vigil tonight in Ashland’s Plaza. According to the group’s Web site, the Christian Peacemaker Teams’ goal is to travel to war-torn lands to present nonviolent alternatives to both sides of a conflict. Fox, who had lived in an apartment outside the protected Green Zone in Baghdad, would act as a liaison between Iraqi citizens and the U.S. military. Watson got an e-mail from Fox in October in which he talked about life in the combat zone. She said he would sometimes have to leave Iraq to recuperate. One of his "vacations" involved visiting Palestine’s West Bank to talk to soldiers and shopkeepers, Watson said. Ever since hearing of Fox’s capture on a National Public Radio broadcast, Watson’s thoughts have been with the man, who she said was full of funny stories about his days with the U.S. Marine Band. "He said Ronald Reagan always liked to hang out with the band — must be the entertainer thing," Watson said. For now, it’s a waiting game to see if Fox is released unharmed or executed like a number of Western hostages who have fallen into insurgent hands. "I wish for Tom’s safety," Watson said. "The Iraqis need to know that not all Americans wish them harm." Today’s vigil at the Ashland Plaza will be held from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. Reach reporter Chris Conrad at 776-4459, or e-mail Vigils held for hostages ">[email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker dvd-r Distance Education Computer Security Ztech Media Hosting Sports Equipment Student Loans Online Pharmacy tcg student loan consolidation Online Casino Reviews Myspace Home Equity Loans Windermere Van Vleet Deep Muscle Stimulator Discount Hotel Reservations Southern Oregon Loans Online Casino News Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Salvia Divinorum Online Casino Advertisement s