Wisconsin man - with help from sister in Gurnee - collects signatures on peace flags

One thousand and counting.

That's the number of signatures Wray Schmieg has collected in the name of peace.

For the past three weeks Schmieg, 53, of Genoa City in Wisconsin, has been working to share the message of peace by asking friends, family, religious leaders, educators and politicians to sign large flags emblazoned with the peace symbol.

Some of these flags have been signed by family as far away as Colorado.

Schmieg brought his flags to Kenosha Thursday to share with religious and political leaders and health care workers.

Schmeig's plan is to take the signed flags to Washington, D.C., "and plant one at the foot of the Lincoln Memorial" on Nov. 1.

In an interview earlier this week, Schmieg related that the project, PeaceFlagPeople was born out of a year of upheaval, both personal and global.

A nurse with Beloit Health System, Schmieg has spent much of the year on the front lines of caring for those with COVID-19. "When COVID struck I had already been a nurse for 20 years - I saw people die of the disease; it's real," he said.

His daughter, Jessica Schmieg, also a nurse, works at a local Kenosha hospital.

'Trauma in her eyes'

Earlier this year Schmieg had begun to seek a shift in his life when a month ago his daughter came home after working in the emergency department during the rioting and looting in Kenosha.

"I saw more trauma in my daughter's eyes in one night than I had seen in 20 years of nursing," he said.

The final straw, Schmieg says, was an insensitive Facebook post aimed at victims of the riots.

"I considered lashing out at the individual but decided not to - instead I bought a peace flag," he said.

Schmieg purchased a large turquoise flag emblazoned with a peace symbol against a white background online and began to ask people to sign it. Three weeks later he had 12 flags with about 1,000 signatures.

Schmieg's sister, Jennifer Gould, 54, of Gurnee, says she has encouraged her brother from day one.

"Wray came to me with a broken spirit and I knew (these events) touched him to the core and the only way to get resolution was for him to go on a mission of peace," she said.

'It's not about politics'

Gould has assisted her brother with some of the practical logistics of taking his flag show on the road.

Schmieg's Facebook page, PeaceFlag People, sums it up:

"We will not be holding huge rallies in the streets … We will not endorse a political candidate … We will not seek money or fame."

PeaceFlagPeople is not a political movement, but it does suggest the way politics should be conducted, especially right now, Schmieg said.

"We are endorsing a peaceful transition of power and respectfully say we don't hear that right now from our leaders.

"It's not about politics - there is no left of right, up or down; no special interests: we are only interested in peace."

For good measure, Schmieg refers to the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution. "The first word of the preamble is 'We' followed by the words 'domestic tranquility' - We can vote peacefully, we can do this," he stressed.

The need for a cohesive peace movement is critical, added Gould. "There are individual pockets of peace (in our country) but no one one's lumping them under one banner. Wray is saying (peace) is one banner and we're all under one banner."

'A superhero'

Gould said she feels that her brother's project makes him a superhero, a sentiment to which he did not disagree.

"I think I am a superhero if I can change the world by giving people one thing to think about - peace - for just one moment."

Schmieg's anticipated itinerary put him in Kenosha Thursday. Riding his bicycle from Genoa City, Schmieg planned to stop along the way collecting more riders and signatures in Kenosha County communities including Wilmot, Silver Lake, and Salem Lakes as well as a stop at Froedtert Pleasant Prairie Hospital.

Following a visit to First United Methodist Church, Schmieg planned to meet with Kenosha Mayor John Antaramian. He planned to leave new blank flags for more signatures at the church and the mayor's office.

Accompanying him was his sister Jennifer, his mother, Therese Schmieg, and a brother, Michael.

Schmieg will leave for Washington, D.C., by Oct. 25, making stops to collect even more signatures for his flags.

"I want to be there on Nov. 1 and be gone by Election Day," he said.

Going to Washington with signed peace flags, Schmieg hopes will remind people to "think about what a peaceful transition of power means in this country. I want people to take a deep breath, relax and be at peace."