Ed Doogan, a Glenside resident who took part in the Global Sumud Flotilla, has been safe at home since Monday, September 15.
The flotilla is currently sailing across the Mediterranean Sea on its way to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza. Roughly 500 participants are expected to arrive within the next few days.
Mr. Doogan left Abington Township for Europe in late August. He made it to Barcelona, Spain, to rendezvous with the rest of the fleet, which launched on August 31. After roughly two weeks at sea, leadership advised Doogan to discontinue his efforts because of health reasons. He flew home from Frankfurt, Germany on September 14.
“I’m 62 and they didn’t think that my health could sustain the rigors of the trip. I didn’t argue with them,” he said, noting that Veterans for Peace likely funded a lot of his expenses. “I knew I could further the purposes of the flotilla from home.”
“There were a few stops so the slower boats could catch up,” he said.
Mr. Doogan, a military medic veteran of the first Gulf War, said he heard about the flotilla through activists with Code Pink, a national organization with local chapters. He took part in a vetting process, which included an interview, in late July.
“Since October 7, 2023, I had been overwhelmed with impotency knowing that I couldn’t do anything to help,” Mr. Doogan said, noting that he’s been a supporter of the cause for the past 10-15 years. “The situation with the children was what haunted me. I have a teenage son, and every time I looked at him, I thought of the Palestinian children.”
Mr. Doogan said he was on watch duty when an adjacent ship was struck by a nighttime drone attack.
“The ship was deliberately targeted because of Greta Thunberg. I saw the fire. I didn’t hear an explosion, but people on board said it happened,” he said, adding that a few neighboring countries have since sent military ships to protect the flotilla. “Lethality is not the goal for whomever is doing this. It’s psychological harassment and intimidation. More than a couple ships have been attacked. It’s always done at night. I admire each one of those people taking part.”
The ship ‘La Familia’, which harbored well-known climate activist Greta Thunberg, post-attack
The flotilla was attacked again in recent days, Mr. Doogan said.
“No one was injured as far as I know and the damage to the ship was minor, so they’re continuing on. Eventually, they’re going to try to commandeer these ships, which just adds another war crime to the list,” he said.
Even though he had an early departure, Mr. Doogan says the trip still managed to produce an effect back home.
“The people that were supporting me when I was in Barcelona and Tunisia have actually gotten three members of the local congressional delegation to support legislation that would ban the U.S. from providing more weapons to Israel,” he said. “There was a significant shift in politics because of the people that were helping and supporting me.”
A Philadelphia native, Mr. Doogan relocated to Glenside in 2016.
“Glenside was my first choice of suburbs. Abington schools are very good. That’s ultimately what we led me here,” he said.
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Photos: Ed Doogan