Craig
E. Williams is a decorated Vietnam War veteran who spent more
than a decade working to persuade the Pentagon not to incinerate
stockpiles of obsolete chemical weapons that are stored in places
across the United States. Concerned that incinerating the more
than 24,000 tons of existing stockpiled chemical agents could
endanger the health of the communities around the places where
they are incinerated, Craig Williams started a grassroots network
called the Chemical Weapons Working Group to raise awareness,
challenge the Pentagon's often secret plans, and demand the use
of safer methods of disposing of these materials. For his successful
efforts, Craig E. Williams received the prestigious Goldman Environmental
Prize in 2006. Craig Williams was also one of the co-founders
of the Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation, which was one of
the organizers of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines
that received the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize.
