On August 31st, the last day of the encampment in Crawford, Texas, the Bring Them Home Now (BTHN) tour launched three buses from Crawford, Texas, each carrying military and Gold Star families, veterans of the Iraq War and veterans of previous wars. These buses traveled different routes across the country, converging in Washington, DC on September 21, in time for the ANSWER (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism) Coalition and UFPJ (United for Peace and Justice) mass mobilizations planned for September 24th through 26th.

The "Southern Tour" bus made a stop in Richmond, Virginia on September 19th. The Virginia Antiwar Network (VAWN) helped to plan a day of activities for the group, including a lunchtime picket outside of the Virginia National Guard recruitment office on Broad Street and a Town Hall meeting at Asbury Church in Church Hill later that evening. Between the times of these two events BTHN members, along with a handful of local activists, visited the offices of Congressman Bobby Scott and Senator George Allen to share their views and experiences regarding the Iraq War. These meetings were very productive, with senior staff members showing sincere interest, asking many questions and taking notes.

Prior to the Town Hall meeting, we were served a delicious meal prepared by Food Not Bombs. Each of the BTHN members spoke to an audience of about 60 people. Their stories were very moving and emotions, at times, were overwhelming. After some comments/questions from the audience, people ventured outside for a vigil at a small memorial that had been set up with some of the crosses from "Camp Casey", each commemorating one of the nearly 2000 troops that have died since the start of the Iraq War. Channel 8 and WRIR were on hand to film and tape much of the event.