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Protester scales VA building to hang sign

WASHINGTON — An Army veteran has been arrested after climbing up the Veterans Affairs Department building in downtown Washington to hang a sign protesting the Iraq war.

Forrest Schmidt was arrested Thursday outside the building, which is less than a block from the White House. Before his arrest, Schmidt had time to hang a large banner over the building entrance that read “Veterans say NO to War and Occupation.”

A group of veterans and anti-war activists is planning to march on the Pentagon on Saturday to mark the sixth anniversary of the Iraq war. The march will continue past the offices of defense contractors, including Boeing Co., Lockheed Martin Corp. and General Dynamics.