Lisa Kalvelage

Lieselotte (Lisa) Kalvelage (April 21, 1923–March 8, 2009) was a German-born American who demonstrated against United States militarism during the Vietnam War. She was one of the women who were called the "napalm ladies". In May 1966 at a storage yard in the Alviso district of San Jose, California, they sat in front of a forklift loaded with napalm bombs to protest their delivery to Vietnam. Along with the three other women, she was tried and convicted but given a suspended sentence. Her statement in court was used by Pete Seeger in his song "My Name Is Lisa Kalvelage". Kalvelage, who ran the San Jose Peace Center from 1967 to 1972, remained a peace activist into her eighties. She was active in a number of organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union and the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom.

Early life and family Born in Nuremberg, Germany, on 21 April 1923, Lisa spent her teenage years managing to avoid frequent bombings during World War II by seeking protection in the cellar of her home. After the war, she met Bernard Kalvelage from the US Air Force and emigrated to the United States to marry him in 1948. The couple settled in San Jose, California, where they had five daughters.

From 1967 to 1972, she coordinated the San Jose Peace Center. She remained active as a pacifist into her eighties, criticizing the Iraq War since it started in 2003. Activities included training conscientious objectors and protesting the proliferation of nuclear weapons. She contributed to a number of organizations including the American Civil Liberties Union, the Hemlock Society, the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom and the Humanist Society.

Lisa Kalvelage died in Cupertino, California, on March 8, 2009.