posted on May 25, 2004 09:31:54 PM newBoot display honors dead soldiers
By ERINN R. JOHNSON
Scripps Howard Foundation Wire
May 25, 2004
WASHINGTON - There are 800 pairs of black combat boots lined up in rows. Attached to each pair is a label with a soldier's name, rank, age and hometown.
Each pair represents a soldier who has died in Iraq. The boots are spread out on a lawn across from the U.S. Capitol to remind lawmakers of the cost of war. A photo of each fallen soldiers sits on the grass in plastic sleeves.
The American Friends Service Committee is sponsoring "Eyes Wide Open: The Human Cost of War in Iraq." The exhibit, which opened Tuesday and will end Thursday, includes the boot display and a 24-foot wall of the names, ages and cause of death for Iraqi civilians in the war.
Paul Vogel, who spoke at the exhibit's opening, is the father of a son who served in Iraq and is now safely home in Chicago.
Vogel traveled to Iraq in October to visit his son, who had been deployed five months earlier.
"I saw my son and comrades suffering, as well as Iraqi civilians," Vogel said. "I am proud of my soldier but ashamed of our president," Vogel said.
Marine Lance Cpl. Jesus del Solar, 20, was killed March 27, 2003, in Iraq when he stepped on a U.S. cluster bomb. After the death of his son, Fernando Suarez del Solar has taken an aggressive stance against the war.
"The American people have the power to remove Bush from office," del Solar said.
Del Solar, from California, has traveled around the country speaking against the invasion of Iraq and the Bush administration.
The American Friends and Service Committee carries out service and peace programs around the world.
"Peace, justice and humanitarian assistance represent the bedrock of our mission," said Mary Ellen McNish, the group's general secretary.
The organization has several programs and employees in Iraq. Another program aims to build awareness of the effects of war on Iraqi people, break down stereotypes and raise understanding of Iraq among U.S. citizens.
The exhibit, created in Chicago, will travel to New England after its leaves Washington.
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They showed the boot display on some of our newscasts this evening.
There have been 910 coalition deaths, 800 Americans, 59 Britons, six Bulgarians, one Dane, one Dutch, one Estonian, 18 Italians, four Poles, one Salvadoran, 11 Spaniards, two Thai and six Ukrainians, in the war as of May 25, 2004. The list below reflects the names of the soldiers, Marines, airmen, sailors and Coast Guardsmen whose families have been notified of their deaths by each country's government. There have been at least 4,524 U.S. troops wounded in action, according to the Pentagon. This list is updated regularly.
