11/16/07:Veterans for Peace create "Memorial Mile"- Mourn the Dead, Heal the Wounded, Stop the War- Veterans For Peace
Veterans for Peace create "Memorial Mile"- Mourn the Dead, Heal the Wounded, Stop the War
On Veterans Day, Sunday, Nov. 11, over 200 people gathered at Olbrich
Park on Atwood Avenue to honor the sacrifices made by the more than
4,300 American men and women who have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Speakers recognized those sacrifices and also remembered the hundreds
of thousands of Iraqi and Afghan civilians who have been killed. In
addition, Veterans for Peace (VFP) created a Memorial Mile to commemorate
those who died and to bring home to the rest of us the magnitude of
their sacrifice.
“We erected over 4,300 tombstones so that people can comprehend the
magnitude of this tragedy and reflect upon its meaning,” said VFP project
co-chair Richard Chamberlin, a Navy Vietnam veteran. The tombstones
remained in place all day Monday, Nov. 12, which was the official Veterans
Day this year, and were taken down by volunteers after 5 p.m. Members
of Veterans for Peace were present all night Sunday and all day Monday
to talk to anyone who wished to walk the Memorial Mile and talk.
“Tens of thousands of extended families in America have been wounded by
the loss of loved ones in the wars. Millions of families in Iraq and
Afghanistan suffer similar wounds, which may be a long time healing or
may never heal. The future of the hundreds of thousands of people who
have been killed are gone forever,” said Buzz Davis, a VFP member who
helped organize the event.
Over 50 volunteers turned out early Sunday morning to put the 4,300
replica tombstones along Atwood Avenue across from Olbrich Gardens. “The
effect of white tombstones stretching for nearly half a mile is
sobering,” Davis observed. “Drivers are stunned, and cars driving by just go
slower and slower as they begin to realize the extent of the death that
has taken place.”
A symbolic flag-draped coffin stood near the road, guarded by a sea of
white tombstones. Motorists and walkers were invited to stop and read
the roll call of Wisconsinites who gave their lives in these wars.
There was also a thought book in which people could write comments.
At the Sunday afternoon ceremony, Rev. David Couper, a former Marine
and a former Madison police chief, dedicated the ceremony by stressing
the sacrifices that have been made and urging forgiveness and efforts for
peace. Vietnam veteran Ray Maida spoke for his family about the loss
of their son and brother Army Sgt. Mark A. Maida, who was killed in Iraq
at age 22. Iraq Marine veteran Dan Kaufman explained the origin of
Armistice Day: It was to celebrate of the end of World War I, which was
to be “the war to end all wars.” But our history has been, instead, one
war after another.
Wisconsin National Guard Iraq veteran Abbie Pickett spoke movingly of
friends she had lost in combat and the battles that rage in the minds of
combat vets long after they have left the war zone, long after the
real war is over. Decorated Vietnam combat veteran Wil Williams spoke of
two important needs: to reorder our society away from glorifying the
military to young people, and to help youth understand that peace is
harder to achieve than war, but it must be worked for.
As a bagpipe played in the distance, peace activist Caroline Greenwald
asked people to come forward and read the roll call of those who have
died. A long line of young and old, men and women came to the
microphone to read, one by one, the rank, name, age, date of death and hometown
of the long list of those from Wisconsin who have died. Esty Dinur, an
Israeli Army veteran of the Yom Kippur War, closed the ceremony by
asking people to search their hearts and make a commitment to work for
peace. She asked all to join her in walking the Memorial Mile and placing
flowers on the tombstones of those who have given their lives.
Veterans for Peace is a national organization with chapters in most
states. Members include men and women from World War II, the Korean War,
the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as
well as other conflicts; peacetime veterans; and associate members.
“Our collective experience tells us wars are easy to start [but] hard to
stop, and those hurt are often the innocent,” VFP says. “Thus other
means of problem solving are necessary.”
The Madison Times
Nov. 16-22, 2007
Vol 16, No. 46
Buzz Davis
On Veterans Day, Sunday, Nov. 11, over 200 people gathered at Olbrich
Park on Atwood Avenue to honor the sacrifices made by the more than
4,300 American men and women who have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Speakers recognized those sacrifices and also remembered the hundreds
of thousands of Iraqi and Afghan civilians who have been killed. In
addition, Veterans for Peace (VFP) created a Memorial Mile to commemorate
those who died and to bring home to the rest of us the magnitude of
their sacrifice.
“We erected over 4,300 tombstones so that people can comprehend the
magnitude of this tragedy and reflect upon its meaning,” said VFP project
co-chair Richard Chamberlin, a Navy Vietnam veteran. The tombstones
remained in place all day Monday, Nov. 12, which was the official Veterans
Day this year, and were taken down by volunteers after 5 p.m. Members
of Veterans for Peace were present all night Sunday and all day Monday
to talk to anyone who wished to walk the Memorial Mile and talk.
“Tens of thousands of extended families in America have been wounded by
the loss of loved ones in the wars. Millions of families in Iraq and
Afghanistan suffer similar wounds, which may be a long time healing or
may never heal. The future of the hundreds of thousands of people who
have been killed are gone forever,” said Buzz Davis, a VFP member who
helped organize the event.
Over 50 volunteers turned out early Sunday morning to put the 4,300
replica tombstones along Atwood Avenue across from Olbrich Gardens. “The
effect of white tombstones stretching for nearly half a mile is
sobering,” Davis observed. “Drivers are stunned, and cars driving by just go
slower and slower as they begin to realize the extent of the death that
has taken place.”
A symbolic flag-draped coffin stood near the road, guarded by a sea of
white tombstones. Motorists and walkers were invited to stop and read
the roll call of Wisconsinites who gave their lives in these wars.
There was also a thought book in which people could write comments.
At the Sunday afternoon ceremony, Rev. David Couper, a former Marine
and a former Madison police chief, dedicated the ceremony by stressing
the sacrifices that have been made and urging forgiveness and efforts for
peace. Vietnam veteran Ray Maida spoke for his family about the loss
of their son and brother Army Sgt. Mark A. Maida, who was killed in Iraq
at age 22. Iraq Marine veteran Dan Kaufman explained the origin of
Armistice Day: It was to celebrate of the end of World War I, which was
to be “the war to end all wars.” But our history has been, instead, one
war after another.
Wisconsin National Guard Iraq veteran Abbie Pickett spoke movingly of
friends she had lost in combat and the battles that rage in the minds of
combat vets long after they have left the war zone, long after the
real war is over. Decorated Vietnam combat veteran Wil Williams spoke of
two important needs: to reorder our society away from glorifying the
military to young people, and to help youth understand that peace is
harder to achieve than war, but it must be worked for.
As a bagpipe played in the distance, peace activist Caroline Greenwald
asked people to come forward and read the roll call of those who have
died. A long line of young and old, men and women came to the
microphone to read, one by one, the rank, name, age, date of death and hometown
of the long list of those from Wisconsin who have died. Esty Dinur, an
Israeli Army veteran of the Yom Kippur War, closed the ceremony by
asking people to search their hearts and make a commitment to work for
peace. She asked all to join her in walking the Memorial Mile and placing
flowers on the tombstones of those who have given their lives.
Veterans for Peace is a national organization with chapters in most
states. Members include men and women from World War II, the Korean War,
the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as
well as other conflicts; peacetime veterans; and associate members.
“Our collective experience tells us wars are easy to start [but] hard to
stop, and those hurt are often the innocent,” VFP says. “Thus other
means of problem solving are necessary.”
Submitted by wnpj on Sun, 11/18/2007 - 9:38pm.