Today is the anniversary of the beginning of the Iraq War, the night George W. Bush got on TV and told the American people that he was going to save us from Saddam Hussein’s plans to obliterate the US with his nuclear weapons and we had to stop him before he killed us all.
Let us not forget the lies we were told, the betrayal they represented, or the brave and selfless souls who (inadvertantly) gave their lives for those lies. Not to mention the over one million Iraqis who have died from our deeds and misdeeds.
And, unfortunately the losses continue. Just today came the news that another Oklahoma soldier was killed.
If you can, attend one of these local events to show your respect for all the tragic and senseless horror, and to continue the vigilance to end this war.
Iraq War 6th Year Memorials Planned in Oklahoma City
Two Oklahoma Fathers of Fallen Soldiers
Speak Out About Human Cost of WarThe March 19, six-year anniversary of the start of the U.S. war in Iraq will be commemorated in Oklahoma City with memorial events, public vigils, and a silent memorial walk, according to planners. Peace House Director Nathaniel Batchelder said that the tone of events planned this year is more to seek higher wisdom to make the world less violent and more humane, and less to tell Washington, D.C., what to do.
Batchelder said, “We are hopeful that a new administration and Congress can resolve the Middle East conflicts with more diplomacy and less violence.”
On Saturday, March 21, a memorial vigil with activists holding signs calling for peace in the Middle East, will be held from 10 a.m. to noon on the northeast corner of the intersection of Meridian Avenue and Northwest Expressway. The public is invited to bring signs expressing their own hopes for peace, Batchelder said.
On Sunday, March 22, a silent memorial walk will begin at 2 p.m., from Civic Center Park, downtown Oklahoma City, at 201 N. Walker. Speakers will set the tone of the walk, and the route will encircle the Murrah Building National Memorial and return to the park. “In Oklahoma City, we know that one bomb is too many,” Batchelder said. A display of boots symbolizing the deaths of U.S. troops in Iraq will be part of the event, provided by members of the American Friends Service Committee. Speakers include John Scripsick and Warren Henthorn, who both lost their sons in the Iraq war, Daniel Sandate, Iraq veteran and Reggie Cervantes, 9/11 rescue worker, from Yukon. Rev Lance Schmitz, of the First Nazarene Church of Oklahoma City, will lead attendees in a reading of the names of Oklahomans fallen in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.On the following Tuesday, March 24th, Oklahoma City Community College has events planned after students return from spring break. Call Steve Morrow, OCCC Advocates for Peace, at (405) 682-1611 x 7350 for more information.