The terrible cost of war

On Memorial Day we visited the Eyes Wide Open memorial, displayed this weekend in a Chicago park. The memorial uses thousands of pairs of boots laid out like a cemetery, each pair labeled with the name of an American service man or woman who has died in the Iraq war. It was a very touching tribute and protest. I found it especially disturbing to read the ages on the name plates and see so many people cut down in their 20s or younger. And of course what is even more horrific is the realization that for every American that has died in the war, nearly 20 times that number of Iraqis have been slain.

The memorial is the work of the American Friends (Quakers) Service Committee, who provide more information at their web site.