Comment on the vigil by http://www.thepaladinblog.com, a pro-war
Blog
On Wednesday October 26th at 7PM I attended a candlelight vigil in
Alameda, CA. to mark the death of the 2000th service member in Iraq. The
event was organized by Julie Rufo of The American Friends Service
Committee's " Not One More Death. Not One More Dollar." campaign.
I skipped dinner tonight, and drove the couple of miles to the Alameda
City Hall. To be truthful with you, I expected to see a typical radical
anti-war rally. What I found was a quiet, respectful event that payed
honor to my fallen brothers and sisters. Absent were the hateful
anti-Bush/ anti-government posters. No where to be seen were the rows of
information tables passing out literature promoting every radical agenda
on earth. Missing were the screaming bull horn speeches and chants. What
was present were Americans exercising their right peaceful assembly and
speech.
The vigil began promptly at 7PM, and after a brief statement by the
vigil leader about the purpose of the gathering, the group of 80-100
people observed a very touching 20 minutes of silence. In the center of
the circle of people was a simple peace sign made up of shoes and
candles. A pair of combat boots served as the center of the peace sign.
A modest sign simply stated the fact that for every American death, 50
Iraqis have died.
I said a long prayer
to my honored brothers and sisters during the silence, and spent the
rest of the quiet time observing the people. These were folks from all
walks of life, who had simply made time in their busy day to stop and
remember the fallen.
After the moments of silence, one observer sang an appropriate song
accompanied by her guitar. Next the group was lead in a dance around the
peace sign. The event ended with thanks to the crowd for coming, and in
the only remotely political statement the group sang the anti-war
standard "Blowin' In The Wind".
And that was it. I was moved by this very tasteful and solemn
remembrance. As someone that has served for over two and a half decades,
I can tell you that the members of our armed forces were honored here.
I disagree with the anti-war movement. I support the war in Iraq, and my
governments decision to fight. But I also respect the right of our
citizens to disagree, and I will say up front that I respect the event
organized this night in one small California town.
