'Silent march' of footprints to remember war dead

'Silent march' of footprints to remember war dead
March 2005

Over 1,500 US military personnel have been killed so far in the American invasion and occupation of Iraq, along with more than 100,000 Iraqis. To restore the human dimension to such statistics, a "Silent March" commemorating the dead, and the second anniversary of the current phase of the war, will take place on Gainesville's Downtown Plaza on Saturday, March 19, from 2 to 7 PM. Featuring photos and a brief description of the lives and deaths of each fatality (as available), plus a banner with a bootprint for each individual that comes to more than a quarter-mile in length, the Silent March is a personalized tribute to the fallen. Intended as a gesture of respect, this memorial allows the faces and stories shown to speak for themselves, free of statistical abstraction and political justifications. Hundreds of other observances will be held around the nation on the same day. Volunteers are invited to assist with this display before, during, and after its hours of exhibition: please contact Mark Mayfield at 372-1797 or mvmptr@yahoo.com.