1,100 flag drapped coffins line the reflecting pool at Linclon Monument

[ElsewheresDaughter]

More than 1,100 flag-draped symbolic coffins line the reflecting pool at the base of the Lincoln Memorial on Saturday, Oct. 23, 2004 in Washington. The tribute is in honor of the American service men and women who have been killed in Iraq to date. In the background is the Washington Monument. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/1024-03.htm

Protesters Pay Tribute to Fallen Troops


WASHINGTON - A small group of war protesters paid tribute to the troops who died in Iraq by setting up more than 1,100 flag-draped cardboard coffins in front of the Lincoln Memorial on Saturday.


More than 1,100 flag-draped symbolic coffins line the reflecting pool at the base of the Lincoln Memorial on Saturday, Oct. 23, 2004 in Washington. The tribute is in honor of the American service men and women who have been killed in Iraq to date. In the background is the Washington Monument. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

The coffins stretched halfway down each side of the reflecting pool. At 1 p.m., members of the Iraq War Memorial Coalition read the names of the people who were killed and then played taps.

Pat Elder, who helped organize the event, said the 75-member coalition was formed two weeks ago by people who belonged to the Quaker faith, Veterans for Peace and Military Families Speak Out.

"We just wanted to get across the idea that there's a human cost to this war," said Elder, 49, who owns a real estate title company in Bethesda, Md. "We're not the radical ones. We are moderates, We're not all antiwar, we're just against this war."

[trof]

1. "Breaking news on CNN"

Yeah...right.
:eyes:

[olebrowser]

2. posted without comment

Weekly Update 15 Oct 04

Ladies,

It is with the deepest sadness and most profound grief that I must report to you the loss of Daniel Wyatt, LCpl, Fox Co, 2nd Bn, 24th Marines, USMC. Daniel was killed in the line of duty, while conducting foot patrolling operations in Yusufiyah Iraq. Daniel was killed by a command detonated improvised explosive device. He died instantly, suffered no pain and was immediately recovered by his fellow Marines.

My command security element and I personally recovered Daniel's body and escorted him back to the forward operating base, and then onto the helicopter for the beginning of his final ride home. I cannot even begin to express to you the soul touching sight of combat hardened Marines, encrusted with weeks of sweat and dust, who have daily been engaged in combat, coming to complete and utter solemnity and respect in the handling of the body of one of their own. It puts on display a level of brotherly love you just cannot see anywhere else.

We conducted a memorial service for Daniel in the battle space owned by his fellow Marines, as well as one the following day at the battalion forward operating base. I have spoken with his fiancée and expressed the sorrow and sympathy of the entire Battalion.

If I might for a moment, I hear and see some of the media coverage. I hear the accusations and charges. I hear what could almost be labeled as hysteria over the situation in Iraq. Let me tell you something from ground level. The town of Yusufiyah that Daniel and his fellow Marines seized, had not seen government structure or security forces for over 8 months. FOREIGN FIGHTERS, TERRORIST AND THUGS have had free reign and have routinely murdered people in the market for no reason other than one day they MIGHT support a democratic process and speak for themselves. For nothing more than they MIGHT choose a version of religion even slightly different than the terrorists and foreign fighters. They live in squalor and fear. The Marines of Daniel's unit have not had a shower since seizing the town. They have eaten MREs day in and day out. They live a Spartan existence that few can imagine. And, on all my trips to their position for planning, coordination and command visits, I ask them if they want to be relieved. To a man, they look me in the eye and tell me NO WAY. Why? Well, I am not going to soften it for anyone, the primary reason why is to kill terrorists. Please remember, that is what they are trained and paid to do. But, they also tell me, they want to help the people of Yusufiyah. They want to show all of Iraq that they can stand on their own feet, push back against extremism, and with our help live the life of freedom that all men yearn for. Yes, from the mouths of these young and hardened warriors, this is what they tell me. And then...and then...they ask me how I am doing! Un-freaking believable! They worry about everyone else but themselves.

So believe what you want. That is your right as Americans. But I am telling you, there are no heroes on any football fields, basketball courts or halls of government. There are honorable and decent people all over America. However, the heroes are on the battlefields of Iraq. Suffering, killing and DYING that others might live, and live in FREEDOM. Americans free from terror, Iraqis free from oppression and tyranny.

I am an under-educated gun toter from Indiana who is just lucky there is an organization like the USMC where a half-wit like myself with some rudimentary combat skills can succeed. But I do know heroes! I am surrounded by over a thousand of them. And I am not the least bit ashamed to tell you I have wept like a baby for Daniel Wyatt. Because when one of these heroes falls, it is if an Angel of God himself has fallen from heaven! I will not profess glory of battle or any other such hype. I will profess duty and sacrifice. Daniel showed us all true duty and ultimate sacrifice. I have no doubt that the instant he died, he was whisked to heaven on the wings of Angels and placed before the unapproachable light of Jesus, who himself said: "greater love hath no man, than a man lay down his life for his friends."

GOD BLESS AND KEEP DANIEL WYATT, HIS FAMILY AND FIANCEE AND GOD BLESS AND KEEP ALL THE FAMILIES OF 2/24.


Yours in profound sadness Mark A. Smith, LtCol TF 2/24 Cmdr Mahmudiyah, Iraq

[Hubert Flottz]

3. It's too bad those fine brave young Americans are there in the ...

first place, over a pack of lies and because KKKarl Rove thought a War President could win the election in 2004! It's what fuels my total disgust for the liars that caused this, for their own personal and political gain! The neocons used the build up to the war in Iraq to win seats in the Senate in 2002!

Saddam was in the bag and had been for ten years! No WMDs! No Connection to the 9/11 terrorists! No yellow cake from Niger! No Mobile CB warfare Trucks! No drone aircraft off the coast of the US! No imminent threat from Iraq to the US mainland! NO EXCUSE FOR THE WAR IN IRAQ!

People are still dying by the hundreds in Iraq just like when Saddam ran the place! The only things Bush has done, is stir up a hornet's nest and trash America's good name abroad! The Prison torture will serve to cause the American GI to fear torture and death, if he or she is taken by the enemy! By throwing the Geneva Convention out the window, Bush has put these Americans in far more danger in Iraq or anywhere else they end up fighting! Bush stood up in front of the WORLD and smirked and pranced and said to the terrorists to, "Bring It On"! Well they have 'brought it on' and it isn't pretty and it isn't nice!

Bush has failed the troops! The troops were lied to just like the rest of the world was! A good commander tells it like it is! A good commander NEVER runs away from the truth, or anything else when the chips are down! The bad apples are the ones who caused this killing!

How many tears do you think Karl, George, Dick, Donald, Paul and the rest of the neo-conservatives have shed for the troops? Not a thimble full, I'd bet you! They even smuggle the Hero's bodies back home at night and behind tall barbed wire and chain link fences, as if they were ashamed of them and their great service to America!

There is no honor, among the thieves and liars who have brought this upon or kids!

[ezekiel333]

5. Source

Can you send me a source for this? I'd like to post it other places.

Welcome to the DU!

Best regards,
Gunny C


<http://floridapatriots.com/semper_fi.htm>

[ElsewheresDaughter]

6. another photo ..,.great pic i grab off your site floridapatriots.com

hope you don't mind...your site is GREAT!thank you!

[ezekiel333]

15. That came from here...

<http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x2531741>

Grab whatever you want, if it's on the site feel free to use it.

And thank you for the compliment regarding the site. It's not much, but some areas get high traffic and that helps spread the word.

[Dark]

9. Welcome to DU olebowser!

:hi:

So powerful and touching.

[olebrowser]

17. hi

Thx happy to be here

[VOX]

10. This story is being posted all over the Internet...

Here, for instance:
http://66.102.7.104/search?q=cache:8xlHXSBcxSIJ:www.jrlago.com/+%22I+am+an+under-educated+gun+toter%22&hl=en

Are you in some way related to Lance Cpl. Daniel R. Wyatt?

[ezekiel333]

16. Interesting site...

olebrowser seems to surf some disturbing places.

[Hubert Flottz]

4. If any thread should be on the front burner, this one should!

That is one of the best war protests I EVER saw!

Peaceful and yet very powerful photo!

This makes me very sad, because I have some friends and family in Iraq!

Thanks for posting the photo!

[Karenina]

7. I wanna know about

Major *media coverage of this in the U.S. WHO SAW IT?

[Hubert Flottz]

11. DU was the first place I saw it!

The media is covering for Shrub again!

[Dark]

8. HOW THE HELL DO I NOT KNOW ABOUT THIS?

How can the media possibly ignore this?

:grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr:

[symbolman]

12. FANTASTIC

If anyone is interested when I was in NYC in November of 2003 I created a coffin from black paper and cardboard, walked it down Times Square and placed it at the foot of the Enlistment Center right in the middle of the street, draped it with a flag and flower and argued with the ARMY guy that came out -- he called the cops and we left, but we made our point and S L O W Walked it back to hotel like a New Orleans parade.

I was going to create instructions for making a coffin for people to place in their city centers but this display at the Lincoln Monument is Magnificent..

Here's the video of it our Times Square protest - Called "Warnography"

http://www.takebackthemedia.com/warnography.html

[Hubert Flottz]

13. One more bump!

:kick:

[Robin Hood]

14. Watching the news all day, and I hear about this here on DU.

American media disgusts me. My god! look at all those lives lost for nothing.

[Hubert Flottz]

18. RE: "My god! look at all those lives lost for nothing."

It's not for nothing! We here in America have got ourselves a "WAR PRESIDENT!" KKKarl said in public, that war is good politics! The Neocons can keep the fear level up with a war going on! Rummy said they had bombed all the good targets in Afghanistan, so we needed to invade Iraq to give the guys a better choice of targets to strike! Now that Iraq is about flattened too, I guess Iran is next on the list of things to bomb! After Iran it's anybody's guess, but the Neocons have said that this will be a long and perhaps never ending war! I guess they need to keep it going until they can scare the people into voting for Jeb in 2008 and 2012!

So you see, it's not for nothing, it's just good GOP politics!

[ElsewheresDaughter]

19. why didn't this even get a blip in the news kick?

[Karenina]

20. Cyberspace kick

for anyone who missed it.