“ARLINGTON NEW YORK STATE” WAR MEMORIAL
STATEN ISLAND ACTIVISTS TO HOST “ARLINGTON NEW YORK STATE” WAR MEMORIAL, MARKING SIXTH ANNIVERSARY OF IRAQ WAR
(Photo: Debra Anderson / MDS)
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – Community organizers, local politicians and members of the clergy are uniting to mark the sixth anniversary of the Iraq War with a war memorial on Staten Island’s South Beach. This could be the most diverse ad hoc coalition the Island has seen and, according to organizers, is reflective of the country’s waning enthusiasm for war, particularly in light of the economic disaster that is the U.S. economy.
A war memorial for U.S. military personnel killed in Iraq and Afghanistan will be set up this weekend on Staten Island’s “South Beach”, next to the fishing pier and boardwalk, near the intersection of Father Capodanno Boulevard and Seaview Avenue. The memorial will be in place from 7 a.m. Saturday, March 14 to 5 p.m. on Sunday, March 15th. Visitors are welcome any time and there will be a press conference on Saturday at 1 p.m. Confirmed speakers at the conference include: Community Board One member Debi Rose, Elaine Brower and Debra Anderson of Military Families Speak Out, Hugh Bruce of Veterans For Peace (Chapter 34), Iris Bieri of the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), David Poleshuck of Peace Action Staten Island, Cheryl Wertz of Peace Action New York State and Thomas Good, a local journalist and member of Movement for a Democratic Society (MDS). Also invited to speak were Congressman Michael McMahon, Assemblywoman Janele Hyer-Spencer, State Senator Diane Savino, Reverend Tony Baker and Reverend Carolinas Demetrius.
Arlington West
(Photo: Veterans For Peace)
Modeling their memorial on the “Arlington West” exhibit maintained by Veterans For Peace in Santa Barbara, California, members of Movement for a Democratic Society’s Staten Island chapter have joined with Peace Action Staten Island and other local activists to produce a candlelit field of crosses in the sands of South Beach – each one representing a New York State resident killed in action in Iraq or Afghanistan. The memorial will also include the Eyes Wide Open display produced by the American Friends Service Committee. Eyes Wide Open is a collection of military boots and Iraqi civilian shoes, each tagged with the name of a victim of the Iraq War.
Among those speaking at the event is Marine Corps mom Elaine Brower, an activist with Military Families Speak Out (MFSO).
“Although it may seem as if the war in Iraq is winding down, or out of the public eye, it is very much still a war and occupation. Last week alone 4 soldiers were killed, and over 50 civilians in 2 suicide bombings. As long as we continue to have 142,000 soldiers, and just as many mercenaries occupying a country, there will be resistance from those who do not want us there. We have witnessed 6 years of war in Iraq with almost 4,300 soldiers killed, 350,000 returning with permanent wounds like “Traumatic Brain Injury”, PTSD, limbs lost, blindness, and a whole host of horrible tragedies inflicted — for what? It is unacceptable to keep any troops in Iraq, most of them on their 3rd or 4th tours, even for one more day. We owe that much to the Iraqi people whose country we have completely destroyed and families we have devastated forever. We consider this memorial a wake up call to those who see it that lives and dollars are still being wasted, no matter what the president is telling them,” Brower said.
Brower’s son, Marine Sergeant James Brower, is on his third tour in a combat theatre, having been deployed to Iraq twice in recent years.
Freelance photojournalist Thomas Good will emerge from behind the lens to speak.
“I cover progressive politics, especially the peace movement and civil rights. I am concerned that the ‘Obama is the savior, Obama is the anti-Christ’ debate, currently raging in progressive circles, misses its own point,” Good said. “The dialogue should not be about whether we should support Obama or whether he should play footsies with the hard Right — it should be about avoiding costly mistakes. The Soviet Union fell into a Vietnam type trap when it invaded Afghanistan, we should not repeat that error — particularly as we exploited their strategic blunder for our own purposes. In my view, Americans should be talking about how to get our people home, how to avoid going bankrupt and restoring the rule of law in the U.S. And that discussion should include Republicans and Democrats — as well as Greens and other progressives. From my perspective, the Arlington New York exhibit should be a call to action — to bring the troops home now,” he added.
“In the simplest terms, this memorial represents American deaths in two wars that should have never been. Each cross, each star and crescent, each pair of boots reminds us not only of what we’ve lost but what we might lose still in wars that are ongoing. These soldiers should be with us now. They should be sitting with their families on the beach, walking their dogs along the boardwalk, not being memorialized in sand,” said Devra Morice of Movement for a Democratic Society.
The backgrounds of the various speakers are as divergent as the organizations they represent and organizers are hopeful that this unique event will mark the beginning of a conversation about moving beyond the wars of the Bush administration that have devastated the U.S. economy and cost an untold number of lives — a conversation that will include all points of view.