The announcement of the death of the 2000th US soldier by the Iraq Coalition Casualty Count, which provides statistics based on official U.S. casualty reports, sparked numerous protests in Washington, DC Wednesday evening.

Pentagon officials attempted to downplay the significance of the number.

“It’s an ‘artificial mark’ on the wall,” Lieutenant Colonel Steve Boylan, Pentagon spokesperson said in an e-mail from Baghdad. “The 2,000th soldier, sailor, airman, or Marine that is killed in action is just as important as the first that died and will be just as important as the last to die in this war against terrorism.”

Gael Murphy of Code Pink - DC took issue with the idea of an “artificial mark.”

“We want to demonstrate what the magnitude of 2,000 bodies here in front of the White House,” she said. “This event is a way for people to express their remorse over the dead soldiers and tens of thousands of dead Iraqis.”

Murphy, whose group holds a vigil every Friday in front of Walter Reed Hospital, hoped the gathering would help remind Americans of the losses suffered in the conflict.

“We hope to raise awareness and give people a stronger step in their opposition,” she said. “Some of those present tonight will not get up, and will thus be arrested. It is illegal to remain motionless in front of the White House.”

One group, however, showed up to support President Bush and the war in Iraq. Todd Evans, of DC Free Republic, spoke out against the evening’s protests.

“These protesters are aiding and abetting terrorists,” he said, speaking for about a dozen counter-protesters. “We should be supporting the troops who are in Iraq, and not undermining them through these theatrics.”

Code Pink’s Murphy disagreed with the assessment of people like Evans.

“The invasion of Iraq was certainly an aid to terrorists,” she said. “I don’t think that people opposing an unjust war are aiding and abetting the terrorists; the longer we remain in Iraq, the more that terrorists will want to strike American targets.”

Officially, the 2000th dead soldier was Staff Sgt. George T. Alexander Jr., 34, of Killeen, Texas, who died Saturday in San Antonio of injuries sustained on October 17.

One of the most recognizable faces in among the hundreds of protesters was Cindy Sheehan, who represents the Gold Star Families for Peace. She expressed dissatisfaction with the amount of media attention focused on her.

“The focus should not be on me, but on this illegal and immoral war,” she said. “All I have ever wanted from the very beginning is for our kids to come home.”
Sheehan, whose son Casey died in the Iraq conflict, participated in the “die-in” to bring attention to what she called the “failed policies” of the Bush administration.

“I don’t know how many Americans are going to join me in this act of civil disobedience,” she said. “This gathering will graphically depict the 2,000 US soldiers who died in an immoral war.”

Also joining the protesters was Kevin Zeese, a candidate for the US Senate from Maryland.

“Congress and the President are ignoring the wishes of two-thirds of Americans who want an end to this illegal war,” said Zeese. “I have a friend who served in Iraq; he went over being a supporter of President Bush, but he returned convinced that this is a war that cannot be won.”

As many as 150 protesters gathered on the Virginia side of the Memorial Bridge. The group crossed the Potomac and met up with another wave of people similar in size; the combined forces then proceeded to the White House.

Dozens of protesters engaged in the “die-in” on the sidewalk on this chilly October evening. Approximately two dozen of the “dead” were arrested by the Park Police for failing to move from in front of the White House.

Katie Nelson, with DAWN (DC Anti-War Network), said that her group wanted to help continue to get the word out about the Bush administration’s Middle East policies. DAWN organized the Memorial Bridge gathering.

“We wanted to be a small part of a movement galvanized this week,” she said. “The two thousand soldiers who have died, plus over 100,000 Iraqis who have been killed, can best be honored through a peaceful vigil like this.”

Nelson said that, contrary to the rhetoric of the administration, the surest way to protect the safety of Americans is through a sensible exit strategy from Iraq.

“The sooner we have a timetable for leaving, the more likely that violence will decrease,” she said.

Administration officials have consistently refused to denote a timetable for exiting Iraq.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, speaking to reporters last week, reiterated the administration’s timetable recalcitrance, while denying that the US presence has led to an increase in terrorist activity.

“I simply don’t agree our its our presence feeding the insurgency,” she said. “We’ve been very clear that we don’t want to stay. That’s a different matter than giving a timetable for when we think we will leave.”

The development of permanent bases (or “enduring,” in Pentagon-speak) in Iraq, however, might suggest that US intentions in Iraq are, indeed, to remain in the region for many years.

How many more candlelight vigils will be held before the war in Iraq is over? How many more US soldiers will have to return home in body bags, Dr. Rice?

And how many Iraqi children will have to grow up learning that violence, poverty, and hopelessness are “normal?”

Submitted by Michael Brooks
Photos by Isis

This entry was posted on Thursday, October 27th, 2005 at 7:45 am by Jason Kucsma. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.