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Vigil of Remembrance and Hope |
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Peace Vigil of Remembrance and Hope to Mark the 5th Year of the Iraq War, March 19, 2008
 Peter Carleton
 Sen. Ed Meyer
Carl Balestracci urged the audience to “wage peace.” He said the Iraq war had been begun “under questionable circumstances at best” and that we need to bring a new direction to our country and the world. Carl brought stones from Omaha Beach to commemorate those who gave their lives in WWII and a stone from Little Round Top, Gettysburg to honor those who died in the Civil War to place on the Cairn.
Pat Widlitz brought the costs of this war home by speaking of the 11, 836 soldiers from Connecticut who are serving, both in active duty and reserves, in the Iraq war. She reminded the audience of the 12 billion dollars each month that is being spent on the war that could be spent on the needs of senior citizens, education and other needed services. We hold our soldiers in our hearts, she said, and pray for their safe return.
Deb Heinrich emphasized the personal impact of the war. She spoke of “the very human toll” and listed the names and ages of the soldiers who have been killed so far this month. She emphasized the cost to their families and asked us to note their ages. The oldest was 29; the youngest 19.
Stanley Welch, from Rosa DeLauro’s office, read a statement from the Congresswoman. The statement provided insight into what is being done about the war. He. thanked our soldiers for their service and said that it was time to force Iraq to take responsibility for its future. He said that our engagement in Iraq undermined the war on terrorism and that DeLauro had introduced a bill that would prevent President Bush from making future security commitments in Iraq without congressional approval. The letter can be read at http://www.house.gov/delauro
Ned Lamont was a surprise visitor who spoke briefly of the spunk of the Guilford group since so many other gatherings had been cancelled because of the weather. He then said that this war was a “terrible choice for this country” and that his opposition to it is what got him involved in politics two and a half years ago. He urged us to “keep the pressure on.”
Bob Rains said our commemoration of five years of war in Iraq was fundamentally different from the other memorials because we were gathered to remember not just the Americans who have died but also the coalition forces and the hundreds of thousands of Iraqis who have lost their lives. He said we are the people of hope. We need to let or leaders know that we want the killing to stop, we want the torture to stop and we want the constitution to be upheld now.
In the ceremony that followed the speakers, we placed individual stones to commemorate those who died in past wars and then invited participants to place stones in remembrance of the Iraq war dead.
PattyAnn Meyer, Daniella Koksch, Shannon Clarkson, Keith Bishop, Sandra Wiens, Carl Balestracci, Bob Harms, and Linda Lance placed stones.
We sang songs typical of those sung in several of the wars. From “America” and the “Battle Hymn of the Republic” to “Where Have All the Flowers Gone,” our songs expressed both our love for our country and the longing for peace. We ended with “God Bless the World We Love,” a song whose global reach captured our expanded view of our relationships with others around the world.
Patty Ann Meyer ended the ceremony by passing out seeds of hope for participants to take home.
PAJ members Nancy Mann, and Sally Koslick helped make the event go smoothly and several members of First Church spontaneously assisted when unanticipated needs arose, Peter Carleton, willingly came forward to lead songs. David Colton fixed the PA system on the spot, in the rain. Members of our church choir made the songs as beautiful as they were important. Though it was hard to identify people under their umbrellas in their rain gear, the warm presence of Linda Carleton, Barbara Johnson, Marjorie and David Colton, Liza Catino, Betsy and Clyde Work, and Susan Murtha was keenly felt. Many members of other local organizations also helped out. Former state representative and selectwoman Jan Poss, and Mary Strieff from Unitarian Society were strong supporters as was Laurie Santos president of Shoreline League of Democratic Women and Anita from the Peace Alliance.
No doubt those who participated in the ceremony held a range of beliefs about this war and those who fight in it. Some believe that war is never justified; others that this war alone was a terrible mistake. We hope this ceremony provided a framework for some of those feelings especially the anxiety that we feel for our troops, most of whom are, as Deb Heinrich pointed out, so very young.
Some of our most complex feelings seem to center around how we can be against this war, how we can insist that our leaders change course and end it, and, at the same time, still hold our troops in our hearts and value those who have already sacrificed their lives in combat. But moral responsibility for war has always rested with the leaders. We rely on them, as Senator Meyer said, “to make the decision with greatest caution and only when facing the loss of fundamental freedoms.”
Historically, soldiers have been the greatest advocates for peace. From the revolutionaries who fought to bring about a government that would rule by discussion and consensus, to the First World War soldiers who hoped that they were fighting the war to end all wars, the greatest hope of every battle has been for peace. We believe this time in history provides special reasons to believe that their dreams of peace and ours, can become a reality.
Today the Internet provides a means of communication and education that revolutionary patriots never dreamed of. Psychology and social and biological sciences have provided us with an understanding of human needs and behavior and the causes of war. Our space explorations and global economy have shown us that our planet is small, and we are all in this together. So, today, we have the means, the knowledge and the motivation to resolve problems together using non-violent methods.
Today, we can, with genuine hope, and pragmatic expectation recommit ourselves as Bob Raines said, to being a people of peace - to using non violent methods of conflict resolution and to let our elected officials, the world, and especially our next president know that we want them to use diplomacy and negotiation, not bombs, to solve problems.
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