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."

Elder said the event was made possible by an anonymous donor from Texas who contributed $20,000, used to pay for cardboard coffins and flags.

It took 75 volunteers six hours to put together the coffins, Elder said.

As of Friday, at least 1,104 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. At least 844 died as a result of hostile action, according to the Defense Department as of Friday. The figures include three military civilians.

© Copyright 2004 Associated Press

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