Hundreds Gather on Washington's National Mall over Mother's Day Weekend to Honor and Mourn Thousands of Iraq War Casualties

Three years after President Bush first declared the “end of major combat operations in Iraq” thousands continue to die.

To urge Congress to halt the mounting death toll, organizations representing military families, veterans, Iraq war survivors and peace activists unite for Silence of the Dead, Voices of the Living, a march and procession on Saturday, May 13, at 11:30 a.m., on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

It’s designed to send a message to Congress: “Bring our troops home now.”

Iraq war veterans, survivors of previous wars, Iraqis and military families who lost loved ones will form a silent procession -- solemnly marching to mourn the lives lost. After the march, they will share personal stories and reflections on the tragic human cost of the Iraq war.

Silence of the Dead, Voices of the Living takes place under the backdrop of the American Friends Service Committee’s widely acclaimed traveling exhibition: Eyes Wide Open: The Human Cost of War, which will be on display at the National Mall, May 11 -- 14. Eyes Wide Open features a pair of combat boots for each U.S. military casualty in the Iraq war. The exhibit provides an engaging environment where visitors may pay respect to all lives lost in Iraq, reflect on their feelings about our involvement there, and take measure of the meaning of sacrifice. Everyone is invited.

A special tribute designed to commemorate the estimated 100,000 Iraqi civilians who have died reminds us of the story not often told -- the effects of war on the men, women and children of Iraq. The names of Iraqi civilians and U.S. service personnel killed in the war will be read daily.

While the Pentagon keeps no official tally of civilian deaths, war’s impact on the Iraqi people is tragic and real. A thought-provoking addition to the exhibition, based on the average number of U.S. military and Iraqi civilians killed per week in Iraq, will offer a stark, visual reminder of the lives that will be lost if the war continues.

WHAT: Silence of the Dead, Voices of the Living, a silent march and procession, featuring military families, veterans, Iraqi civilians and others who have borne the tragic human cost of the Iraq war

WHEN: May 13 at 11:30 a.m.

WHERE: National Mall, Washington, D.C.

WHY: Three years of war have taken a tremendous toll. More than 2,300 U.S. military personnel and tens of thousands of Iraqi civilians have died. Silence of the Dead, Voices of the Living highlights a call for Congress to stop the war and end the U.S. military presence in Iraq.

Part of the American Friends Service Committee’s Eyes Wide Open: The Human Cost of War, on display May 11-14 at the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

Sponsored by:

The American Friends Service Committee ( http://www.afsc.org )

Gold Star Families for Peace ( http://www.gsfp.org )

Gold Star Families Speak Out ( http://www.gsfso.org )

Iraq Veterans Against the War ( http://www.ivaw.net )

Military Families Speak Out ( http://www.mfso.org )

September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows ( http://www.peacefultomorrows.org )

Veterans For Peace ( http://www.veteransforpeace.org )

Vietnam Veterans Against the War ( http://www.vvaw.org )

For more information on Silence of the Dead, Voices of the Living, visit http://www.afsc.org/eyes

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