You are hereDover to D.C. Procession: March 14-15
Dover to D.C. Procession: March 14-15
Mourn the Dead, Heal the Wounded, End the War
On the first anniversary of the United States' attack on Iraq, as the death toll continues to rise, the Fellowship of Reconciliation-USA joins other nonviolent peace and veterans' groups in honoring those who have lost their lives in this reckless war. And while remembering the fallen, we renew our unwavering opposition to the war, and our belief in nonviolent resolutions to all conflict.
The FOR endorses the Dover to D.C. Procession planned for Sunday March 14 and Monday, March 15. It starts with a prayer ceremony at Dover Air Force Base, where the war dead arrive, continues the next day to Walter Reed Army Hospital, where the wounded reside, and ends at the White House, where participants will deliver their message to end the violence.
While President Bush was delivering his infamous "Mission Accomplished" photo op last May 1, the post-invasion death toll was already climbing. Since then, the numbers of dead and injured have become such an embarrassment to the Administration and to many in the media that they are relegated to news "briefs" - impersonal, faceless statistics of this roadside explosion, that helicopter downing, this ambush or that suicide bombing.
The Iraqi death toll is treated even more dismissively. One hundred at this Shiite holy place. Thirty-five policemen here. Fifty-two army recruits there. Civilians standing outside the coalition headquarters in hopes of finding employment. Appalling loss of life that is reduced to body counts while news blackouts shield hospitals overflowing with the wounded. And let us not forget the dead of nations other than the United States and Iraq. Among the fallen are United Nations staffers, British, Ukrainian and Spanish soldiers, aid workers and Italian policemen.
They are not statistics. They are someone's brothers and sisters, husbands and wives, sons, daughters and friends. Let us honor them in the best possible way: By opposing war and at the same time mourning the fallen. Let us keep them in our minds and hearts as we move towards the Global Day of Protest on March 20.
Go to the following website for links to information, schedule, and directions.
©2004 Fellowship of Reconciliation
