We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved ...
- John McCrae
(Click to see enlarged photos)
From Friday, September 30, to Sunday, October 2, the traveling exhibit Eyes Wide Open was on display on the lawn of the Portage County courthouse in Ravenna, Ohio. Each pair of boots represented an Ohio soldier killed in the Iraq war. Sponsored by the American Friends Service Committee and the Portage Democratic Coalition, this exhibit honored all those - soldiers, civilians, Americans, and Iraqis - who have been killed or injured since this war began.
A display of shoes represented the Iraqi civilians who have died in this war.
Desert boots represented an Ohio soldier missing in action.
A blanket of poppies, one flower for each of the injured.
Some people who came to see the exhibit walked quietly among the rows of boots, bending to look at the names and pictures; others were so moved that they could only look at the ranks from a distance. Some, like a young man who came to find the names of two friends, left in tears.
Visitors were of all ages and backgrounds. Some were sad, some were angry, some were outspoken, and some were quiet, but the common thread between them was their sorrow over this war and its terrible cost in human lives.
Sadly, another pair of boots had to be added to the exhibit on Saturday, in memory of another Ohio soldier who died that day.
As night fell Saturday, there was a candlelight vigil on the courthouse lawn. It was attended by approximately sixty people, each holding a candle and standing in silence.
Barbara Gaskins, one of those instrumental in bringing the exhibit to Portage County, rang a bell in the evening stillness, one peal for each soldier.
Seeing these rows of boots, arranging them in their ranks each morning, and putting them away each night, was a sobering and deeply moving experience. The boots became a personification of the soldiers, and we handled them gently and with reverence. One woman said that, after reading one name, she felt compelled to read all of them, so that "no one would be left out."
A woman donated the use of all the votive holders that lined the steps of the courthouse after dark.
The kindness of people was evident throughout the weekend. A man from a restaurant across the street was too moved to walk among the boots, but offered the volunteers free food. Another man offered to sleep next to the exhibit trailer, to keep watch over it. A waitress in a nearby diner told us how much she appreciated the exhibit.
Kindness, goodness, empathy.
We will end this war.