On Tuesday, the Washington University Peace Coalition and Washington University’s branch of Amnesty International will host a candlelight vigil to commemorate the more than 4,000 American deaths that have occurred in the Iraq war.
The vigil will also be in remembrance of the fallen Iraqi soldiers and civilians.
The vigil will occur on the Swamp at 7 p.m. Jewish, Muslim and Catholic leaders will attend and speak. Excerpts will also be read from the journals and letters of American soldiers currently in Iraq in order to share soldiers’ experiences.
Representatives from both Amnesty International and the Washington University Peace Coalition (WUPC) say that the vigil is about nothing more than remembering those who have died as a result of the war. Both deny any political motive or message in the vigil.
“The idea of the vigil is just about remembrance of these people. We are keeping politics out of it,” Lauren Hosek, of Amnesty International, said. “Whatever your politics are, it’s a huge tragedy that 4,000 people died. On top of that, we want people to take a moment to look at the counterpart, which is the Iraqi people who have died.”
Sophomore Todd Zimmer of WUPC said that the event would be politically neutral and meant primarily for the catharsis of its attendees.
“In honor of the soldiers whose lives have been lost, it’s important to have a grieving ceremony where people can gather together and think about the people we’re losing in Iraq,” Zimmer said. “If that makes them think more, that’s good, but that’s not necessarily our goal.”
The Peace Coalition decided to avoid political overtones out of a sense of respect.
“We didn’t think it would be appropriate to take a political stand. As a group, we are mindful of the sacrifices others are making,” Zimmer said. “Holding a vigil would be an appropriate way to recognize the milestone and to remind students of the sacrifice, without a political message.”
The excerpts from the journals and letters of American soldiers currently serving overseas are one way the Peace Coalition hopes to connect the students to the war personally and remind them of the sacrifices others have made.
“We are really just trying to get people to think about this and think about people who have been touched by this tragedy,” Hosek said. “Whether you support the war or not, you want the killing to stop. Politics are not in that.”
The 4,000th American death occurred on March 23, when four American soldiers were killed in a roadside bombing in Iraq. Since then, fatalities have continued. As of April 10, the Department of Defense has confirmed 4,032 American deaths in the Iraq war.
The exact number of Iraqi civilian deaths is unknown, but the Iraq Body Count, to be found at www.iraqbodycount.org, estimates it to be somewhere between 82,725 and 90,251 people.