Flags stand for the fallen

Iraq Body Count Exhibit in Park Blocks

uses flags to emphasize war casualties

By: Kyle Chown

 

On Sunday morning,

while fresh dew still

lay undisturbed on the

South Park Block grass,

Air Force veteran David Ibbotson,

76, carefully bent down

 to drive a small red flag into the ground.

His aging knees softly cracked

as he paused briefly before placing it,

his eyes fixated on the flag.

Ibbotson continued to place flags--over 100

that morning--each reminding him

of how lucky he is to be alive.

"The idea is very powerful,"

Ibbotson said.

"When you see these flags displayed,

you get a striking visual

of the war's awfulness."

Ibbotson and many other volunteers,

ranging from retired teachers

to young children, worked last Sunday

to place well over 100,000 small flags

into the ground as part

of the Iraq Body Count Exhibit,

which is currently on display

across the campus Park Blocks.

This month brings the fifth anniversary

of the beginning of the Iraq War,

and the sea of red and white flags

are meant to visualize the

at least 655,000 Iraqi deaths

and 3,972 American deaths

that have resulted from the war,

event organizers say.

Each of the red flags

 represents five American casualties,

 and each of the white flags

represents at least five Iraqi casualties.

PSU student group, Students for Unity,

as well as Veterans for Peace,

volunteered to help set up

the display that will remain

on campus until March 20.

Dana Halverson,

Students for Unity coordinator,

along with Iraq Body Count-

Exhibit organizer,

Rudy Dietz both said

they feel that the Park Blocks

provide a perfect backdrop for the event.

"Until I saw the numbers displayed like this,

I really didn't understand

just how devastating

 the war had truly become,"

Halverson said.

"What's really unfortunate is

that we would ideally like to represent

 each individual with their own flag,

but in order to do so we would need

437,000 more flags,

and that's just for the Iraqis."

The Iraq Body Count Exhibit,

which organizers say

is meant to be nonpolitical,

makes its third return trip to Oregon,

 having visited University of Oregon

and Lewis and Clark College

in previous years.

 It was first displayed at

University of Colorado,

Boulder by the Rocky Mountain Peace

and Justice Center in October 2006.

As the exhibit travels

around the United States,

coordinators hope to collect enough money

to purchase more flags

so they can take the display

 to the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

"Were hoping that someday

soon we can travel

to Washington with enough flags

for an even one-to-one ratio," Dietz said.

 "At five cents per flag we are

 about $30,000 short right now,

but no one's giving up."

While students, local peace activists

and other community members

spent time placing all the white flags,

 veterans were encouraged

to place the red flags for fallen U.S. soldiers.

Grant Remington, who served in Vietnam,

is president emeritus of the 72nd chapter

of Veterans for Peace

and spent last Sunday afternoon

planting the display's flags

and swapping stories

 with other veterans.

Veterans for Peace

is a national organization

 that was founded in 1985,

and according to its Web site,

one of its goals is to increase public

 awareness about the costs of war.

"These flags symbolize

the total waste of life,

liberty and money," Remington said.

 "These people have lost their lives,

the people of Iraq have lost their liberties,

and we are all losing money because of this."

Remington said he still continues

 to look for signs of hope.

"Perhaps this will show that we,

as inhabitants of this world,

need to rise up

against the current bloody administrations

 everywhere," he said.

"The more people can see this exhibit,

the more it can provide

a visual wake-up call."

While Remington

and Ibbotson placed flags,

 a young boy with his father approached

the men and asked

what all the flags were for.

Remington gave the boy

a red flag to see

 if he would like

to place it in the ground.

He watched as the child

positioned the flag

next to all the others.

"Seeing him place the flag gave me

 more hope that our future generations

 can achieve universal peace

 and understanding," Remington said.

"The smallest of influences

 can lead to great change."

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Was that really necessary ?

I don't get it.

Is that the best way you guys could do?

Why can't you hang the flags at the

bulletins at all buildings at PSU?

Or maybe put them in each department

 where everyone can still see them

and not on the grass.

Why do you must hurt the grass by putting

thousands of flags on them

to get your expression/voice heard or healed?

Would you liked it if stitches put on your body?

White stitches for every five Iraq men died

Plus Red stitches for every five Americans died in Iraq?

Flags are just like stitches for the grass!!!!!

What did the grass do to people who died in Iraq?

They've done nothing to cause it to happen

Yet, you guys have become the ones

to harm the grass by putting flags

on their bodies that are painful to them.

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