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Fernando Suarez del Solar, father of lost soldier Jesus Alberto Suarez del Solar, addresses visitors. |
A rainy weekend forced the Eyes Wide Open exhibit indoors at Armory Park, so only 200 pairs of boots could stand, representing soldiers lost from Arizona, California, New Mexico and Colorado. Otherwise, visitors would have seen 1,510 pairs of empty boots to commemorate fallen U.S. soldiers. Civilian shoes symbolized the many tens of thousands of Iraqi civilians killed since the war began.
Several families of dead soldiers visited the exhibit and spoke with each other. Some think the war is unnecessary and unwise; some think their loved ones fought to preserve freedom. All agreed that the loss feels unbearable and that publicly acknowledging this cost of war is a noble effort. The sister of Specialist Alyssa Renee Peterson, of Flagstaff, brought a porcelain square showing a flag and an essay on patriotism that Peterson wrote when she was in fifth grade. The essay ends: "Patriotism is an attitude which shows up in our everyday actions. No one needs to wait to be a patriot." Americans today differ about what course of action represents patriotism.
A moment with boots, a lifetime with memories
Tucson Citizen - March 8, 2005
Army Pfc. Joel K. Brattain was 21 when he was killed in Iraq. He was from California. But even in Tucson, few of those who saw the photograph alongside his memorial boots ever could forget the image. Brattain grins as a dog pretends to chew on his hand. Cute dog. Handsome man. Indelible image. Therein lay the point of last weekend's war memorial Eyes Wide Open. Viewers were immersed in poignancy, not protest. Awareness sprang to life amid a testament to death.
1500 Pair of Boots Line Armory Park
KOLD News 13 (Tucson) - March 5, 2005
... Melanie Emerson said, "Today the number is 1508." Emerson is the Arizona Friends Service Committee Director, "Each pair of boots and each name of an Iraqi civilan casualty reminds us never to allow the casualty count to be a mere statistic.
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| Photos by Marq Anderson | |