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One hundred and fifty pairs of empty combat boots stood in for the more than 1500 usually arrayed, when Eyes Wide Open spent a day outside the County Administration Building in San Francisco. According to local writer Elizabeth Fitzsimons, “Some visitors said it was easy to imagine those boots filled with real feet, and above, legs, a body and a face.” In addition to the semi-circular array of empty boots, civilian shoes represented Iraqi civilians killed in the conflict. More than one active duty Marine walked through the exhibit without saying a word, according to organizer Mark Anderson.

The next day, at Grape Day park in Escondido, all 1,513 pairs of army boots were on display, in addition to 1,000 pairs of civilian shoes and 293 peaked caps representing civilian contractor casualties. Fernando Suarez del Solar, a resident of Escondido, spoke to the press and the public in both locations. He has become a peace activist since the death of his son, Marine Lance Corporal Jesus Suarez del Solar, who was killed in Iraq on March 27, 2003. The Lance Corporal attended high school in Escondido and his young son was born there. “We no longer need empty boots or sick veterans,” said the senior del Solar in Spanish. “Our nation needs youths and families working for our country and not for destruction.”

'Eyes Wide Open' brings war into focus
San Diego Union-Tribune - March 10, 2005
Vickie Castro's eyes scanned the dozens of young, earnest faces staring out from the poster. She was searching for her son, an Army specialist killed in Iraq. Read full story >

Memorial stirs objection, support among parents of deceased
Boston Globe (AP) - March 13, 2005
Laid out in rows stretching longer than a football field, 1,513 pairs of black military boots gave a sun-splashed park the quiet, somber mood of a cemetery. The traveling exhibit, a reminder of the US troops who have died in Iraq, arrived on the West Coast last week as divisive as the war itself, especially for the families of the fallen men and women. Read full story >

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Photos by Marq Anderson

Other online accounts:

If you've ever visited the Viet Nam memorial wall, then you know the feeling. You can try to prepare yourself intellectually but your emotions remain as vulnerable as a raw nerve; the pain is instant and searing. ... Read full account >

... We could see the exhibit from the roadside. There they were in the drizzling rain -- row upon row of crumpled black boots - the empty space above left you with the intended impact -- the needless waste. Each pair represented the life and death of an American soldier in Iraq. It’s the perfect symbol for a dead soldier, one that doesn’t recognise rank or race. They all die with their boots on. ... Read full account >