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AFSC Memorial Ribbon Project

Your community may want to join AFSC in marking the 3000th US military casualty by making 3000 memorial lapel ribbons.  On the day after the 3000th US military casualty is reached, your community can distribute the ribbons and know that each soldier is being remembered by someone in your community that day.

On this page, we have two sets of instructions. One for ribbons for cars and one for wearing on your clothing.

Ribbons for Cars

Suggested by Sheila Croke, organizer of a memorial event in Hauppauge, New York.

You can tie a black ribbon on your car antenna  and post an explanatory notice on a car window (probably the rear window), along with the current number of fatalities.

Below are two downloadable fliers you could post on a car window:

> How Many More? (doc file)
> The Black Ribbon Signifies Mourning for Those Lost in Iraq and Afghanistan (doc file)

Ribbons for Clothing

Materials needed:

1. 500 yds. Black grosgrain ribbon, 3/8 inches width (to represent US casualties)
2. 500 yds White grosgrain ribbon, 3/8 inches width (to represent Iraqi casualties)
3. 3000 medium Safety pins
4. Multi-purpose labels (full sheet, 8 ½ x11, Quill #7-38104)

Directions:

1. Print out names in our attached document on multi-purpose label paper
2. Cut names out by hand so that the strips are no wider than 3/8 inch
3. Cut a length of approximately 6 inches of black ribbon, and 6 inches of white ribbon
4. Place white ribbon and black ribbon on top of each other and make loop with ribbon, keeping the white ribbon on the inside of the loop.
5.  Use safety pin to attach it together in back
6. Take name, remove backing and attach to black ribbon

See photo of example.

Distribution
When you are finished you can either:

1. Keep them and distribute them at your school, church or workplace on the day after the 3000th casualty is reached
2. Bring them to the location of your local "Not One More Death, Not One More Dollar" event on that day, for distribution on site.

Questions?
Please call Mary at 773-704-8155 or email her at mzerkel@afsc.org.

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