AMV Honors
1500 US Fallen Soldiers
By Samina Faheem Sundas
CA
‘Eyes Wide Open’ was
an exhibit sponsored by American Friends Service
Committee and co-sponsored by American Muslim
Voice and twenty-eight other organizations. As
far as I know this was the first event where Iraqis
were mentioned and honored. So far they have been
looked upon as the collateral damage of the war.
When we were approached to co-sponsor the exhibit
of 1500 boots, representing the American soldiers
who lost their precious lives while in service
of our country, we inquired about the intent of
the exhibit itself. The response was that the
exhibit intended to open the eyes of the public
about the tragic cost of war - the literal cost
in human life of the headlines we read about in
the daily papers that often seem so distant to
us all. We deemed it to be a very worthwhile effort
and AMV wholeheartedly supported and worked with
families who have lost their loved ones in this
war.
Knowing full well there was no way we could find
over 100,000 civilian shoes to put on display
we just set out to do our best in order to get
the message across. AFSC’ team and AMV members
along with many other volunteers started sending
out frantic emails requesting for civilian shoes.
I am so proud of how many different members came
together and devoted their time driving from city
to city to gather shoes for the AFSC exhibit.
When I drove to San Francisco I could not fit
another pair of shoes in my van. The contribution
by other volunteers was equal if not greater than
my own. In this way a great part of the success
of the AFSC event came to pass even before anyone
viewed the exhibit. I am truly grateful for the
efforts of every volunteer that came forth to
help out. Thank you all so much.
The exhibit “Eyes Wide Open” debuted
April 8 with a press conference where family members
spoke, cried, shared their experiences and declared
a common mission to stop the war. The experience
was heart wrenching.
The volunteers set up a maze of civilian shoes
for the public to walk through. The fallen soldiers’
boots were lined neatly in the center of the plaza,
with boots commemorating soldiers native to California
on the steps of the City Hall. It was a powerful
image. All day there was a steady flow of people
who came to view the exhibit. Some schools brought
classes in to expose the students to the exhibit
in groups. People appeared deep in their thoughts
as if reflecting upon the past how tragedy may
have affected them. It was hard to see the empty
boots and especially the tiny baby shoes and not
wonder “why?”
“Eyes Wide Open” was a powerful exhibit
because it denied those who viewed it the indifference
that Burke speaks of. You cannot look upon a sea
of empty shoes and not think of the people who
should be standing there and why they are not.
What’s most tragic is that it’s the
youth that suffers. Old men drum up wars for young
men to die in, as the saying goes, and it couldn’t
be more true today. At the exhibit in San Francisco
I witnessed a grandfather who was frantically
trying to convince his grandson to come see the
exhibit.
My sincerest thanks and congratulations to the
American Friend Service Committee for holding
the exhibit and providing the AMV an opportunity
to be involved with it.
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