Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current, March 30, 2005, Page 3, Image 3

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í,|<' ÏJortlanb (Observer
March 30. 2005
Honoring Fallen Soldiers and Citizens
Exhibit aims to
materialize loss in Iraq
These are some o f more than 1,000 shoes o f dead Iraqi citizens
whose lives have been lost in the war.
/A close-up
view o f a pair o f boots from a deceased U.S. soldier
that was on display in New York recently.
of a loved one.
and Iraqi civilians that have died
“1 didn’t want him to take a
during the War on Terror and raise
chance on anything that would
awareness of its high human cost.
separate us,” B lickenstaff said.
“When I went to see my brother’s
“That was the hardest thing for me
boots, it was very sad to see him
to take. What a waste.”
with the other deceased soldiers. I
For those who haven't lost their
met other families there and realized
loved one from war, Blickenstaff
how many there are like us,”
urges them to see the display and
Blickenstaff said. "My brother had
imagine what it’s like to be in the
everything to live for.”
shoes of the soldiers, the Iraqi citi­
Twenty-seven Oregon soldiers - Susan Segall, regional directorfor American Friends Service Committee
zens and the people at home af­
and 32 Washington soldiers are
fected by the losses.
among those memorialized in the
Beyond those that have already
quences of the war through slide laid among the sandy shore of the
touching exhibit.
beach as people passed by enjoy­ passed. Blickenstaff reminded that
The piece was put together by shows and photos.
for every family represented, there
Joseph Blickenstaff was married ing the (Kean weather.
the American Friends Service Com­
“It’s a beautiful beach and a were hundreds more who are wor­
mittee, with features of the exhibit with plans to become a counselor
beautiful day and you see his boots ried about their soldiers in Iraq, not
including more than 1,400 pairs of when he got out of the war.
“He’s the first thing that enters and realize he should be here on having the proper equipment, meals
boots honoring U.S. military casu­
and care they need.
alties, a 32-foot wall of names and my m ind w hen I w ake u p ,” vacation," Blickenstaff said.
“We as a nation are sponsoring
Many families who don’t ap­
incidents of Iraqi civilian deaths, Blickenstaff said. “I tell him ‘Joe,
1.000 pairs of shoes memorializing I’m remembering you and that you prove of the war still have support this war and it’s important that we
fo r th e ir son o r d a u g h te r, see its effects with eyes wide open
a small fraction of numerous Iraqi can’t be here during my day.’”
One of the hardest exhibits Blickenstaff said. The exhibit brings and don’t blindly support som e­
citizens killed in conflict and an
interior multimedia display explor­ Blickenstaff has seen was in Santa together people with different po­ thing that we have felt the effects
ing the history, cost and conse- Monica, Calif., where the boots were litical beliefs in the simple support of," said Susan Segall, regional di­
K atherine K ovacich
T he P ortland O bserver
A mere five days after being
deployed from Tacoma, Wash., 23-
y e a r-o ld Jo se p h B lic k e n s ta ff
drow ned in an Iraq canal. For
Portlander Eric Blickenstaff. the pain
of losing his close young brother
was beyond excruciating and dis­
heartening. He wouldn’t be able to
talk with Joe anymore, to hang out,
to give him a hug.
This is why his boots are one
pair of many in a memorial exhibit
touring nationwide called “Eyes
Wide Open.”
Pairs o f boots that led soldiers
through the trenches in Iraq are
some of the only things left now of
more than 1,400 deceased men and
women who served. These haunt­
ing mementos will make a tour of
duty through Portland next week.
Through the moving memorial,
organizers of “Eyes Wide Open"
hope to honor American soldiers
by
We as a nation are
sponsoring this war and its
important that we see its effects
with eyes wide open.
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rector for American Friends Ser­
vice Committee. "W e hope that
people emerge from it asking some
new questions and to talk about
this and to not let this be in the
background.”
Hopefully theexhibit will, if any­
thing, encourage dialogue about
the war.
“It’s our belief if the general
public does more speaking of the
profound loss o f war, they will ask
about the necessity of war,” Segall
said. “Many people don’t neces­
sarily share our views about war.
The exhibit functions as a memo­
rial, we do hope people will talk
about th o se losses w ith th e ir
friends, their family members and
will turn their grief into reflecting on
war. We hope to generate wider
reflection and dialogue. It’s impera­
tive to find ways to find non-vio­
lent ways to solve conflict.”
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