At least two Illinois soldiers have given their lives
in the War on Terror — recently renamed the Global Struggle Against
Violent Extremism — each month since 9/11. The American Friends
Service Committee, the social-justice arm of the Quakers, will remember
these servicemen and women with a special exhibit called Eyes Wide Open-Illinois: The Human Cost of War.
Organizers planned the exhibit to coincide with the
Illinois State Fair, hoping “to draw more attention to the loss
associated with war by showing that whenever the number of casualties
increases by one, that is a human being,” says Sr. Beth Murphy,
communications director for the Dominican Sisters of Springfield.
Eyes Wide Open will
feature a visual representation of Iraqi civilian war victims as well as 73
pairs of boots, symbolizing fallen troops from Illinois. Also, at the top
of each hour, the names of Illinoisans killed in battle will be read.
Co-sponsoring the exhibit are a number of local
groups, including Pax Christi Springfield, the social action committee of
the Abraham Lincoln Unitarian-Universalist Congregation, and the Mary Wood
Branch of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom.
Since January 2004, when the national tour began in
Chicago, the exhibit has featured over 1,500 pairs of combat boots and more
than 3,000 pairs of shoes memorializing U.S. military and Iraqi civilian
casualties.
The tour, which has been to more than 60 U.S. cities,
has been well-received by soldiers and their families who are “deeply
appreciative” of the exhibit that honors their sacrifice, Murphy
says.
Eyes Wide Open-Illinois: The Human Cost of War will be on display at Lincoln Park (Fifth Street and
Sangamon Avenue) from 5-7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 19, and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday,
Aug. 20. In case of rain, the exhibit moves to St. Joseph School,
1344 N. Fifth St.
This article appears in Aug 18-24, 2005.
