Copied from the Eagle Tribune web site as posted 10/27/2005 http://www.eagletribune.com/

Vigil on town common marks 2,000 dead in Iraq

Pat Scanlon of Andover, a member of Merrimack Valley People for Peace, stands at North Andover Common with other people during a vigil in remembrance of the 2000 Americans who have lost their lives in the war in Iraq. (ed. It is Really Don Abbot)

(single page view) By Jason G. Howe
Staff Writer

NORTH ANDOVER — Don Abbott's tattered psychedelic flag has seen more peace vigils in the last three years than he can easily recall.

Now creased and frayed at the edges, the flag snapped in a chilly wind as Abbott rallied with 10 other demonstrators for a candlelight vigil on the town common last night to mark the death of the 2,000th American soldier killed in Iraq since the United States invaded more than two years ago.

Similar vigils were held across the nation last night. About 50 people gathered in Newburyport's Market Square and more than 20 at the Fishermen's Wives Memorial in Gloucester.

"We are here to protest the deaths of men, women and children dying in a war we should never have engaged in," Abbott, an Andover native, said. "The numbers are horrific, but they do not tell the whole story, only the people affected in every community across the country do that."

Merrimack Valley People for Peace organized the event, although some who showed up were not directly affiliated with the group.

Florence Feldman-Wood, 61, and Heather Bond, 51, were two such participants.

They stood beside Abbott, talking about the mounting death toll and swapping stories of Internet searches for information on how to help bring troops home like old friends, although neither had met before last night.

"I think we both realized it (the rally) is something we can do," Bond, a North Andover native said as she shielded the opening of her clear jelly jar to keep her candle lit. "If people see us, maybe they'll think 'Hey, I'm not alone in wanting an end to this.' That's our goal."

Feldman-Wood nodded, waving to one honking motorist, then smiling at another who waved.

"There are thousands of others in the state and country out doing the same thing right now — people who want the loss of life to end. It was never worth it," Feldman-Wood said.

Those who gathered last night are not alone in their disapproval of the war, according to an Oct. 23 Gallup Poll, which shows approval of the war in Iraq has fallen steadily since 2003.

On April 23, 2003, 86 percent of those polled said they thought the war in Iraq was going well and approved of the U.S. invasion. Thirty months later, only 42 percent approved.

Those numbers, said Andover activist Pat Scanlon, show a nation waking up to the reality of invading Iraq.

"People are finally beginning to realize, to actually see, that we should never have been in Iraq in the first place," Scanlon — a Vietnam veteran and activist songwriter — said last night. "The reality is that we're stuck in the middle of a civil war with no good way to get out. But we need to bring troops home."

About 40 demonstrators gathered on Boston Common last night.

The Boston protestors said they were also mourning the tens of thousands of Iraqi civilians who have died since the start of the war.

Carlos Arredondo displayed a picture of his son Alex, who died in August 2004 during a battle in the Iraqi city of Najaf. Arredondo also carried his son's boots.

"We've already helped the people of Iraq to stand up and perhaps now they can walk on their own feet and we can pull out," said Arredondo, who lives in Boston's Roslindale neighborhood.

Staff writer Jason G. Howe may be contacted at (978) 946-2000, or jhowe@eagletribune.com.

Local residents who died in Iraq, Afghanistan and during training:

Army Spc. Mathew Boule, 22, of Dracut died when his Army Blackhawk helicopter crashed during a firefight April 2, 2003, in Iraq.

Marine Cpl. David M. Vicente, 25, of Methuen, was killed March 19, 2003, when the vehicle he was in was hit with an explosive device in Iraq.

Marine Lance Cpl. Dimitrios Gavriel, 29, was killed last November outside Fallujah in Iraq. He grew up in Haverhill and Atkinson, N.H., and graduated from Timberlane Regional High School in Plaistow, N.H.

Army Sgt. Pierre A. Raymond, 28, of Lawrence died on Sept. 20 in Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Landstuhl, Germany, after suffering a fatal wound during an attack on Sept. 15 in Iraq.

Marine Lance Cpl. Peter "P.J." Sora, 19, of Londonderry, N.H., was killed May 4, 2004, during a training exercise at Camp Pendleton, Calif., when the Humvee he was on top of as a machine gunner rolled over during a training exercise.

Army Pfc. Evan W. O'Neill, 19, of the Army's 10th Mountain Division died in battle Sept. 29, 2003, in Shkin, Afghanistan. He lived in North Andover for the first four years of his life and then moved to Haverhill.

By the Numbers

Total military deaths during war in Iraq: 2,000

Deaths since major combat ended April 30, 2003: 1,846.

Worst month: November 2004, 137 deaths.

Women killed during war: 44

Died after five or more years service: 568

Died in first three months of service: 925

Married soldiers killed: 800

Soldiers with children killed: 600

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NOTE: The numbers are based on both Department of Defense and Associated Press numbers. Most items are based on the DOD's 1,985 deaths as of Oct. 25. The AP's count, which includes deaths reported by news staff in Iraq, has been consistently higher than the DOD's.

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