During the two weeks of their installation on campus, I walked by the small, red (for Americans) and white (for Iraqis) flags commemorating the war dead in Iraq many times. I want to thank organizer Peter Kass and the volunteers who helped set up this important tribute to all those lost so far in this ugly war. The flags, anonymous, with no reference to age or gender, communicated more than wordy rants ever could. Their presence created a respectful, sacred space. It was terribly sad to walk by those flags, shocking to see how they stretched far as the eye could see, painful to know that each one represented a life extinguished (six Iraqis for each white flag).
On the Friday evening of the opening of a new exhibit at the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, luminaries lined the pathways, adding an unintended dimension to the display. And when the flags had been gathered up again, the lawn stretched out, empty, yet not the same space as before.
I hope many other campuses will decide to install the flags.
Claudia Lapp
Eugene resident