'personalizes' war

Temporary memorial 'personalizes' war

Arlington Northwest: 2,200 simulated headstones displayed bayside

September 06, 2010 - Tacoma - Jeri Marie Bennett was jolted Sunday by thousands of simulated grave markers lining the grass along Ruston Way, bearing silent testimony to the lives lost in Iraq.

“It startled me (with) the enormity of it,” the Puyallup woman said. “When you stop and realize how many young people we’ve lost, it makes you feel sick.”

Bennett was driving to Point Defiance for a hike when she spotted the traveling graveyard and felt compelled to pull over and walk among the headstones.

The Arlington Northwest Memorial moves from city to city, serving as a reminder that the 4,416 American service members who have died in the war are more than just a number. They had names, dreams and families who love them.

They are still missed, and will not be forgotten.

“This is a message on the true cost of war,” said Ray Nacanaynay, president of the Tacoma chapter of Veterans for Peace, which sponsored the event. “These are real people.” {read more}