NEWFANE — For the past six years, a memorial of hand-painted American flags has been installed on the Newfane Common, honoring the life of each American military serviceperson killed in Iraq.
Today, other wars have become the focus, dominating the headlines. And today, American men and women are still getting killed in Iraq. In fact, 33 have died so far in 2011, bringing the total number of American fatalities to 4,463.
This Iraq War memorial is not meant to exclude or overshadow the lives lost in other wars, nor the Iraqi civilian lives lost; it is one symbol for remembering our loss - “making the invisible visible,” to quote one woman's comment about the memorial.
Anyone willing to help with the installation this year, please come to the Newfane Common on Monday morning, July 4, anytime after 9 a.m. There will also be supplies for painting additional flags to update the memorial.
For further information, call me at 802-348-7152.