Mourning the Iraq War’s Fifth Anniversary

Ellen Murphy

I attended the Ferndale High School students' peace march and rally on March 19, the fifth anniversary of the US-led invasion and occupation of Iraq.  Later, during rush hour, I joined with 150 people gathered at seven Bellingham intersections to demonstrate what we could have done for healthcare, education, and infrastructure for the cost of one or two hours of the war in Iraq.  That night, I held a candle at the Peace and New Priorities Vigil held by MoveOn at Bellingham City Hall.

I want to congratulate all those participants and their supporters for getting out and standing up for our Constitution, which calls upon us, the sovereign people, to hold our government accountable.  I want to acknowledge the bravery of veterans and military families, especially two that I saw who have lost sons in Iraq, for being present at these events.

I want to thank the mayors of Ferndale and Bellingham for speaking at two of these events.  How gracious of Mayor Gary Jensen to say “Yes” to the young people who asked him to give them some words on a day they worked so hard to create.  How important that he encouraged these students to take even more responsibility as full participants in their democracy by learning and voting and working hard to be good citizens!  And how positive an act for Dan Pike to get up and say some good words spontaneously, when asked if he would, by the moderator of the vigil.

These mayors are far from the first to have the courage and sense of responsibility to be heard in this time of mourning and outrage.  Many others have preceded them.  Almost 300 American cities have passed Troops Home resolutions or ballot measures, including Bellingham.

I was born in Binghamton, N.Y., a conservative city of 47,000, now struggling to recover its economy.  At a March 2006 rally to mark the third anniversary of the war in Iraq, Binghamton Mayor Matthew T. Ryan spoke these words: "As a citizen, I have an obligation to question and challenge our nation's policy of pre-emptive aggression.  As Mayor of Binghamton, I have an obligation to address the needs of our community, and I am participating in this rally to let our federal representatives know that it is wrong to divert billions of tax dollars to a dubious war overseas when our domestic needs are so great." 

I am proud of my birthplace and equally proud of my home of 13 years, Bellingham.                                                   

I am proud of any one, any where, who is compassionate enough to care about the Iraqi people, and about our troops' minds, bodies and souls, compromised because they are good men and women sent into an illegal, immoral and unwinnable war; and I challenge those who want to keep them there to ask themselves two questions:

Will you spend the rest of your life to give the fallen a legacy of peace and the rule of law; and will you spend the rest of your life taking care of the rehabilitation and emotional healing of as many veterans as you can?

I promise that I will.

Ellen Murphy is a volunteer with the Whatcom Peace & Justice Center.  Her 2003 trial exposed the deadly use of Depleted Uranium by the US Army.  She continues to work with DU-exposed veterans.