Augusta, Maine

Brain Clement is an Army private in Kuwait, awaiting deployment to Iraq. His father Richard, of Pittston, Maine has spent months building a wheeled model of a military graveyard which yesterday had 576 small, white, wooden crosses, crescents and stars of David on it, symbolizing American troops killed in the invasion and occupation of Iraq.

On Saturday, Richard Clement and three members of Maine Veterans for Peace (Chapter 001) hauled the facsimile graveyard through the streets as part of the lead contingent in a powerful march of 1200. At the subsequent rally, the first three speakers represented Veterans For Peace and Military Families Speak Out. Their presence was a profound rebuke to the far smaller crew of self-styled "patriotic" counter-demonstrators on one corner along the line of march, with signs and catcalls atttacking demonstrators as traitors.

Dud Hendrick of Veterans for Peace sent us these photos, featuring VFP chapters 001 and 003:

posted 21 march 2004