Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

About 200 Oklahomans participated in a silent walk around the Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial on March 20th to commemorate the first day of the invasion of Iraq. After the walk, they gathered at the nearby Episcopal center for prayers and to listen to several speakers. Speakers included Nathaniel Batchelder, director of the Oklahoma City Peace House, several religious leaders, Andrew Rice of September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows and the newly started Red River Democracy Project, Afghanistan vet Tim Goodrich who recently traveled to Iraq with Occupation Watch, and Saad A. Mohammed of the Islamic Society of Greater Oklahoma City.

Several vets and members of families of soldiers attended, including MFSO member Jeri Reed, whose son Cody recently returned from a year in Iraq. Asked by a reporter why she is continuing to speak out even though her son is home, she pointed to her 16-year-old son Daniel. "He will be 17 at the end of the month, and he has a twin at home. Cody will still have 4 years of inactive reserve after he leaves active duty in October, and my oldest is 24," she said. "I have four boys they could get hold of if whichever candidate is elected starts the draft. Cody is out, but one of the young men he grew up with as well as the son of a good friend, another MFSO member, both Marines, are sitting in Fallujah right now. What choice do I have?"

posted 22 march 2004