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Residents Reflect On Freedoms, Iraq War's Toll

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By SUSAN M. GREEN and BAIRD HELGESON

The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 27, 2008

TAMPA - A Marine Corps veteran injured in Vietnam told an audience at Rest Haven Memorial Park on Monday that community service and stronger voting turnout are a better tribute to fallen soldiers than somber ceremonies and rifle salutes.

"We honor them one day out of the year, our fallen soldiers," said Jamal Ghani, the Vietnam War veteran. "But they gave us something that's priceless: our freedom."

Many Bay area residents paused to celebrate Memorial Day on Monday by attending somber services, while in Largo a group marked the day with a memorial to Florida troops and Iraqi civilians who died in the Iraq war.

Ghani challenged the audience to think about how they are using their freedom.

"You want to know how you honor these fallen soldiers? By taking the time to go into town because you can, and sit in a city council meeting. By taking the time to pen a letter to your congressman because you can," he said.

About 40 people, many in uniform, took time to honor the fallen at Rest Haven's ninth annual Memorial Day ceremony. Members of the Buffalo Soldiers, a group that honors black veterans as far back as the Civil War, were among those attending.

Many of those in the crowd had volunteered Saturday and Sunday to plant small American flags at more than 1,600 known graves of veterans, said Melvin Collins Jr., commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1339.

He said he has relatives in the cemetery who were veterans and first organized the event with the help of cemetery owner Jim McKeehan.

McKeehan said there are probably far more than 1,600 veterans buried at the 26-acre, predominantly black cemetery that dates to 1927 and holds more than 15,000 graves.

He said he has a stack of at least 150 military markers the U.S. government sent but were never installed. He said family members often don't realize that placement is their responsibility, but it's a fairly simple and inexpensive task.

Ghani encouraged listeners to treat veterans with respect, regardless of the popularity of the war they served in.

"When I came back from Vietnam, it was like the country didn't care where I had been," Ghani said. "Many young men coming back now feel the same way.

"No matter what we think of the war or how we got there, people are losing their lives. ... American families all over this country have given their sons, and they gave their lives for the cause of freedom."

Opening Eyes To Price Paid

At Central Park in Largo, American Friends Service Committee created the exhibit Eyes Wide Open: The Cost of War to Florida to serve as a reminder of the soldiers and civilians who died in Iraq since the war began five years ago.

The exhibit featured 180 pairs of combat boots displayed in rows in a corner of the park to signify the Florida-born servicemen and women who died in Iraq. In the middle, the group put more than 200 pairs of shoes to signify the number of Iraqi civilians the group says have died for every dead U.S. soldier in Iraq.

Chris Pasqualichio brought his son, Austin, to the park for a Memorial Day barbecue.

On their way to the picnic area, Pasqualichio walked his son through the exhibit.

"When you consider all the wars, you could fill this entire park with boots," Pasqualichio told Austin, 11.

At the Eyes Wide Open exhibit, volunteers took turns reading the names of dead U.S. soldiers and Iraqi civilians.

Visitors trickled into the exhibit, generally quiet and reflective. A few people slipped off their sandals to compare their feet to the large boots.

Some boots brimmed with flowers, others had yellow ribbons, and many had small American flags, all provided by loved ones. A few boots included stories about troops.

Finding Exhibit Space Tricky

It wasn't easy to bring the exhibit to the Largo park, said organizer Bettejo Indelicato, who went to Iraq in January 2003 as a peace activist.

Several Pinellas County communities either had too much red tape or refused to offer space, Indelicato said. Gulfport had a lengthy application process that would have required city council approval, and Dunedin officials said its parks couldn't accommodate the event.

"It would have been easier to get a permit for a protest," she said.

Largo agreed to let the group use the park, but insisted they be out by 3 p.m., four hours before the city's traditional Memorial Day ceremony about 300 yards away.

"We really wanted to go until 6 p.m., but they said no," said Indelicato, 47.

Joan Byrne, Largo's director of parks, recreation and arts, sat under a nearby tree eating a sandwich as people came to check out the exhibit. She said it's not uncommon for her to check on large gatherings at the park, even on holidays.

The city required the exhibit to be out by 3 p.m. because of a logistical issue, Byrne said.

"We already had a Memorial Day thing planned," she said.

The city has held the annual ceremony at the park since it opened in 1995, she said.

Byrne added that the city didn't charge the group for the permit to use the park.

At least one attendee didn't like the exhibit.

Alan Thompson, president of the Vietnam Veterans of America Pinellas County Chapter 522, objected to the exhibit's connecting dead Iraqi citizens with soldiers who died in the war.

"This is an antiwar protest," he said. "I think it's hideous."

Reporter Susan M. Green can be reached at (813) 865-1566 or sgreen@tampatrib.com. Reporter Baird Helgeson can be reached at (813) 259-7668 or bhelgeson@ tampatrib.com.

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