eyes wide open

All this weekend and on Monday, there will be an event called Eyes Wide Open, sponsored by the American Friends Service Committee and a few other organizations. In the main quad, there will be over 400 pairs of army boots, each representing a soldier from California who died. Some boots are from far away (Oceanside) while others are close to home (Salinas). Along with soldier boots, take a look for civilian baby and women's shoes, who represent just a few of the Iraqi casualties in the war.

Personally, I think this is a great way to give people a concept of the shear number of deaths. We wear our shoes every day, just like the brave men and women protecting our country. As I was talking with some of the organizers of the exhibit, they told me they used to travel the country and would receive boots from family members of those who have fallen, but due to the shear number of total casualties and the amount of care required to preserve the personal effects, they were all given back.

American soldiers who have died: 4264
(source http://www.antiwar.com/casualties/)