Fiveyearsofwar.com, in cooperation with the American Friends Service Committee, provided an environment for the public to consider the real human cost of war.  We offered an alternative perspective of the traditional Memorial Day events that honor the war dead by celebrating war and nationalism. We did not celebrate. We exhibited 181 pair of combat boots, representing Florida's fallen soldiers, solemnly recognizing that each pair of boots represented a life lost and with it, the shattered lives of those who loved that individual.  Along side the boots were 250 pairs of civilian shoes representing the loss of innocent Iraqi life.  The Iraqi civilian shoes represented the sad reality that for every one fallen US soldier, two hundred and fifty Iraqi civilians have died.  Volunteers quietly read the names of the dead throughout the 5-hour event. The exhibit moved visitors, organizers and press. Some came alone, silently moving among the boots, reading the names and ages of soldiers taken from us in the prime of their lives, along with the names and ages of Iraqi adults and children who were denied the right to live due to war and occupation in their country.  Some visitors brought their families and held them close while looking at the empty Iraqi shoes, perhaps feeling the pain of the parents who lost their children to war. Organizers of the exhibit went through numerous obstacles to bring the display to the area and everyone's hard work is greatly appreciated. As supporters of all human life, it is our hope that those who experienced the exhibit will continue their efforts to attend, participate and work for a world at peace. Comments from people attending the boots display:

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