For Vrnda Noel, the war is personal.
Her son, Sgt. Eli Wright of the 10th Mountain Division, spent a year in Iraq and returned with more than he expected. Wright now suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder while still remaining on active duty in New York.
“We’re trying to get him out now,” Noel said.
Noel spoke Wednesday at a vigil at the state capitol to mark the fifth anniversary of the start of the Iraq war. The vigil was organized by a coalition of Denver peace activist groups including , ProgressNow and United for Peace and Justice.
More than 250 protesters lined both sides of Lincoln Avenue west of the capitol building chanting “Bush and Cheney have got to go,” waving signs at passersby and cheering as cars honked in response. As the sun set, candles and glow sticks helped light the signs.
Even as most of the signs being carried by the crowd bore calls to stop the war, organizers hoped that another message was heard at the same time: support the troops.
The only way to do that, according to Jan Strain, is to bring them home and give them the care they need and deserve. Something that could be accomplished by taking the money funding the war and giving it to programs that help the soldiers, like the Veterans’ Adminstration hospitals.
Strain, of Denver, helped to plan Wednesday’s vigil as part of a week of action by groups across the nation.
People from all walks of life participated in the event — retirees and businessmen; veterans and lifelong peace activists; children and pets.
“I think it’s important to show that people will do more than just say they want peace. They’ll get out and they’ll fight for it,” said Suzanne Warren, 17, of Parker. Warren is part of the Ponderosa High School Peace Jam.
Phoenix Gore didn’t quite understand everything that was happening.
“Being only 5, she just knows that war is bad,” her mother, Ronell Silva, of Denver said.
Her son, Sebastian Ballou, 10, however, talks with Silva about what’s happening in Iraq.
“I really hope it ends fast,” he said.
Silva was reluctant to bring her children to the vigil but were convinced by Ian Hudgings, a friend who is on the steering committee of .
She won’t need to be convinced next time.
“This is a good way to show that something really needs to be done and that we really want something to be done,” she said.
Like Phoenix, Theo didn’t understand the vigil itself. He saw lots of hands prime for petting. The poodle’s message was borne on his back, written on a white T-shirt: War kills all creatures.
His owner, Robin Cohen of Denver, brought him along to represent all the animals in Iraq that have been killed.
“When you bomb a country, you don’t just bomb soldiers,” she said. “You bomb children. You bomb women. You bomb pets.
“This protest is a reminder that we need to come together and say it needs to end.”
Jenel Stelton-Holtmeier: 303-954-1661 or jsteltonholtmeier@denverpost.com
