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Wednesday, March 11, 2009
What I Learned at Eyes Wide Open
People just want to be heard.
It was about 20 degrees out when we set up the Eyes Wide Open exhibit at the Auraria Campus which serves three schools: Metropolitan State College of Denver, the University of Colorado at Denver, and the Community College of Denver. It never got really warm all day and I am still frozen to the bone.
One of the first visitors that I interacted with at the exhibit was angry. I never figured out what he was angry about, but he was a veteran and he needed to tell his story. I get that. So I listened. And I learned some things. Connecting with that man made all of the lugging of boots and shoes worth it.
But there was more.
We have a sign about the veteran suicides and we place a pair of boots that have been painted white in front of it. These boots represent all veterans who have committed suicide while in the service or afterward. We will never know the number of people this one pair of boots represents. One young man was very, very touched that we remembered those who don't count in the casualty statistics. His friend, an Iraq war vet, killed himself a month ago. His brother, another vet of this insane war, has lost his home and his marriage because of his violence toward his wife.
War is an atrocity that reverberates through families and communities, and the damage will last for generations. How can we do this to ourselves?
I saw another man bent down for a long time in front of a pair of boots . I knew that he must have known the soldier represented by those boots. I heard his sniffles. He tenderly lined up one boot with the other. When he finally left the boots, I asked him if he knew people who had been killed in Iraq. That's when the stories came. The young soldier who was represented by those boots had died only a short time after turning 18. The two were good friends. The man I spoke with was traveling behind the vehicle carrying his friend as it exploded, killing all inside.
There is a tradition in the Army that I still don't understand completely, but soldiers, after a certain amount of combat duty, may be awarded spurs. It is a high honor. At another point, they may be awarded a Stetson hat. These honors come from the tradition of the Calvary. The man that I was just writing about, whose 18-year-old friend died two vehicles ahead of him, had earned two pairs of spurs and a Stetson. While we all shivered among the boots and shoes, he had his girlfriend bring a pair of his gold spurs and he placed them on the boots of his departed friend. It was stunning.
4,257 U.S. soldiers and countless Iraqis.
Isn't it interesting how sadness is so much more bearable when there are more shoulders to help carry the burden?
I hope to have photos from today soon.
I found some information on spurs and Stetsons here.
It was about 20 degrees out when we set up the Eyes Wide Open exhibit at the Auraria Campus which serves three schools: Metropolitan State College of Denver, the University of Colorado at Denver, and the Community College of Denver. It never got really warm all day and I am still frozen to the bone.
One of the first visitors that I interacted with at the exhibit was angry. I never figured out what he was angry about, but he was a veteran and he needed to tell his story. I get that. So I listened. And I learned some things. Connecting with that man made all of the lugging of boots and shoes worth it.
But there was more.
We have a sign about the veteran suicides and we place a pair of boots that have been painted white in front of it. These boots represent all veterans who have committed suicide while in the service or afterward. We will never know the number of people this one pair of boots represents. One young man was very, very touched that we remembered those who don't count in the casualty statistics. His friend, an Iraq war vet, killed himself a month ago. His brother, another vet of this insane war, has lost his home and his marriage because of his violence toward his wife.
War is an atrocity that reverberates through families and communities, and the damage will last for generations. How can we do this to ourselves?I saw another man bent down for a long time in front of a pair of boots . I knew that he must have known the soldier represented by those boots. I heard his sniffles. He tenderly lined up one boot with the other. When he finally left the boots, I asked him if he knew people who had been killed in Iraq. That's when the stories came. The young soldier who was represented by those boots had died only a short time after turning 18. The two were good friends. The man I spoke with was traveling behind the vehicle carrying his friend as it exploded, killing all inside.
There is a tradition in the Army that I still don't understand completely, but soldiers, after a certain amount of combat duty, may be awarded spurs. It is a high honor. At another point, they may be awarded a Stetson hat. These honors come from the tradition of the Calvary. The man that I was just writing about, whose 18-year-old friend died two vehicles ahead of him, had earned two pairs of spurs and a Stetson. While we all shivered among the boots and shoes, he had his girlfriend bring a pair of his gold spurs and he placed them on the boots of his departed friend. It was stunning.
4,257 U.S. soldiers and countless Iraqis.
Isn't it interesting how sadness is so much more bearable when there are more shoulders to help carry the burden?
I hope to have photos from today soon.
I found some information on spurs and Stetsons here.
Labels: Eyes Wide Open, Iraq War
posted by Carol at 3:39 PM
7 Comments:
You are performing an exemplary ministry, Carol. I truly appreciate your writing about it and pray that many will read your words
As a former Armor officer, I understand the Stetson and spurs traditions. Although Cavalry units have traded their horses for tanks and helicopters, the Cavalry was reluctant to relinquish its distinctive traditions. The spurs tradition has come to be a very special one: they are awarded to only a deserving few who represent the best of the best and embody all that has been, is, and will be great about the U.S. Cavalry.
That those boots represented a young man who had, as did the ancient knights, “won his spurs,” was very special for those who knew him.
Blessings, my dear friend! I continue to pray for your ministry.
Indigo Incarnates
Your compassion never ceases to amaze me. You are a kind spirit.
Thank you for your kind words and prayers, Nick.
I felt honored to be able to witness the touching moments that happened today.
Indigo,
Thank you.
I believe that kindness and compassion are within each of us - and it's usually not too hard to find it within a person.
You too, my friend, are a kind spirit and it's a gift to know you (even if it is only in Blogland).
Thank you Carol for all you are doing.
May I also mention the UK soldiers who have died ...
I hope you don't mind me posting this link to my blog
http://dancingonabladeofgrass.wordpress.com/2009/02/04/ordinary-people/
Thanks for the link, Dancing. How did I miss that post when it was originally posted? It's very touching.
I just checked to see how many U.K. soldiers have died in the Iraq war - 179. And I know that many more are permanently wounded, both physically and psychologically.
Carol, I'm so grateful that you were there and able to be present to the people who visited Eyes Wide Open. As SSNick says, you clearly are a minister who can slip in and give of yourself when you are needed.
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