Bearing Witness to Our Fallen (Fort Hood, Texas)

As the five year anniversary of the invasion of Iraq approaches, Military Spouses for Change (MSC) is inviting you to join us as we remember our fallen soldiers on Sunday, March 16th.

Fort Hood has lost the most soldiers in the nation to the war in Iraq. While the DoD considers the number to be 432, an NPR article about Fort Hood's Gold Star Families (written nearly a year ago) had that number at more than 600 (that would give us an average of two deaths per week). We suspect the DoD figure may only cover fatalities from hostile fire and not suicides, friendly fire, and/or deaths NOT immediately following their injuries.

MSC is going to be place a cross in the grass next to the Trinity Lutheran Church in Copperas Cove, Texas, for every soldier we believe has been lost to us here at Fort Hood. That means we are going to place 600 crosses in the grass so every person who drives by can see that the cost of war (any war) is best understood in human terms because it is being paid for with human lives--those of the soldiers and those of their families.

We would also like to remind those who pass by that there is nothing routine about the war in Iraq, nothing routine about any war. There is nothing routine about Katherine Cathey's last night with her husband:
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We are nearly seven years into two wars with two countries and for the first time in American history we have had tax cuts instead of tax increases. As family members, we are told that the DoD doesn't have the funds to provide our servicemembers and our families with the medical and mental health professionals they need to cope the the physical and emotional hardships and traumas of these conflicts. Are we a nation at war or a military at war?

MSC is inviting members of the public as well as members of the military to read names off our list of Fort Hood fatalities. We currently have a list of 432 (from the DoD). We are going to look for additional names here at Fort Hood.

If you or anyone you know would be interested in helping put up crosses (we will start placing the crosses on the grass at 11 am), reading the names (we will start the roll call at 1 or 2 pm), speaking at the event, or otherwise helping with the event, please contact Cynthia Thomas at 254.768.8300.

Please pass this information on to anyone you think would like to participate. AND PLEASE CONTACT US IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE APART OF READING A SOLDIER'S NAME.

Thank you.

Carissa Picard
President
Military Spouses for Change
www.militaryspousesforchange.com
Involve. Inform. Inspire.

csp@militaryspousesforchange.com