Fifth Anniversary of Iraq War Remembered in Mobile

By Steve Alexander Reporter

A memorial exhibit was set up at a Mobile park Fifth Anniversary of Iraq War Remembered in Mobile

Published: Fri, March 14, 2008 - 7:54 pm

Steve Alexander

The initial campaign was called "Shock and Awe."
Five years later, the war in Iraq is still going on.
The fifth anniversary is being remembered in a number of ways in Mobile.
The names of 68 Alabama Soldiers who've lost their lives in Iraq were read aloud Friday afternoon in Mobile's Memorial Park
68 pairs of boots representing the soldiers were also part of the memorial.
The memorial was called "Eyes Open Wide" and its sponsored by members of a national Quaker organization.
Steve Lyrene with the Fairhope Friends Meeting says the memorial highlights "the cost of the Iraq war in terms of loss of human life, suffering, economic cost. Its not meant to be a political statement. We know that people have different opinions about the war and there's a lot of polarization, but its a chance to hopefully invoke dialogue."
Rev. Howard Johnson is the father of Private First Class Howard Johnson the Second.
The minister's son was the first Alabama soldier killed in the conflict.
What are Reverend Johnson's observations about the war now?
He says, "It seems like to me its backing up rather than moving forward to closure. You think one day things appear to be getting better. Then, the news breaks and something else has broken out and some more hearts are broken and aching."
And almost five years after his death, Johnson describes his son the way many fallen soldiers parents describe their children: "The final thing about him, he was a hero."
The organizers of "Eyes Open Wide" say they plan to put up another memorial exhibit Saturday at the municipal pier in Fairhope.