Posted by Eileen Altman, a resident of East Palo Alto, on Mar 18, 2013 at 11:31 am

It was a powerfully moving experience to walk among the boots and shoes, remembering the many lives lost in the wars of the last 11 1/2 years. Most of us pay little attention to the wars in our daily lives, but some families live with the grief of it every day.

Posted by Jon Richards, a resident of the Crescent Park neighborhood, on Mar 18, 2013 at 12:30 pm

I posted this on FB: City Hall Square Palo Alto: a pair of boots for each Californian killed in Iraq and Afganistan. A pair of shoes for each 1,000 civilians killed. I seldom think about these wars. Today I am grateful to the Multifaith Voices for Peace and Justice for reminding me -- reminding me of my appreciation for those who sacrifice for us, whether or not I agree with the underlying policies, reminding me that I am grateful that my sons, my d-in-law, others I love have not been called to sacrifice, reminding me that we must find alternatives to war. Too much senseless death. We are better than this.

Posted by WMD, a resident of Los Altos, on Mar 18, 2013 at 2:22 pm

But weren't we were greeted as liberators after we found the WMD we were told about, right?

Where are the war crimes trials?

Posted by citizen, a resident of the Downtown North neighborhood, on Mar 18, 2013 at 4:20 pm

I agree that we need to have some sort of Federal tribunal to get to the bottom of the WMD story. How could Bush be so far wrong about the WMDs? Was he really that stupid or was he intentionally lying in the faces of the American people?

Posted by greenmeadow neighbor, a resident of the Greenmeadow neighborhood, on Mar 18, 2013 at 4:54 pm

See Mar 16-17 WSJ p.A13 re " when everyone agreed about Iraq "

Posted by Richard Duda, a resident of Menlo Park, on Mar 18, 2013 at 5:02 pm

The "Eyes Wide Open" exhibit rightly focused on the tragic human costs of war. Scholars at Brown University have just released the results of a serious study that details the human costs, and adds the staggering economic, social and political costs (Web Link). I strongly recommend visiting their web site -- it is also eye opening.

Posted by Gary, a resident of the Downtown North neighborhood, on Mar 18, 2013 at 9:53 pm

What nonsense. Iraq was liberated from Saddam. Saddam mass murded over 300k of his own people, some with WMD. Iraq now has a fighting chance to succeed, if it wants it. BHO left too soon, IMO, but he will need to live with his decision. The world owes much to GWB for understanding that a monster like Saddam needed to be eliminated.

All those boots on display should be celebrated for their sacrfice in the name of liberation. They were not filled by soldiers who bellieved that it didn't matter, or that peace can come from wishing it so. [Portion removed by Palo Alto Online staff.]

Posted by WMD, a resident of Los Altos, on Mar 18, 2013 at 10:53 pm

[Post removed by Palo Alto Online staff.]