On the 6th anniversary of the Iraq invasion, St. Augustine People for Peace and Justice and Central Florida Veterans For Peace Chapter 136 sponsored a candlelight vigil in La Plaza de la Constitucion in St. Augustine. A black "Memorial Wall" bearing the names of the 4915 "official" U.S. Military deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan lined the inner wall of the Plaza's gazebo. There was a flag-draped coffin and a flag flew at half mast. A group of about 30 people, including veterans of the conflicts in Vietnam, Panama and Grenada joined in reading the names of the 226 military deaths from Florida. A bugler then played taps and a moment of silence was observed. Food Not Bombs provided dinner.

The ceremony was held to mourn not only the loss of military members but also the deaths of over a million Iraqis, an unknown and uncounted number of Afghanis and all who have been the victims of war.

On this night we paused to mourn. Tomorrow we rejoin the struggle to bring an end to the use of military force as a tool of international diplomacy.