More than a number: 'Remembrance' honors lost lives

 

By Allison Reitz | Republished from UMass Dartmouth's student newspaper, The Torch

 

Even with the Iraq war raging every single day, with bombs going off on busy streets and innocent people being wounded or killed, it can often be difficult for the typical American student to relate to all the devastation.

Video footage and 30-second sound bites on the evening news relay world events, but the frequent but brief reports do little to help build an emotional connection with viewers. After the television is shut off, it is easy to forget that the war continues for thousands of American troops.

 

A local teacher's vision and an extensive high school project are working to change all that.

 

The project, simply titled "Remembrance," is on display in the annex outside of the Main Auditorium. Suspended in between several cases of glass panels are 3000 abstract figures that represent all of U.S. servicemen and women who have lost their lives since the beginning of the Iraq war.

 

The creations are part of a project developed by Somerset High School teacher Merilee Bowers to help her students personally relate to the current war. However, what began as a high school project is having an increasing impact on the surrounding community, including UMass Dartmouth where "Remembrance" is now on display as part of a traveling exhibition. Thanks to its presence, the exhibition is making the Iraq and Afghanistan wars a little more tangible for the students at UMass Dartmouth and community members in the surrounding area.

 

The figures - made out of wood, cloth, buttons and string - represent more than the total number of lives lost. Each one bears the name of a fallen soldier, adding a powerful human aspect to the presentation. When one sees the names attached, one begins to wonder about the families left behind and the lives cut short. These are not simply folk art dolls, nor are they a practice in visualizing statistics. Suddenly, the reality of the war and the toll it has on American lives becomes much more palpable.

 

As streams of students and faculty members pass by the exhibition on their way to classes throughout the week, many stop to examine the carefully and lovingly made figures and to read the attached names. Some pause for a few seconds before continuing on silently. Others stop for several minutes, moving among the glass panels with a solemn demeanor. Alongside the figures are lists of all the individuals who helped make this project possible. Hundreds of people, including students and local volunteers, helped gather materials, stitch the figures together and arrange the exhibition. The lists are a nice touch, since each name represents a person who dedicated their time and talents to the project, just as each figure represents an individual who dedicated their lives to their work overseas.

 

Though the works went on display a week ago, a sizable addition was just recently made to the exhibition. On Tuesday, May 8, students and community members gathered in the auditorium annex throughout the day so they could make additional figures to add to the exhibition. These additions represent the approximately 100 lives that were lost since the installation first went on display.

 

"Remembrance" will be displayed in the auditorium annex through Tuesday, May 29, at which point the exhibition will move on to another location. A special reception will be held on Monday, May 14, from 3 to 5 p.m. All campus and community members are invited to attend, if only briefly, to show their support for the project.

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Names not Numbers:

Pfc. James Deady, 65th Public Affairs Operation Center, Massachusetts National Guard

Over 3,000 voices loudly filled the crowded gallery at Somerset High School. Some students and staff, ironically happy to spend their Sunday afternoon at school and local community members who were participating in a special project.

Over 2,900 inanimate figurines, each one representing a service member whose life was lost in Afghanistan or Iraq, hung in reverence in the hallways of the school. More than a project though; it was a reunion, a remembrance. It was a memorial.

Remembrance, a Memorial, was held at Somerset High School March 25 to honor service members who lost their lives in Afghanistan and Iraq, out of respect for their family and friends, and to celebrate their lives.

Merilee Bowers, a Somerset High School art teacher organized the project in November 2006. All figures were hand sewn using a single tea bag, bits of cloth, twigs and other items. Each figure represents one lost American life in Iraq or Afghanistan. Strips of paper containing names of fallen U.S. service members, are then hand sewn to each completed figure, and the figurines are memorialized in glass cases to praise their lives, and somberly, mourn their loss.

"So much attention goes to whether the war is right or wrong. That's not what today is all about. Today is not about politics, it's about remembering; keeping the memory of someone you love alive," said Frank Faria, a Navy veteran and brother of Bowers.

"What the students see on TV helps them understand with their minds what's happening there, but this memorial helps them to understand with their hearts the impact each service member has on so many lives," said Somerset High School Principal R..W. Rineault, a Vietnam Veteran as well. "When you look at the Vietnam Memorial you just see a wall, but when you read the names you realize that they are people, and it's overwhelming."

One of the many participants in the Remembrance Memorial who was directly affected by the project was Jane Van Gyzen. Van Gyzen is a mother who lost her son, Marine Lance Cpl. John J. Van Gyzen IV in Iraq on July 5, 2004, and made a significant contribution to the production of the Remembrance Memorial.

"A lot of people are impacted by today's current events and so much love and dedication went into this memorial project from the beginning," said Van Gyzen.

The earliest stages of the memorial project began by boiling and hanging tea bags to dry. The tea bags refer to concepts of comfort, conversation, ceremony and ritual, said Bowers. Tea is also associated with physical healing. Sewing alludes to concepts of meditation, repetition and connections to family and friends. The act of sewing suggests the closing of a wound, both emotionally and physically. Finally, all figures are hand sewn to a grid contained within frames.

"We wanted to show that these are real people with families and friends. They sacrifice so much to be away from them, sometimes for years," said Bowers. They're valued and honored."

"It's great to see how much time and effort they put into this," said Sgt. 1st Class Sean Comisky, Massachusetts Army National Guard 79th Troop Command in Rehoboth and a Purple Heart recipient. I knew some people on this display. When you look at the display you get to see their names. That they aren't just the numbers of fallen troops you hear about."

But the emotional atmosphere was far from solemn, it was a reverent celebration and the turn out was nothing less than expected, said Chris Fisher, a senior at Somerset High School and Bowers' nephew. "It's great to pay tribute and to see what's been done here".

"I'm really impressed to see how many people showed up today." said Katie Bruce, a senior at Somerset High School. "I know a lot of people in the military. When you see the name on the figurines it makes a big difference."

Over 700 students and staff members, local Girl Scouts, the Lady's Auxiliary Post 72 and community members spent countless days and hours reviving distinctive personalities into the figurines, to represent that each figurine is more than a number of a life lost overseas, but an individual who made the ultimate sacrifice. "The community donated a lot time and money to this memorial," said Bowers.

"It's great to have not just the community involved but the kids as well," said Command Sgt. Maj. Dennis Flynn, 79th Troop Command and veteran. "It's really important to recognize the sacrifices they make and that they're being supported, and especially to never forget."

It's an amazing outcome, said Rory McComb, who served in Afghanistan with the Massachusetts Army National Guard's 772nd Military Police Company from August 2002 to March 2003. "My mother is a teacher here, and she and my wife helped with the project."

Remembrance, a Memorial, hopefully did not end March 25, 2007. It is the hopes of all memorial participants, who dedicated so much to the troops, who in turn gave so much more, that the spirit of the project will be immortalized. Bowers hopes to share the memorial with more than the community; her ambitions are high. Perhaps it will someday be at the Statehouse, or maybe the Capitol, she said. Wherever it goes, it will not go in vain. Their names will not be forgotten.