Arbor Update

Ann Arbor Area Community News

Peace Groups to mourn 3,000th U.S. death

28. December 2006 • Chuck Warpehoski
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We’ve almost reached that sad milestone of 3,000 U.S. military casualties in Iraq.

Several local peace groups think that is 3,000 too many, so they are organizing a candlelight vigil to mourn the American, Iraqi, and other deaths in Iraq.

Michigan Peaceworks, Interfaith Council for Peace and Justice, Veterans for Peace, and Military Families Speak Out are organizing the vigil for the day after the 3000th U.S. troop death Tuesday, January 2 on the U.M. Diag from 6 to 6:45 p.m.

With the death of Marine Lance Cpl. William Craig Koprince, there have been 122nd member of the U.S. Armed Forces with known Michigan ties to lose their life in the Iraq War.



  1. According to http://www.icasualties.org/oif/, the U.S. military death toll is up to 2982, so this event could be as early at Saturday. And http://www.iraqbodycount.net/ puts the Iraqi civillian deaths at between 52054 and 57617.

    The 3,000 mark came up far faster than we were anticipating.


       —Chuck Warpehoski    Dec. 29 '06 - 03:35AM    #

  2. Yes, the number of Iraqi casualties is huge. The iraqbodycount.net numbers are very conservative. They only measure civillian deaths for which they have “located and cross-checked two or more independent approved news sources for the same incident.”

    Of couse, many deaths are not reported in the news media, much less reported twice, hench the study referred to above, published in the British Medical Journal The Lancet (analysis).

    In any case, the Iraqi casualties are much higher than the US casualties, and every war-related death is a tragedy. That’s why this vigil and the opportunity it gives to mourn is so important.


       —Chuck Warpehoski    Dec. 29 '06 - 09:05PM    #

  3. “Israeli security forces killed 660 Palestinians in 2006 – three times more than in 2005, according to an Israeli human rights group.”

    BBC, December 29, 2006


       —Vigil    Dec. 29 '06 - 10:40PM    #

  4. At 4:30 on Friday, the U.S. death toll in Iraq stands at 2,996, so the vigil has been scheduled for Sunday, January 31 at 6:00 p.m.

    I hope we’re wrong, but it looks like we’ll exceed 3,000 casualties by then.

    So the vigil will be on New Year’s Eve, and it will be a chance to hope and pray that 2007 is a year for peace.


       —Chuck Warpehoski    Dec. 30 '06 - 02:30AM    #

  5. Okay, so today, the vigil day, is stormy and rainy and with a chance of lightening, so the event organizers have re-scheduled the vigil to Tuesday, January 2. Same time, same place.


       —Chuck Warpehoski    Dec. 31 '06 - 11:15PM    #

  6. (Deleted two comments with a headline in the “Name” box. Come on, people, this isn’t that hard—you don’t even have to use a real name—just pick something and stick to it.)


       —Bruce Fields    Jan. 6 '07 - 11:30PM    #

  7. Okay, Rules. Do you really believe what you just typed? Honestly? You believe that by removing your post, arborupdate is upholding a solemn pact with worlwide Jewry to wipe the Palestinian people from the face of the earth?


       —Young OWSider    Jan. 7 '07 - 01:37AM    #

  8. No. You’re bringing up a bunch of talk of Zionists and how they’re censoring discussion here on arborupdate. What one says on arborupdate has virtually no impact on Palestinians.

    So tell me, what should Palestinians do to help their situation?


       —Young OWSider    Jan. 7 '07 - 04:29AM    #

  9. “Many such rules have been invented since pro-Palestine comments have appeared on ArborUpdate.”

    I’m glad you’ve noticed. Now would you please make a minimal attempt to learn those rules, so I’ll stop having to repeat them every single time? Thanks. I mean, good grief, I’m not asking for anything difficult here.


       —Bruce Fields    Jan. 7 '07 - 07:25AM    #