A message of peace in the north county Sunday as military veterans and peace activists recognized a somber milestone: The 5,000th death of a U.S. service member in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
Hundreds of small flags marked what the peace group calls the 'Arlington West' memorial. There were 500 crosses to represent 10 percent of the people who have died, said Jan Ruhman, San Diego Chapter Vice President of Veterans for Peace.
"We are against all wars," said another speaker. "It is not the way for this world to survive, it is not the way for human populations to thrive, and grow, and know the freedom and liberation that is every peoples' destiny. We cannot let Afghanistan become the new Iraq."
The day long event also included a vigil, the reading of names of deceased servicemen and a demonstration against the wars.
