Photos from the first night of Tribute are up in the photo gallery. We’ll be adding more as the week goes on. Special thanks so far to 40 or so volunteers who showed up to place flags, and the the members of the media (CBS, NBC, Fox, and the Omaha World-Herald so far…) who have covered the event.
Also of course a very special thanks to Mayor Mike Fahey, Councilman Suttle, Councilman Gernandt, Sen. Tom White, Douglas Co. Treasurer John Ewing, and Douglas County Registrar of Deeds Diane Battiatto for their kind words at the opening ceremony.
As always, don’t forget to check www.tributetothefallen.com for more updates.
more photos in the extended entry… click “continue reading”
anyone with photos should try to facebook them asap… or better yet get them via flash drive or cd-rom to myself, renner, gary, keith or jared asap.
thanks so much to everyone who has been helping to document this process!
Karlee, Jared, Nick, and everyone else who has been such a huge part of this event: thank you. I cannot say enough good things about my friends here in the UNO Democrats. Thank you so much for your passion and dedication.
There’s a great deal of sadness that comes in realizing that since last year’s Tribute, 943 American soldiers have died in Iraq. Since we placed the 3,332 flags last night, one more American soldier died (and nine more died just before we placed the flags last night). Another Nebraskan died in yesterday’s attack, raising the number of Nebraskans killed in Iraq to 35.
I will leave my own political thoughts on the war for another day, and another venue. This isn’t a political event. It isn’t a partisan event. This is about honoring the men and women who have died in Iraq.
Thanks for the great photos. I’m so proud of all the Young Dems, you are a credit to your generation and to our Democratic Party. Thanks again for your hard work and dedication.
Standing on the portico of MBSC Tuesday morning helping hold coats and such for the speakers, I was able to hear the invited officials expressing their deep appreciation for the Tribute and for being invited to participate in the ceremony, Each one had clearly given considerable thought to what he or she wanted to say to express the meaning of the tribute to them — I believe several were close to tears, that it was not just the rain wetting their faces. That ceremony and the field of flags, representing not only those fallen but also the dedication and patriotism of today’s younger Democrats, will now be an indelible image in the minds of these key leaders of our state and county party. It is such images that give me older Dems such hope for the future. Thank you, one and all.
I want to thank you UNO Young Dems for creating this event. I was unable to attend, but I great appreciate honoring the fallen and not trivializing their deaths with protests. Far too many times people have used tributes as means to attack the war, the policy, and the policy creators. Both Democrats and Republicans want to see our brave soldiers come home, and nowhere is that seen more in Nebraska. Nebraska has sent soldiers from all branches of the active military and National Guard. These brave men and women have served two or three tours, and I am glad that you are proving that Republicans do not have a monopoly on “supporting the troops.”
I know some families that have lost members in this war. I have seen the pain, confusion, frustration, and loving that has come from it. My family is one of those families. I lost my brother in November of 2003, and I am very guarded about tributes. My brother believed in the mission of the war, to bring freedom to Iraq. He built hospitals, fought sulfur mine fires, created roads, and provided hope for a people that had thirst for freedom for many years. I am not trying to preach what side is right or wrong, I am just telling my brothers story and beliefs.
Again, I want to thank you from myself and my family for the tribute and making the point to keep politics out of it. Not only does my family appreciate it, my brother does.
I just wanted to say thank you to everyone that helped make this possible. As most of you know used to be in the Nebraska National Guard. I lost a friend over there. I have friends over there and friends that have been over in Iraq.
No matter what I feel about the war. I am glad that someone is taking the time to honor my fellow soldiers. We have a saying in the Army that everyone is one color Army Green. I’m glad that the College Democrats took that concept and extended it to political ideology. Because, no matter what we think about the war, the fact is someone’s Friend, mother daughter, son, father, brother, sister, niece, nephew, or cousin has paid the ultimate price for all of us to passionatley agree or disagree!