RNC 2008: War Dead Boot Display Observations

Photos By John Hoff, September 2

You wouldn't know it from the first photo, but there was a HUGE CROWD at the State Capitol. Yet that crowd was not willing to casually mill around in the field of boots representing war dead. At one point I saw a large group walk into the boots, but it turned out it was a deliberate effort to view the boots and straighten out tags.

Another display nearby represents Iraqi civilians killed in the war. You can almost hear the impassioned discussion going on behind the scenes: We can't JUST have a display of American soldier boots and ignore all the CIVILIAN deaths. Yet the civilian display is very muted. I'd be interested to see a field of shoes representing the actual number; even a display of the lowest plausible estimate would be a devastating sight.

Oh, also, when a voice read the name of each American casualty, and a gong was tolled, one of the soldiers was "Name Withheld." Yeah, I'd like to be a mouse in the corner overhearing THAT discussion.

The point of the field of footwear was to stir the emotions. And it certainly did.

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