Hoping to open eyes in Niles

Published 4:21 pm Tuesday, September 30, 2008

By By JESSICA SIEFF / Niles Daily Star
NILES – When it comes to war, opinions differ.
This weekend, a travelling memorial will try to move past opinion in an effort to bring a focus to the lives of Michigan's soldiers, lost during the course of the war in the Middle East.
Pax Christi Southwest Michigan will host an exhibit of the American Friends Service Committee's (AFSC) 'Eyes Wide Open: Michigan.' The exhibit consists of 152 pairs of boots signifying Michigan's loss.
"It's sort of a visual reminder of the cost of war," said Mary Mechtenberg, coordinator of the event.
The exhibit will be displayed on the St. Mary's Church grounds, Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 4 and 5, from noon on Saturday to 4 p.m. Sunday. A candlelight vigil will be held Saturday, Oct. 4 at 7:30 p.m.
The AFSC created the exhibit as a national one, with a display on Memorial Day weekend in 2007 of 3,400 pairs of boots. Now, it is splitting up to statewide traveling memorials. Niles, Mechtenberg said, is the 18th community in Michigan to host the exhibit.
A Quaker organization, the AFSC states that while it "opposes this and all wars, we support our troops and want them to come home safely and be taken care of upon their return." During the candlelight service on Saturday, invocation by Father David Otto of St. Mary's Catholic Church is scheduled, as is a reading of the soldiers' names and a closing prayer by Pastor Brian Bacon of the Mt. Calvary Baptist Church.
"It's a very moving exhibit," said Mechtenberg. After seeing it for herself, Mechtenberg added she had a desire to see it come to Niles. "We've talked about it for a couple of years," she said. "And we decided we were just going to do it."
The vigil is nondenominational, Mechtenberg added. And the AFSC says the organization "includes people of various faiths who are committed to social justice, peace and humanitarian service. Its work is based on the belief in the worth of every person and faith in the power of love to overcome violence and injustice."
Mechtenberg said the purpose of the exhibit is "to pay tribute to these soldiers who have given up their lives." And, she added, she feels fortunate to see the exhibit come to Niles.
"It sort of reminds you of the human cost," she said. Visitors will "hopefully have their eyes opened to the horrors of war … it will be very moving I think."
For more information, visit www.afsc.org/eyes.