by Gainesville Veterans for Peace
Gainesville’s Veterans for Peace chapter has cancelled this year’s Memorial Mile display of tombstones for U.S. troops killed in the Middle East and Central Asia, due to the continuing coronavirus crisis.
Chapter president Scott Camil told members, “We don’t know when the CoronaVirus curve will start to dissipate. We have many volunteers that are above age 60. We can’t meet in person to get the preparation work done and we can’t social distance setting up the display.”
At press time, the U.S. has lost 4,582 uniformed men and women in Iraq, and 2,448 in Afghanistan (as reported by icasualties.org). Host nation casualty numbers are not available.
On Saturday, May 16, Vets For Peace will post videos of Alachua County school student poets reading their winning poems from the 2020 Peace Poetry Contest at the Chapter 14 website (www.vfpgainesville.org/) and Facebook page. Three $1,000 Veterans for Peace Scholarship winners will also be announced.