A popular Army cadence goes, “Some say freedom is free, but I tend to disagree. Tell me why must people sacrifice?”
The ultimate sacrifice soldiers can make was commemorated in the Brickyard on Wednesday. A total of 2,319 yellow stars were placed in the grass beside D.H. Hill Library, each representing a fallen soldier in the ongoing Iraqi War.
The College Democrats, Middle East and North African Student Association and NAACP worked with the local organizations of Code Pink and the North Carolina Peace and Justice Coalition to place the stars in time for the three-year anniversary of the start of the current Iraqi war.
“It is hard to believe we have been there for three years,” Drew Ball, a senior in political science and education, said.
Ball, also the College Democrats president, said he felt the purpose of the memorial is to honor those who give their lives every day to the war.
Capt. Valerie Johnson, a professor of military science in the Army ROTC, served a year in Iraq.
“I’m very thankful for the stars,” Johnson said. “They are so heart-warming.”
Johnson said she also hopes the public does not lose sight of why the military is overseas.
“There is always a reason to fight,” Capt. Johnson said. “Let us not forget the soldiers over there fighting for the better good.”
Nancy Bennett, a junior in business management, said she has a couple friends fighting in the war.
Bennett said she felt the memorial gave students a reason not to “take advantage of the simple things in life.”
As part of the 101st Airborne Company in the Army, Phillip Yeakey, a junior in forest management, said he had two friends killed in combat during his service, and his other friends are continuing to fight overseas.
“It’s good to honor them [the soldiers],” with the stars in the Brickyard, Yeakey said. “Especially when there is anti-war protest.”
Frank Davis, a freshman in biological sciences, was an active participant in the organization of the War Memorial in the Brickyard.
Davis said he received mixed responses from students.
“Some questioned our motives, thinking they were political,” Davis said.
Ball emphasized the conglomeration of work done by the various organizations on campus.
“It is a non-partisan issue,” Ball said, “The memorial was part of a campus community effort.”
Davis said he felt the memorial was a “unified initiative to get people involved and aware.”
Ball said he felt all Americans should have the war on their minds.
“It [the war] does not receive the attention it used to,” Ball said. “It is becoming the backdrop to the political scene.”
Johnson said the soldiers’ sacrifices should not be in vain.
During her service, Johnson said her company, along with managing supplies, was responsible with setting up schools and helping the people in the city where she was situated.
Along with the stars in the Brickyard was a list of the 33,800-recorded Iraqi civilian victims of the war, Ball said.
Yeakey said he remembers the citizens of Iraq he met during his time of service.
“The people were great,” Yeakey said. “You hardly ever see the good things” about the war.
Johnson said the positives that occur in the war outweigh the negatives on any day.
While working with the Iraqi civilians, Johnson said she will always remember a conversation she had with an Iraqi woman.
The woman said she felt hope for the day when her kids and Johnson’s kids could play together peacefully, according to Johnson.
“I am in this uniform for my family and children and the better of the country,” Johnson said.
Yeakey said his company was also involved with serving the people of Iraq, including the improvement of schools and donation of needed items.
“My service is an experience I will never forget,” Yeakey said.