Veteran's Day The War Dead Wall Comes Down

Bob never intended the wall to stay up forever. He thought it likely that when the rains came the ink would drip and make the whole sad list even sadder looking. But it turns out Sharpies are permanent markers as advertised and it was the wall paper paste on the rough cement wall that couldn't last forever or even outlast a strong wind we had a few days ago. With the list blown and tattered, Bob decided Veterans' Day was a good day to take it down. He wrote the two most recently dead soldiers' names on the bottom of the list and then peeled it off and stored it in the garage. On the one remaining blank panel he wrote:

November 11, 2008
Dear Neighbors,

As you see, I have removed my Iraq war dead project. It was not intended to be permanent and this seemed a proper day to take it down.

I want to thank all who looked at the wall for their courtesy. Before the project went up people warned me it might be graffitied, trashed or worse. None of that happened. Instead, thousands of people took the time to read and think about it and hundreds wrote comments or spoke to me about their reactions. You can still read those touching, interesting and insightful notes, because my wife Michelle has posted them at www.wardeaproject.blogspot.com.

Best of all, no one (not one citizen, let alone the government) has even tried to tell me I can't say what I think about this war. America isn't perfect, but it's a great country.

Happy Veterans' (or Armistice) Day to all of you.

Sincerely,


Bob Perkins