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The Daily OrangeVeterans, peace groups rally against Iraq War during march
By Kyle Adams
Posted: 9/30/07, 11:10 PM EST Section: News
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The soldier stood before a crowd of 2,500 that jammed Walnut Park Saturday.
He has a reputation for speaking out at anti-war rallies - like this one, which was the largest to come to Syracuse since the Vietnam War era. He's currently under investigation by the Army for being absent without leave.
The soldier, who wanted to remain anonymous, said he was not speaking on behalf of the U.S. military, Fort Drum or the Army. "I am not using my official rank or title, and I am not in uniform," he said.
"My voice may be silenced, but the message carries on," he said. "Veterans know the reality of the war on the ground, and they know that this war is wrong, and they want it to end."
Protestors came Saturday from all across New York state and beyond to demand the immediate withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq. More than 60 organizations state-wide sponsored the rally, which started at the Everson Museum Plaza downtown and ended at Walnut Park.
About 2,500 people showed up for the march, according to the Syracuse Peace Council, which organized the event. The crowd had grown by the time it reached the Syracuse University campus.
Among the protestors were an estimated 200 students, according to Marshall Henry, a senior music industry major at SU and leader of the Student Peace Action Network, the peace council's student wing.
The national Campus Anti-War Network reported 30 students from Ithaca and 75 from the University of Rochester. Students were also present from Cortland, the University at Buffalo and other schools across the state.
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