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# War, remembrance: Tribute paid to fallen
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/war-remembrance-tribute-paid-to-fallen/
- Published: 2004-03-19T16:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T04:02:36.000Z
- Author: John Wood
- Tags: local, Westwood, #archive-import

*Protesters give war the boot*

WESTWOOD — One year after President George W. Bush declared war on Iraq, dozens of protesters gathered on the lawn of the Federal Building here Thursday afternoon to honor more than 9,000 fallen soldiers and civilians.

“Bush lied and who died?” asked Fernando Suarez del Solar, father of Lance Corp. Jesus Suarez del Solar, 20, killed just one week into the war. “My son — my Aztec warrior — and 560 beautiful American boys died because Bush lied.”

Organizers laid out a grid of more than 560 combat boots in honor of the dead soldiers and stacked thousands of men’s, women’s and children’s shoes of all colors and sizes to represent the estimated 8,500-plus dead Iraqi civilians. A makeshift Memorial Wall was also set up, listing the names of each soldier downed within the past year.

“People are dying — that’s why we’re here today, because people are unnecessarily dying,” said Vietnam veteran Ron Kovic. “We need to get out. We’re creating more problems, being there. We’re creating more enemies, being there.”

Kovic, 57, is a former Marine Corps sergeant and author, and the subject of the acclaimed film “Born on the Fourth of July.” Kovic was shot twice on Jan. 20, 1968 while in Vietnam and is paralyzed from the waist down. He urged America’s leaders to learn from mistakes made in Vietnam, withdraw from Iraq and let the United Nations take over.

The rally featured several anti-war speakers and singers.

The names of each of the 560 American soldiers killed were read aloud, before an interfaith service and candlelight procession later Thursday evening. Organizers said a larger protest will be staged at Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street at 12 p.m. this Saturday.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/55/9f/559f9abc-8372-4a2e-8c2d-27386da4e363/content/images/2026/10/031904-03_01-7.jpg)

(Top) War protesters join hands Thursday morning around a pile of thousands of shoes, meant to represent the 8,000-plus civilians killed since the war in Iraq began last year. (Photo: John Wood/Daily Press)

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on March 19, 2004.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/031904.pdf?ref=smdp.com)