The Institute for Global Education (IGE) and the Peace Presence has registered plans to hold a vigil in downtown Grand Rapids on the day after the 3,000th United States soldier dies in Iraq. The vigil will take place at the corner of Fulton and Division at 5:30pm on the day after the 3,000th death is announced. The vigil is being held as part of a nationwide campaign organized by the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) called "Not One More Death. Not One More Dollar" that is calling for an end to the occupation of Iraq and an end to Congress' funding for the war. According to the AFSC, "the devastation of Hurricane Katrina and the hard truths it brought home about who does and doesn't have access to the American Dream tells us all how desperately" the $8 billion per month being spent on the occupation of Iraq is needed in other areas.
Thus far, 2,964 United States soldiers have died in Iraq and more than 22,000 have been wounded. In addition to the deaths of United States soldiers, more than 600,000 Iraqis have died as a result of the United States' invasion.
