Calligraphers Plan to Honor Fallen Troops

Raleigh, N.C. — The Raleigh City Council is expected to approve a project to honor troops killed in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The Carolina Lettering Arts Society is sponsoring the Namegrams Project.

More than 100 calligraphers inscribed the names and ages of all U.S. casualties onto strips of brown paper bearing the notation, "This is an American hero killed in Iraq or Afghanistan."

More than 4,000 servicemen and women have been killed in the two countries since 2001.

The tags will be hung on trees along Fayetteville Street in Raleigh during the annual Veterans Day parade in November.

"It's very meaningful when you write a name," Dara Linn, a member of the organization, told WRAL when the group first proposed the idea to the City Council in early August.

"I think it definitely brings it home to people to write the names of people who lost their lives and realize how many names there are and particularly how some of these men and women are very young, just beginning their lives," Linn said.

City officials had previously proposed limiting the time the tags are hanging to two weeks and other modifications aimed lessening the stress on trees and limiting the amount of cleanup.

The City Council plans a final vote on the Namegrams project this week.

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Latest Comments

It is a good project. To seek something wrong in honoring wardead seems to be stretch to me personally. I used to wear one of those P.O.W. bracelets when I was a teenager. I didn't do it to protest the war (in Vietnam) at the time. Rather I wore it as a reminder that someone, somewhere was enduring unspeakable torments and suffering in order to ensure our freedoms and liberties. Don't look for a boogieman in everything people do. Sometimes it's simply done to honor someone, nothing more, nothing less.

oldrebel
September 4, 2007 6:06 p.m.

The city council is doing this to protest the war? It's not Memorial Day or Veterans' Day? Come on folks, what kind of nonsense is this? Why so suspicious? I read the story. To me, it's simply another great way to honor military personnel that have died in the service of our country.

I wonder if any of you complainers drive a gas guzzler? All that extra money heading over to the Middle East may very well be funding terrorist groups that kill our soldiers. Make sure you are doing everything you can to cut back on our wasteful ways. We need to sacrifice here at home to help support our military.

In the Clover
September 4, 2007 5:56 p.m.

wstarhawks, good point, but I dont see the need for the city council to have to remind veterans that there is a war going on, or that we have taken casualties, I think us vets know the cost of the war all too well, Veterans day is meant to honor those who served, as I posted before, Memorial day is the day we remember the fallen, for most vets, I think I can safely say that while Memorial Day is a good, and necessary holiday, we remember the fallen almost everyday of our lives.

Jake Wildstar
September 4, 2007 12:49 p.m.

I'm in the middle on this one I think, on one hand it does bring to the attention of the public the sacrifice that others make for their security and economic well-being but the most likely affect, and probably the intended one, will be to undermine support for the war as people want to just make it all go away regardless of the long term consequences.

haggis basher
September 4, 2007 12:43 p.m.

As a veteran of Iraq, who lost some friends over there. I believe in honoring them as much as possible. But my question is this, If it is a Veteran's day honor you need to put the name of every KIA from NC from EVERY war on the trees. That way you honor every veteran as you should and it takes away any protest questions about the current conflicts.

wstarhawks
September 4, 2007 12:42 p.m.