The following essays were done by Freshman
Students at Wilmington College who saw the Eyes Wide Open Exhibit and
had these reflections to share.
Brittany Mozingo
William Kincaid
Reaction Paper
I found the “Eyes Wide Open” exhibit
to be very informative. Reading and learning that 7.5 billion of Ohio’s
tax dollars is going to the Iraq war is absurd. I feel that the United
States has accomplished little while over in Iraq. I support the troops,
but I feel the government should put an end to the war. Putting and
end to the war would allow the states and government to use tax dollars
for better things. We could use the money to fight poverty. Or we
could use the money to better the education of all of our students.
If Bush is so avid about No Child Left Behind, then maybe he should
put less money towards the war and more towards bettering math and
science education. There are so many different things that the state
of Ohio could improve with 7.5 million dollars.
I found it hard to look at the soldier’s
boots representing the 115 soldiers lost due to the war. I found it
even harder to look at the shoes symbolizing the number of citizens
killed during this war. Looking at the number of lives taken further
backs my opinion on why war is wrong. Very few good things come out
of war. Being in Iraq may delay the use of Weapons of Mass Destruction;
however it does not get rid of them. The war in Iraq consumes to many
of our tax dollars. I think we need o back out of the war and start
putting our money towards a better cause that would help improve our
nation.
Kyle Baessler
Reaction to “Eyes Wide Open Display”
I think that this is a very powerful display that
shows the loss the U.S. is enduring from the start of the invasion
of Iraq. It is so much different to see an example in person of what
the war is causing then seeing it on TV. To walk into the room of
the display and see all of the boots from soldiers brings up mixed
emotions. After walking around the boots, I saw that they weren’t
just pairs of boots. They were the boots that soldiers had worn. Boots
with scratches and worn soles. I think that the fact that the boots
were worn adds a lot of emotion to the whole display. Looking at the
boots just makes me wonder so many things. Did the man who wore these
want to go to war? Did the man who wore these have a lot of family?
I think about the emotions that overwhelmed his family when they found
out the news that their son or father or bother or uncle was dead.
I think that this is an incredibly powerful display.
I have seen this display on television, but I didn’t think that
it was that powerful. Seeing the exhibit in person triggered so many
more emotions. I also thought that it was haunting to see the boots
of those who lived close to Wilmington. Seeing Bret Whitman who was
killed this summer and attended East Clinton. Seeing these boots brings
the effects of the decisions made by the Bush administration close
to home. Seeing this display just makes me wonder even more, what
are we doing in Iraq, and why are our soldiers dying?
Seth Howard
Eyes Wide Open
In the exhibit “Eyes Wide Open” I
saw a lot of new things that I had never seen before. It really doesn’t
sink in to you about all the people that are killed in Iraq from around
here until you see an extraordinary feature like the one we went and
saw. The exhibit really hit me because of two main reasons. Reason
number one is the fact that two people were killed in Iraq from this
county that I knew personally. One was Brett Wightman and the other
was Steve Conover. I went to high school with Brett and played high
school football with him. We hung out a few times outside of school
and football and I really took to knowing him as a comedian and a
round about good guy. It also is difficult because I hung out with
some of his closest friends that he left behind and I know how much
they miss him. Steven I had known since I was a little bitty child.
My mo used to baby-sit him and his mo was my Sunday school teacher.
We were members of the same church for 17 years until the day he passed.
He holds a special place in my heart also because I know what pain
not only his mother went through, but the pain his family and our
church went through. He was a very good friend, and soldier, but better
yet a great servant of the Lord Jesus Christ his Savior. So the exhibit
brought back some painful memories, but also some good ones. I wish
the two of these fine young soldiers and men were still here just
so that their families, friends, and loved ones would not have to
suffer and endure pain. But at least they are in a better place now.
Fleishia Taylor
Soldiers In Our Country
The pictures that we saw were unbelievable, but
realistic. When I saw all of those boots lying on the floor, it was
devastating. My heart felt for the soldier’s parents. I can’t
relate to what these parents are going through, because I have never
had to deal with something like that. I have had many friends go through
the first part of the process to become a soldier, but did not make
it through. Two of my friends received a medical discharge, because
of simple issues, but were not able to proceed. Some of my other friends
have made it to Iraq already, but are still alive and are more airborne
than on the ground. I have a female friend who is in California and
is going through military school. It is always interesting to hear
what she has to say. As of now she is learning different languages.
I had one acquaintance, we went to the same school, and we were friends
through other friends. Recently he was wounded over seas, and fortunately
was able to come home to his wife and family.
When I saw the display of all of those wounded
soldiers it was sad. I know that the war is still going on, and some
of these soldiers want to be there fighting. I have a friend who just
joined the army just so that they can afford to go to college. I never
imagined him joining the army, but because of finances he went. Sometimes
I wish that if the government is so persistent about going to war,
maybe they could show it by actually going and doing what all of these
soldiers are doing. We might lose government officials, but maybe
we as a government will start something and attempt to do whatever
we can to avoid war.
Furthermore, they would realize what all of the
American families who have lost a close relative are going through.
It is very sad to see how many families have suffered, and not even
for a good cause. If we were fighting to stop terrorist, I might react
differently, but this war has gotten way out of hand and we are no
longer fighting to stop terrorism, it is just an excuse to be overseas.
I have always approved of George Bush, but now I can clearly state
that I do not support Bush or ever will again. His last statement
he spoke will be the last time I listen to him talk. He is willing
to help all of these other countries (which is not horrible) but when
he degrades Americans, it is unreal.
They should continue to do this in all states,
to show the boots, to make all Americans aware of how many soldiers
are being killed and wounded. It will hit reality, and make them realize
that this is not just happening on T.V., it is real! I even liked
the pictures tagged on to the boots to show each individual. In addition
it was sad to see all of the boots on the White House lawn. I hope
Bush was looking out the window that day, realizing what he is putting
these families through. I am not going to blame Bush for all of this
matter. As some Americans, we voted him in, I certainly was for him,
and other government officials are for the war as well. I hope they
just realize what they are doing. I know that there may not be many
options, but Americans are smart and we are very good at negotiating,
we can something about it to stop this war.
Erica Anderson
Eyes Wide Open
When I first found out that we were going to visit
the display in the Quaker Heritage Center, I didn’t know what
to think. We walked into the room and you could just feel a sense
of sadness. When I looked at the items on display it struck me how
many people were dying in Iraq. As I looked at the boots with the
tags on them that included the soldiers name, age, and where they
were from, I couldn’t help but to feel some sort of anger. I
felt as though my neighbor had been killed. Whether they were from
Hamilton to Canton, it felt all too close to home.
The thing that caught my eye the most and hit
home with me were the boots of Matt Maupin. Matt was a member of the
724th transportation company, the same one as one of my friends’
son. Matt and her son Johnny were the only two boys from Ohio in that
unit. It brought back all the hard times that I had to help her get
through from the first moment that she found out her son was being
shipped out, to when he was missing, and then when the unit returned
home. It was the hardest time I had ever had trying to support a friend,
I didn’t know what I could say or do to comfort her home at
this time. She is the strongest person I know and when she broke down
I couldn’t help but do the same. To this day my friend wears
a bracelet with Matt’s name engraved on it, and vows that she
will not take it off until he returns home safely.
Although I found the display very sad, I thought that it was good
that many people got a chance to see it. It really was an eye opening
experience for me and it made me realize what a small word it really
is out there. We are all connected some way, some how.
Ashley Dillion
Eyes Wide Open
The war in Iraq has killed many of innocent people
and has become and emotional time for many people. Personally, I haven’t
been touched by the whole experience as much. Not having a friend
or loved one in the war makes it hard to really understand what loss
people are feeling. Walking through the exhibit in the Boyd building
last week, helped me to see the huge effect that the war has on the
rest of the world.
As we walked into the room, right away you could feel emotion being
given off by the display. No one was talking throughout the entire
time we were walking around. When we first walked into the room there
were shoes laying in rows with nametags and pictures. It was shocking
to see so many young faces. I could only imagine what people were
feeling when some of them realized that these were people that they
went to school with. That would be a very difficult thing to look
at.
One thing that I remember most was the display
in the far corner. There were a hundred pairs of shoes piled in the
corner with a variety of different sizes. There was a sign next to
the shoes that read something like “every pair of shoes represents
1,000 Iraqi civilians killed in the war.” Looking back, I realize
that the shoes made a huge impact. There were little baby shoes and
I had never really thought about how many little children were being
killed and how many innocent people died for no reason at all.
The exhibit was called Eyes Wide Open, and I think
that it really symbolizes the point of the exhibit. The whole point
was to make more people aware of what is really going on in the world
and how much of an impact it is having on people. I feel that the
exhibit was very well put together and got the point across in an
emotional way.
