– 9-11 families visit Iraq in Solidarity with Civilian Targets

KRISTINA OLSEN
Olsen, who lost her sister, Laurie Neira, on Flight 11, said: “I feel a deep sense of moral responsibility, both as a citizen of the global community, and as a person who lost a loved one on September 11, to promote the message of peace — by bearing witness to the suffering of innocent people, as well as by working toward creating an opening for constructive, non-violent approaches to dealing with conflict in our world. This I feel is the most meaningful way I can honor the memory of my sister.” The group visited the Amariya bomb shelter, where several hundred Iraqis were killed in 1991 by U.S. bombing. Olsen, a nurse from Newburyport, Mass., said: “It’s devastating. The concrete and the wires reminded me of Ground Zero.”

KATHLEEN TINLEY
Tinley lost her uncle, Michael, at the World Trade Center. She said, “My hope is that all people will come to realize that loss of more human life will not solve the problems of the world.”

TERRY KAY ROCKEFELLER
Terry Kay Rockefeller lost her sister, Laura, at the World Trade Center. She said: “Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. recognized the connections between war and poverty, between war and the diminishing of human rights. We hope our search for non-violent alternatives to war in Iraq will help to build trust within the global community so that it becomes possible to truly end terrorism and war, in all of their manifestations.” The Peaceful Tomorrows group derives its name from King’s assertion that “wars are poor chisels for carving out peaceful tomorrows.”