If you are looking for a way to honor our nation's bravest this Veteran's Day you can consult the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs page. The Wisconsin Historical Society issued a statement "saluting our newest Veterans." Governor Jim Doyle issued a statement. We could only find few events listed for Madison, including the press release we received early this morning.

From the Veterans for Peace Madison Chapter:

On Veterans Day, Nov. 11, 2007, the Veterans for Peace Clarence Kailin Chapter 25, Madison, will present a “Memorial Mile”—some 4300 tombstones along the frontage at Olbrich Park, 3527 Atwood Ave., Madison. This is the estimated number of American casualties so far in Iraq and Afghanistan. The tombstones will be erected from 7 - 10 am and a ceremony to Mourn the Dead, Heal the Wounded and Stop the War will be held at 2 pm across from the garden, near the tennis courts and parking lot. In case of inclement weather, the ceremony will be held at the East Side Business Men’s Association, 3735 Monona Dr. just south of Olbrich Park.

The public is invited to walk the Memorial Mile in remembrance of the fallen and in hope of peace. Explains co-organizer Richard Chamberlin, a Navy Vietnam Veteran, "We are erecting over 4,300 tombstones so that people can appreciate the magnitude of this tragedy and reflect upon its meaning." People can review a book listing the names of those from Wisconsin who have fallen in Iraq and Afghanistan and write their thoughts in a guest book. The Memorial will be open Sunday and Monday during the day, and in the evening for candlelight walks. VFP members will be available to answer questions and discuss how to wage peace rather than war.

Speakers at the ceremony will include:

* Reverend David Couper, St Peter's Episcopal Church, North Lake, WI, former Marine, former Madison Police Chief, member Veterans for Peace
* Ray Maida of Madison, a Vietnam veteran, father of Army Sergeant Mark A. Maida, age 22, who died in Iraq on May 27, 2005
* Patrick Wilcox, Iraq Veteran, member of Iraq Veterans Against the War and VFP
* Will Williams, Vietnam veteran and VFP member
* Abbie Pickett, who served in Iraq in 2003 with the Wisconsin National Guard
* Roll Call: Caroline Greenwald, Associate member, VFP. People will be invited, as individuals or families, to come forward and read the names of the WI soldiers killed in Iraq & Afghanistan
* Closing Comments

After the ceremony, the public is invited to walk the Memorial Mile.

Veterans for Peace is a national organization with chapters across the US. In 2006, 30 chapters held Veterans Day events across America in efforts to help the public understand the real meaning of this day and the terrible costs—human, environmental and economic—of war. The Gainesville, FL VFP chapter conducted the first Memorial Mile on Memorial Day, 2007. Since then other chapters have set up similar installations. For a slide show of the Gainesville action see:

http://vfpgainesville.blogspot.com/2007/05/slide-show-of-memorial-day-display.html