"Peace" Vigil Hostile to Family of Dead Soldier
Family Of Killed Soldier: Vigil Crowd Threatening
POSTED: 5:48 pm CDT September 9, 2004
UPDATED: 11:02 am CDT September 10, 2004
DALLAS -- A candlelight vigil took place Wednesday night to remember U.S. war dead in Iraq during the week of the 1,000th casualty. One North Texas family whose relative -- Chad Drake -- was killed outside Baghdad on Monday, was among the mourners at Dallas City Hall Plaza.
A family friend said the vigil turned abrasive toward the family members. The friend sent an e-mail message to NBC 5 News that described the alleged treatment some vigil attendees directed at the family.
The family friend's message alleges Drake's mother was "harassed and yelled at, booed and hissed, told her son died for nothing."
Drake's mother reportedly left the event in tears.
The family attended the vigil because they thought it was meant to honor U.S. casualties. The event was organized by the Dallas Peace Center, which opposes the war.
The Drake family says they were upset about the antiwar tenor of the assembled crowd. The director of the Dallas Peace Center said the event was not intended to be an antiwar rally, but said e-mail notifications of the vigil were sent to a broad audience. Because the venue is a public place, he said, a variety of people with various views on the war in Iraq attended.
He also said the event was planned to include political overtones, but the Drake family should have been informed.
The center, however, did issue an apology to the Drake family.
"I want to be clear in issuing an apology to the mother of the recent victim of that war," Lon Burnam, of the Dallas Peace Center, said. "I can certainly understand why she would not feel comfortable in that particular venue with that particular group of people."
Peace Center officials said they believe the Drake family left before the scheduled events started, and the family might not have seen the planned ceremony.
Drake's sister told NBC 5 News that the family thought some of the crowd was hostile, so the family departed the vigil.
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