Exhibit to show cost of war

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Jed Boal reporting More than 3,000 U.S. troops have died in Iraq. More than 150,000 Iraqis have likely been killed. Now, an exhibit dedicated to the cost of war is coming to Utah.

The project is called "Eyes Wide Open: the Cost of War to Utah" and was planned today to coincide with Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The American Friends Service Committee put on the exhibit that features the combat boots of Utah troops killed in action in Iraq.

Twenty combat boots and 200 shoes assembled in a room, each tagged with the name of a Utah soldier killed in the Iraq War. "We certainly respect the soldiers and their belief in what they're doing," said Emily Box, of Salt Lake Friends.

Quakers believe in the dignity of all people and oppose war. With "Eyes Wide Open," the American Friends Service Committee and other local sponsors aim to bring home the cost of war in a personal way. "We wanted to find a way to help people think about this war in a respectful way," Box said.

Two hundred civilian shoes represent a proportional estimate of the number of Iraqi civilian casualties.

The national project opened in Chicago four years ago. Five-hundred-four pairs of boots symbolized the lost lives of U.S. troops in Iraq. The traveling exhibit added more boots to represent the newly fallen.

As the death toll rose along with interest in the exhibit, "Eyes Wide Open" assembled exhibits for each state. "To honor the soldiers who have been fighting, but at the same time make people aware of what this war is costing our country," Box explained.

According to the U.S. Department of Defense, 21 Utah troops have died in Iraq. When you include those deployed from Utah, and those with direct ties to Utah, the number grows to 38.

The exhibit will travel to several other locations in the state in the coming months. "We try to show this in a way that honors them and also honors our value of peace," Box said.

The "Eyes Wide Open" exhibit will go on display at the University of Utah in early February. For more information on the project, click the related link.