Home News Tribune Online 03/28/08http://www.thnt.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080328/OPINION02/803280356/1080 The Central Jersey Coalition Against Endless War holds a vigil every Saturday. One of our members adds the names of soldiers killed overseas to a memorial banner. Every week the banner gets longer. Now we've reached the sad milestone of the 4,000th killed in Iraq, according to official counts, which are underreported.The 2007 escalation, supposedly temporary, extended the tours of our National Guard troops by three months, so they were away from home nearly two years. It is now permanent. In June, 3,000-plus troops, half of our guard, deploy. New rules limit deployments to one year, but with March and April training, it's 15 months. Those who re-upped for educational benefits lose another semester, including 90 Rutgers-Newark students. We call on our lawmakers to stop funding this war, to deauthorize it. We call on Gov. Jon S. Corzine to keep our New Jersey Guard home. All troops must come home. In the presidential campaign, the candidates mention redeploying troops out of Iraq but mean "combat" troops, less than half of the troops in Iraq. We want troops and all privately contracted soldiers out and a political and diplomatic solution. Around March 19, I met some veterans who testified at the Iraq Veterans Winter Soldier hearings in Maryland. They gave personal accounts of their experiences, including the lack of clarity in the rules of engagement. They appreciated our efforts to end the war. We will continue our efforts until this war and any possible aggression against Iran is stopped. We appreciate journalists' willingness to keep this story front and center, not just when the 4,000th soldier is killed, but also for the 4,001st, 4,002nd and every one after that. Karina Wilkinson HIGHLAND PARK
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