Attendees of a peace rally Monday came from all walks of life to march against a war they disagree with and to commemorate the five-year anniversary of the beginning of the conflict.

Organizers of the event, which began in the windy parking lot of the East Hy-Vee, 640 Lincoln Way, encouraged marchers to spread out and hold their signs for the passing cars to see.

The marchers received frequent honks from drivers, which the group responded to positively. The most negative response to the march came from motorists who were stopped at traffic lights when marchers continued across the street during green lights.

“The turnout is great,” said Sue Dinsdale, Iowa field director of Americans Against Escalation in Iraq, who helped organize the rally. She estimated 400 people attended Monday’s rally.

The rally saw one counter-protest by Nathan Stockfleth, sophomore in animal ecology, who simply held up an American flag across the street from the rally.

Upon the protestors’ arrival at the Memorial Union, the band So Much Fun was already playing. Attendees were invited to peruse the tables where the event sponsors were handing out fliers and bumper stickers and asking for contact information of those wanting to get involved.

“I think it’s great,” said Mackenzie Dierks, freshman in agricultural studies. “I put my e-mail down to get information.”

Several attendees danced as the Iowa City band Public Property performed.

Two individuals hula-hooped instead of dancing.

“We’re hooping for peace,” said Saree Heydenfeldt, an ISU alumna. “It’s called hoopdancing. It incorporates yoga and other moves.”

The speaking portion of the night commenced as Ames High Progressive Club president Bobby Hunter, senior at Ames High, read the names of the soldiers who had fallen since March 11.

William J. Meyers, a Democratic candidate for Iowa’s 4th congressional district, spoke as a veteran against the Iraq conflict. He described experiences that a soldier might face during combat and spoke against the Bush administration and members of Congress who had voted in favor of the war in 2003.

“When we take that oath we expect leaders to be truthful and competent,” Meyers said, “Our country continues to fail us.”

Meyers talked about the lack of care received by the 25 million veterans in the United States and the families of those veterans who are “directly affected by the aftermath of the war.” He also directly addressed notable politicians.

“Mr. President, U.S. senators and representatives, and, especially, Tom Latham: Your lack of competence and honesty breaks my heart,” he said.

After Meyers’ presentation, a performance of the song “War Comes Home” by the Omaha band It’s True received a standing ovation.

Attorney Angela Campbell, of Des Moines, discussed her experience serving as defense counsel for four Guantanamo Bay detainees, saying the U.S. government put up several obstacles to hamper her ability to represent her clients. For example, she said officials refused to respond to habeas corpus petitions she filed to determine why the men were being detained.

She also needed to get security clearance before she could see her clients.

“Because Guantanamo Bay is a secure facility, people who go there become classified,” Campbell said. “If we talk about anything we see or hear at Guantanamo, that’s treason.”

When she first met one client, named Muhibullah, he assumed she was an interrogator because he had already been fooled by interrogators pretending to be his lawyer. He wouldn’t even give her his name.

Campbell traveled to Afghanistan in an attempt to find Muhibullah’s family. When she met his father, she found he was a U.S. ally and had lost a leg and eye during his service for the American government.

Campbell asked Muhibullah about his treatment at Guantanamo and he said, although he had gone through what Campbell described as “borderline torture,” he had witnessed much worse.

“People have asked me ‘What can I do to help?’ and I have no idea,” Campbell said. “We’re up against the Bush administration and they keep changing the rules.”

The final speaker was Terri Jones, whose son, Spc. Jason Cooper, served in Iraq for a year, beginning in March 2004. Cooper committed suicide four months after his return home.

“The mental toll robbed my son of who he was,” Jones said.

Jones said her goal was to make post-traumatic stress disorder a household term. She has been interviewed by numerous media sources, and worked with CBS to find statistics regarding soldiers and depression, a problem Jones says the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs continues to deny.

In 2005, more than 6,000 soldiers committed suicide in the United States, a statistic that Jones attributes to a “gaping hole” in soldier care.