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Memorial Day Hits Close To Home For Ex-Soldier

CBS 4

South Florida marked a somber Memorial Day at dozens services and ceremonies throughout the tri-county area.

One in Miami held a special significance for a former U.S. soldier. The ceremony was performed in a field of four thousand placards, each representing a soldier who had given his life for his country. It took them over half an hour to read the names of Americans just from Florida who have died fighting in Iraq.

"Has it ever hit you that you could have very well been one of those placards out here?" CBS4 reporter David Sutta asked Camillo Majia.

"All the time," was his response.

Majia, a Miami resident, was the first U.S. soldier to go AWOL from the war in Iraq. After being locked up for 9 months, Majia now runs an organization to end the war.

"I think that the experience of war is the most powerful argument against it," said Majia.

Now in its third year, the "Arlington Miami Memorial" has become a fixture of Memorial Day. This year it encompassed two blocks on Biscayne Boulevard. Last year, Sam Feldman with Veterans for Peace lined South Beach with the placards to drive home a point.

"Part of the effort was to show the contrast between the party, the debauchery of South Beach, and the solemnity of having soldiers still dying at war while we're celebrating," said Feldman.

This year he wanted a calmer, more respectful atmosphere.

At the end of the day, as the group picked up the placards, Sam wondered aloud at how many more Memorial Days he would have to canvas a park in tombstones.