Colorado Citizens for Peace

Mark Oeser

We will miss a regular participant and friend of the peace vigil, Mark Oeser.

Denver Post, Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Mark K. Oeser of Arvada, has passed away from cancer.

He enlisted in the Navy at seventeen and served in the Korean War. He retired as a MMCS from the Navy after 24 years.

After his release from active duty he became well known for his contemporary and experimental use of mixed media and metal sculpture and relief. In 1979, he established Eclectic Art Contemporary Art Experiments.

He worked for peace, environmental, animal rights, and was a welfare advocate.

He is survived by a son, Mark Keith Oeser and two grandsons Zachary and Hayden Oeser of Elizabeth, CO.

Memorial Service, Friday, August 28th, at 10:30 am at Newcomer Funeral Home - West Metro Chapel. Graveside following at Ft. Logan National Cemetery, Staging Area "C" at 12:15 pm.

Tribute Video

Mark at the Peace Vigil in April 2007


Memorial Day 2007

More Troops Killed in Afghanistan

5 U.S. Troops Killed as Afghan Violence Swells | Los Angeles Times

The pace of American combat deaths in Afghanistan has quickened anew as roadside bombs killed five U.S. troops in 24 hours in the same western province, the American military said Thursday.

The deaths bring to 11 the number of American troops killed in Afghanistan so far in August, on the heels of what was the worst month for Western and U.S. troop fatalities since the conflict began in 2001. Forty-three American military personnel died in July.

... The American deaths occurred in Farah province, bordering Iran, where a force consisting mainly of U.S. Marines staffs a string of small forward operating bases set deep in the desert. They are connected by a route that American forces have been struggling for months to keep free of roadside bombs, which have made travel extremely dangerous for villagers and military convoys alike.

One of the fatalities occurred Wednesday, and the other four, in a single incident, came Thursday, the U.S. military said. Such "clusters" of fatalities are becoming less uncommon; three American soldiers were killed over the weekend in a roadside bombing in the south.

The Cost of America's Wars

Afghan Bombs Kill 3 U.S. Troops | USA Today

A U.S. military spokesman says three American troops have been killed in two blasts in southern Afghanistan.

Navy Chief Petty Officer Brian Naranjo says the attacks happened on Saturday.

Southern Afghanistan is the center of the Taliban-led insurgency, which has made a violent comeback since its initial defeat in the U.S.-led invasion. Thousands of U.S. Marines and British troops are conducting anti-Taliban operations in the region ahead of this month's presidential elections.

Separately, a French soldier was killed and two others were wounded during a clash with insurgents north of Kabul, the French military said in a statement.

The number of U.S. and other NATO killed in bombing and clashes has soared this year.

US Military Deaths in Iraq War at 4,329 | Washington Post

As of Thursday, July 30, 2009, at least 4,329 members of the U.S. military had died in the Iraq war since it began in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count.

The figure includes nine military civilians killed in action. At least 3,464 military personnel died as a result of hostile action, according to the military's numbers.

The AP count is three fewer than the Defense Department's tally, last updated Thursday at 10 a.m. EDT.

The British military has reported 179 deaths; Italy, 33; Ukraine, 18; Poland, 21; Bulgaria, 13; Spain, 11; Denmark, seven; El Salvador, five; Slovakia, four; Latvia and Georgia, three each; Estonia, Netherlands, Thailand and Romania, two each; and Australia, Hungary, Kazakhstan and South Korea, one death each.