Nevada governor officially recognizes WNC war exhibit ‘Always Lost’ with Veterans Day proclamation
The proclamation notes 2014 is the “Year of the Veteran” in Nevada as it entered the Union during the Civil War and henceforth is called “Battle Born.”
It further states the Nevada 150 Commission designated The Western Nevada College exhibit as an official Sesquicentennial exhibit as it honors those who made the ultimate sacrifice in Iraq and Afghanistan “and in doing so, serves as a poignant memorial that brings home the individual and collective costs of all wars,” the proclamation states.
“‘Always Lost’ provides a sacred and public space not only to reflect upon the costs of war but also to contemplate our responsibilities as a civilized society to those who serve in harm’s way on our behalf,” according to the proclamation. “Since 2010 ‘Always Lost’ has been bringing its message of awareness and unity from the great Battle Born State of Nevada to communities across the United States.”
The proclamation can be viewed below.
The core of the exhibit is the Wall of the Dead, which includes the names and photographs of the more than 6,800 American casualties in the two wars. It also includes 2004 Pulitzer Prize-winning combat photos shown by permission of the Dallas Morning News, as well as literary work from Professor Emeritus Marilee Swirczek’s creative writing classes at WNC, veterans and their families, members of the Lone Mountain Writers group, and other contributors.
In fall 2008, Western Nevada College sociology professor Don Carlson was stopped in his tracks by The New York Times' Roster of the Dead. "Four thousand faces of American military who had perished in Iraq stared at me," he said, "and I realized that this war has been perhaps one of the most impersonal wars ever fought."
He approached English professor Swirczek and they envisioned an art/humanities exhibition that would personalize the wars — Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom — through poems, prose and photographs. English instructor and retired Marine Major Kevin Burns selected the name for the exhibition from an observation by American writer Gertrude Stein: "War is never fatal but always lost. Always lost."
The heart of Always Lost is the Wall of the Dead: individual photographs with names of the more than 6,500 U.S. military war casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan since Sept. 11, 2001. The Always Lost project team is committed to keeping the Wall of the Dead current in honor of those who gave their lives and those who made it home.
Always Lost features the 2004 Pulitzer Prize-winning Iraq War combat photographs by David Leeson and Cheryl Diaz Meyer, courtesy of The Dallas Morning News.
On Oct. 2, 2014, the exhibit was officially recognized by the Carson City Board of Supervisors.
2014-11-11_alwayslost.pdf by Carson Now
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