To murmur name upon name:

A common thing, to repeat the names of the dead with no other commentary. It has been part of the grieving ritual in Ireland for thousands of years. More recently it is the basis for the Vietnam Wall, for tributes to September 11 victims, for anti-war protests. Names have power.

So on this Memorial Day, say the names of a few of the 3728 coalition soldiers, marines, airmen, and sailors who have died fighting in Iraq. Whether or not you believe in what they are fighting for, their deaths are a tragedy. I will say the names of the Atlantans myself: Jamaal Addison, Tyler Brown, George Draughn, Jesus Fonseca, Carl Fuller, Stephen Johnson, Kun Kim, Victor Langarica, Lonnie Parson, Richard Quill, Diego Rincon, Paul Saylor, Jonathan Shields, Jonathan Smith, Bennie Washington, Donovan Watts.