Staff photo by Don Davis Jr. Angel Schroeder participates in anti-war vigil at N. Main Street and Farriss Avenue

The High Point Democrats in Action held a candlelight vigil as part of the American Friends Service Committee's "Not one More Death, Not one More Dollar" campaign.

The committee called for the vigils to be held the day after the U.S. death toll topped 2,000.

More than 200 similar vigils were held Wednesday in 44 states. Similar ceremonies were held in Greensboro and Winston-Salem.

Angel Schroeder read the names of the 42 North Carolinians killed in Iraq.

"Sometimes it seems like it's a war so far away, and we don't think about it very much. We wanted to keep it at the forefront of people's minds," Schroeder said.

She doesn't have any relatives or friends in Iraq but wanted to show her support for the troops, she said.

"This is a way to pay tribute and say we know your sacrifice and to thank you for what you've done," Schroeder said.

Robert Healy, an Army veteran, served from 1988 to 1992 and from 1994 to 1998. He said he believes the U.S. military has been abused by the Bush administration.

"It is important to show the families who've lost their sons and daughters that we support them, we support our military and it's necessary to stand for peace because what is America if it doesn't stand for peace," Healy said.

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