Media Attention
The United States media noted this death above many others, as it was the 2,000th since the start of active combat, a number generally recognized as significant. Articles ran on such sites as CNN.com featuring the soldier. In contrast, the Pentagon downplayed the death — Lt. Col. Steven Boylan, a spokesman for the U.S. military in Iraq, told the Associated Press that "the 2,000 service members killed in Iraq supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom is not a milestone, it is an artificial mark on the wall set by individuals or groups with specific agendas and ulterior motives."
Alexander's death sparked Senators and Congressmen to debate the merits of the war again, something that had not been done in months, with Senators such as Dick Durbin making statements on the war. Peace activists cast the 2,000th combat death as a milestone in what they believe to be an unnecessary and unwinnable war. Immediately following the report of his death, six hundred anti-war protests and candlelight vigils were held in the United States on October 26, 2005.
Read more about this topic: George T. Alexander
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