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Protestors slowly poured into the cordoned intersection of Hollywood and Vine on Saturday. Their picket signs flailed in the air like war banners, as the Act Now to Stop War and End Racism organization staged a political rally to protest the sixth anniversary of the Iraq War.Devin Leung, vice president of AS Business Affairs and Iraq War veteran, stood proudly against an overcast sky in Hollywood.

In front of him, flag draped caskets were lined like a well trained regiment in front of the A.N.S.W.E.R stage.

This rally marks the first time Leung attended an anti-war protest. Leung is no stranger to the harsh realities of war. As a Marine sergeant Leung served as a combat engineer and completed a tour of duty that ended in March 2005.

“I was stationed at Al Asad airbase, and it came under attack a few times while I was there,” explained Leung.

Asked why more of his fellow marines did not attend the rally, Leung was quick to point out that their pride and self-image were to blame.

“For a lot of my friends in the Marines they don’t want to seem unpatriotic, but it’s not about being un-patriotic. It’s about ending a war that costs lives and takes away money from our health and education,” Leung said.

Indeed Leung was more in sync with the overtones and premise of the A.N.S.W.E.R. rally than most of its first time participants. The A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition aims to eradicate racism and all U.S. occupations, whether in Iraq, Afghanistan or any other location.

Tina Kelly, an organizer for A.N.S.W.E.R. said government needs to withdraw its troops from Iraq and become fiscally responsible for its citizens.

“Ending all occupation and bringing our troops back home is our main goal. The Pentagon has a budget of $1.3 trillion, and we need that money to rebuild our economy and our country,” said Kelly.

Pounding footsteps struck the asphalt with determined intensity as protestors made their way to Mann’s Chinese Theatre where a massive die-in was scheduled. Hundreds of bodies lay against the street, converting Hollywood Boulevard into the Gaza Strip.

The revolutionary ambience of the crowd grew into a bustling swarm of political rhetoric as the rally marched toward the Armed Forces Career Center in Los Angeles. Sept. 11 conspiracy protestors rubbed elbows with Che Guevara activists and Communist party aficionados, leaving Iraq War veterans like Leung and Darron Johnson floating in a churning political sea.

Johnson, a former Marine sergeant in the 1/1 Recon Battalion served two tours in Iraq, one in Baghdad and the other in Fallujah. Johnson met Leung through mutual friends and attended the A.N.S.W.E.R. rally as a friend and Iraq War veteran.

“The initial invasion was no problem but my time in Fallujah was hell on Earth. I’m kind of neutral, I don’t support the war, but there’s no way the world will be without it, it’s inevitable.” said Johnson.

The A.N.S.W.E.R. rally ended with Iraq War veterans leaving every coffin in front of the Armed Forces Career Center, a poignant reminder for any military bound citizen.

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