People from all over US joined Texas-based Iraq war protest

As the sun dipped behind pastures around the makeshift campsite near President Bush's ranch, more than 200 people silently clutched candles and gathered around a flag-draped coffin.

The vigil calling for an end to the war in Iraq was among hundreds nationwide Wednesday, as protesters from Grand Rapids, Mich., to Concord, N.H., joined an effort spurred by Cindy Sheehan's anti-war protest in memory of her son Casey, who died in Iraq last year.

"For the more than 1,800 who have come home this way in flag-draped coffins, each one ... was a son or a daughter, not cannon fodder to be used so recklessly," Sheehan said. "Each one is a valuable human life that is missed so desperately," reports the AP.

Marie Evans said to CBC, she attended a gathering at the state Capitol in Oklahoma City to make her opposition to the war heard.

"There was no question in my mind that we needed to make a statement in Oklahoma, which is a very conservative state," she said, holding a sign that read, "Every day President Bush plays in Crawford our young men die."

Demonstrators in Nashville, Tenn., carried candles, flags and banners of protest, including one that read: "Thank you for your courage Cindy."

"This is a good example of how one person can make a difference," said Gigi Gaskins, 44, of Nashville.

Sheehan, of Vacaville, Calif., has said she won't leave Texas until Bush's month long vacation ends or he meets with her and other grieving families.