Approximately 50 people gathered in Blaney Plaza by 7:30 p.m. As the event began, a bicyclist stopped and debated for several minutes with a group of the participants, including Saratoga resident Nathan Brookwood, before riding off.

"It's been too long for the country not to raise objections to the crazy policies the administration has been pursuing," Brookwood said. "I'm glad to see the community pulling together to make a statement. Cindy Sheehan is definitely making people realize the human costs of the war."

Pat Hendriks of Saratoga agreed with Brookwood. "I'm a lifelong Democrat who believes in having a little more open conversation than we've had," she said.

Many of the participants at the vigil were members of a MoveOn.org email list. They had received email informing them of the event. Others said they came at the urging of friends.

Some protestors carried signs that said "Bring Our Kids Home," but when someone asked the crowd if anyone present had a son or daughter in Iraq, no one came forward.

Madan Valluri was struck by the age of the crowd. "I was hoping to see more young people here," he said. "There's nobody here that has people in Iraq but you still feel the pain. Everybody feels the anguish of the war. I'm here because Cindy moves me immensely."

At dusk, Mate Gross of Los Gatos addressed the crowd of candle-holders telling of his service in the Army during the Vietnam War. He was drafted in 1967 but his feelings turned against the war in Vietnam and he went absent without leave. "Anyone who questioned the war then ... there was no support for it," he said. He said the Army threw him into the stockade at Fort Devens in Massachusetts, but that he went on to serve out his tour and receive an honorable discharge. "I know the toll war takes on people," he said. "I'm here because we're creating another generation of what I call the silent wounded."

Robin Yeamans gave an emotional speech telling of her now ex-husband, a Vietnam War veteran, who suffered from post traumatic stress disorder triggered by the 9-11 attacks on the World Trade Center. She spoke of her dislike of the Bush administration and its current policies.

Yeamans explained that she was an anti-war protestor in the early 1970s and that she had worked as a criminal defense attorney defending anti-war protestors who had publicly burned their draft cards. "I've been against war for a long time," she said.

After the speeches, the crowd broke up into groups and continued discussions on the war in Iraq. A group of participants stood on the corner of Highway 9 and Big Basin Way holding candles and anti-war signs. Some drivers honked in support as they drove by.

The crowd began to disperse at around 8:30 p.m.