'In Athens They Call Her She Who Would Not Retreat'

OLYMPIA - Activist Rachel Corrie was far from her Olympia home, but she guarded Palestinians' homes as if they were her own. Last March she stood between the home of a Palestinian doctor and an Israeli bulldozer. She was acting as a human shield. The driver ran her down, killing her.

"In Athens they call her 'she who would not retreat'," said Craig Corrie,Rachel's Father. Rachel's parents have traveled the world learning about their daughter's passion. Monday they were back in Olympia, celebrating Rachel's life.

They accepted an award, the first of its kind, from a worldwide organization -- Cohre. It stands for Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions. It is a group that works to protect people's right to a safe home, a cause Rachel died for. Rachel was awarded the Housing Rights Defender Award posthumously.

"When Rachel wrote one of her e-mails, she ended it by saying, I wish you could meet these people," said Craig. Her parents did meet the people Rachel lived with. They say the Israeli's never charged the doctor Rachel protected with any crime. Rachel's parents met that doctor. His house still stood. But, a month ago, bulldozers finally knocked down the house Rachel protected.

"It's just gut-wrenching when you hear about homes where you've sat and had dinner with children and the family and to know those are gone. Those were homes where Rachel also slept in order to try to offer some international protection. They're gone now," said Rachel's mother Cynthia Corrie.

Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions website:

cohre.org