Support Our Troop Rallies

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http://www.heraldnet.com/Stories/03/3/2/16588512.cfm


A service of The Herald of Everett, Wash.


Published: Sunday, March 2, 2003
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Troop support rally draws hundreds


By Scott Morris
Herald Writer

SMOKEY POINT -- Drivers honked their car horns and people -- a lot of people -- waved flags and crowded the sidewalks in a rally by Operation Support Our Troops Saturday.

Estimates of the crowd's size ranged from several hundred to more than a thousand. Norma Anderson, a rally coordinator, said Washington State Patrol troopers estimated that the crowd reached 1,800 at one point.

The Smokey Point rally was an extension of pro-troops rallies that started in the Puget Sound region five weeks ago. This weekend's rally was the seventh organized by Operation Support Our Troops.

The first Support Our Troops rally was started by Sheryl Sheaffer, whose son is in the military. Sheaffer lives in Sammamish and organized the first rally near Issaquah after her son worried about criticism of the pending war in the Persian Gulf.

"He'd been hearing a lot of negative things toward what was transpiring," Anderson said. "He asked his mother, 'Why don't you do something?'"

She did, and soon other rallies were organized in Bellevue, Oak Harbor, Bremerton and other places. Anderson went to the Bellevue and Oak Harbor rallies and decided to organize one in Snohomish County.

"It started out small and has just grown very, very big," Anderson said.

Anderson's 24 year-old son, Rudy Swirtz, is a Marine reservist who lives in Marysville. Like many reserves, he is waiting and wondering when or if his unit will be deployed.

Anderson said she wanted to counter the negative tone of some of the anti-war protesters.

"I understand where they're coming from. There's not any one of us who wants to go to war. But we all know to have freedom, there's a price to pay to maintain it," Anderson said.

Anderson chose Smokey Point because of its proximity to the U.S. Navy Exchange Complex. A lot of Navy personnel live in the Lakewood area, and Anderson said she saw quite a few of them at the rally Saturday.

The group had a 15- by 4-foot banner for people to sign to send messages to troops in Kuwait. An honor wall was also erected for people to pin up photographs of their loved ones in the military.

The group has scheduled rallies for the next three weekends at McChord Air Force Base in Pierce County, Camp Murray near Fort Lewis and Bellevue.

Anderson said the rallies are intended to create a climate that will welcome the troops back warmly, unlike after Vietnam.

"The reality is we're not pro-war and we're not against war," Anderson said. "We're just out for the troops, because they have a difficult road ahead of them."


Reporter Scott Morris: 425-339-3292 or smorris@heraldnet.com.

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http://www.courier-journal.com/cjextra/editorials/ed022103s369766.htm


Support our troops
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WE ARE heartened beyond measure to see that so many local Republican politicians have found useful work as organizers of ''Support our Troops'' rallies and sponsors of ''Support our Troops'' resolutions.

After all the years they've spent warning of the certain collapse of military fitness and discipline as the result of affirmative action, gender equity and don't-ask, don't-tell policies, it's deeply reassuring to see they've regained their faith in our armed forces.

We salute their decision to rally the nation's full, unwavering support for the outstanding Americans -- female and male, black and white, gay and straight -- who compose the finest fighting force in human history.

These 21st Century warriors are fitting defenders of the 21st Century America they so ably serve. As never before, their ranks embody and affirm the American ideal of individual liberty they so bravely defend.

They deserve all the respect, all the admiration and all the support that the Republicans' efforts can possibly arouse.

Support our troops, each and every one of them, without qualm and without qualification.

Click here to respond to this editorial.


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http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/855500/posts?page=130,50


***50,000 PRESENT AT LOS ANGELES "SUPPORT OUR TROOPS" RALLY***
LA CHAPTER | 3/2/03 | Diotima


Posted on 03/02/2003 6:19 PM PST by diotima


The Free Republic Chapter of Los Angeles (also known as The Hollywood Resistance Force) along with a coalition of other conservative organizations held a "Support Our Troops" rally in Los Angeles this afternoon.

The LA Chapter of FR with the Liberty Belles, FitAimAct, College Republicans and BOND met early this morning downtown for our rally, listened to great speeches from the likes of Ted Hayes, of FITAIMACT and Dome Village, Jesse Lee Peterson of BOND, Joe Lauria of the Liberty Belles and FR's own RON DOG.

After the speeches were given we began our march around downtown. A large group of people carring giant American Flags, Bush/Cheney signs, Support Our Troops signs, and the compulsory "France Should Be Ashamed" signs, desended upon the LA MARATHON. As we marched we chanted "Liberate Iraq!" and other marching slogans.

****WE ACTUALLY MARCHED IN THE MARATHON ALMOST TO THE FINISH LINE**** We heard cries of support, thumbs up and many thanks from the LA Police force! (One of them leaned over and said to the person marching next to me 'I am so gald to see you guys here!') When we finished our march, we had interviews with KABC, channel 7 (we have already been on TV) and several other media outlets, I couldn't keep them all straight. If anyone else knows please post them.

When we were finished, marched back along the streets to horns honking and thumbs and returned to our original location.

I'll let eveyone else who was there come in and post their comments. Today's rally was a great success and ai think the key was joining up with other organizations in the area to combine forces and make an impact.

Thanks to the hard work by everyone involved!! Thanks Everyone!

[wrbones]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/keyword/SUPPORT%20THE%20TROOPS

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http://www.indystar.com/print/articles/8/024013-4868-097.html

Gathering to show support for U.S. troops
Nonpartisan event at Monument Circle is designed to counter recent antiwar rallies.


By John Tuohy
john.tuohy@indystar.com
February 21, 2003


A rally to show support for U.S. soldiers preparing for war with Iraq will be held at Monument Circle on Saturday.

Bob Greene, the father of rally organizer Robb Greene, a political science student at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, said the rally is intended to boost morale of the troops and is not a statement in support of military action.

"We are supporting the men and women who lay down their lives for this country and want to show them we are behind them," Greene said. "People want us to get political, but we won't go there. This is nonpartisan."

E-mails of gratitude to his son have been pouring in from soldiers overseas and from residents all over Indiana, Greene said.

"They say how happy they are that Indianapolis is finally stepping up to show support," Greene said.

There have been three antiwar protests on Monument Circle in recent months that Greene said have hurt morale of the troops.

"I don't see how it couldn't hurt," he said. "They are protesting against their livelihood. I think it has a negative impact."

Harold Donle, who organized the antiwar rallies, called that assertion ridiculous.

"I wholeheartedly support our troops, and I support their rally," said Donle, a former Marine who was wounded twice in Vietnam.

Donle said soldiers know the antiwar protests are against the country's policies and not its soldiers.

"I think our soldiers are smart enough to know the difference," he said.

"They can look at a picture and see we oppose the administration and want it to bring our boys home."

The support rally will start at noon.


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Call Star reporter John Tuohy at 1-317-444-6418.

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http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/134631036_prowar09m.html



Sunday, February 09, 2003 - 12:00 a.m. Pacific

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Hundreds rally to support U.S. troops

By Janet I. Tu
Seattle Times staff reporter

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Saying it's about time U.S. military troops realized that many Americans support them in a possible war with Iraq, hundreds of Puget Sound-area residents waved American flags and "Support Our Troops" signs yesterday at rallies in Bellevue and outside McChord Air Force Base.

"We want our soldiers, our airmen to know as they're being deployed that Americans support them," said Sheryl Sheaffer, 49, of Sammamish, whose son is in the Army. "We don't want their last image to be that of the anti-war protesters."

Demonstrators waving "Free Iraq" signs and a "Land of the Free/Because of the Brave" banner, packed four corners at a busy downtown intersection near Bellevue Square. A constant stream of cars blared horns.

Sheaffer and her mother, Nadine Gulit, helped form Support Our Troops, a grass-roots organization in Western Washington, about four weeks ago. They were frustrated after watching another anti-war protest on television, Sheaffer said. "We have to get out and speak for ourselves," they decided.

Now, Sheaffer says, they're speaking on national radio shows and getting e-mails from around the country asking how to form other such groups. They hope their efforts will start a groundswell of national support for the troops and for President Bush.

"I believe in my country," Sheaffer says. "I believe in my president. Sometimes for the sake of all we have to stand up and be strong."

A Newsweek magazine poll of 1,003 American adults last week found 70 percent would support military force against Iraq, with 60 percent supporting a U.S. strike even if inspectors don't find evidence of weapons of mass destruction.

Still, Claudia Joines, 52, of North Bend said she feels U.S. troops in the Middle East are "getting the message that most of America is against the war. We are trying to send the message that regardless of politics, we support you."

That doesn't mean that they want a war, said Joines, one of several members of Marine Moms Online who attended yesterday's Bellevue rally. "We are extraordinarily proud of our kids," she said. "Many people misinterpret that pride as us being warmongers. We're military moms. We don't want our kids to be shot."

A few anti-war protesters also showed up yesterday, some debating with those who support a war with Iraq. "It's just like in Vietnam," said Janice Faris, 60, of Newcastle. "You get the troops over there so you have to support them."

Chuck Lawrence, 52, of Sumner says that as a Vietnam War veteran, he knows firsthand what it's like to come back to a country in which veterans were ostracized, and in which friends he grew up with didn't want to have anything to do with him.

"I want to make sure that what happened to me doesn't happen to this generation," he said.

He doesn't take lightly his decision to support a war to remove Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. "I want to see the people there freed," Lawrence said.

Outside McChord Air Force Base, about two dozen people showed up at a rally organized by Operation Support Our Troops-Pierce County.

Carolyn Verone, 56, of Puyallup said she never wants her Army son to see the kind of lack of support that Vietnam veterans got both during and after the war. Her son called her yesterday to say he was being deployed to the Middle East.

"I had friends who were killed (in Vietnam)," said Verone. "My brother and husband fought there. What I saw from the soldiers that came back — it was very depleting in my heart to think that nobody cared for them."

She said she doesn't believe that all those who are against the war are against the troops. And she herself expressed some ambivalence about whether the United States should go to war against Iraq now.

But she says her participation yesterday was "not for the war and not against the war. It's to support our troops."

Janet I. Tu: 206-464-2272 or jtu@seattletimes.com



Copyright © 2003 The Seattle Times Company

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http://www.dailyillini.com/oct01/oct19/news/stories/news_story01.shtml


Friday, October 19, 2001 > News > News Story


Student parties unite to support troops
Tom Rybarczyk
The Daily Illini


Jesse E. Evans The Daily Illini

Joe Worobey, sophomore in LAS and College Republican, distributes small American flags at a patriotic rally Thursday afternoon on the Quad. The rally was sponsored by both the College Democrats and the College Republicans.


College Democrats and College Republicans gathered on the south side of the Illini Union Thursday at noon to rally in support of U.S. troops.

Members of both groups spoke to a crowd of more than 100 as the Marching Illini played patriotic songs such as "The Star-Spangled Banner." During the rally, onlookers waved tiny American flags and held signs that read "We support our troops" and "God Bless America."

College Republicans President Meghann Walk opened with a short speech calling for the crowd to stand as the Marching Illini played the national anthem. Walk emphasized that the event was neither a protest nor a show of support for the war.

"There has been nothing said of supporting our country," Walk said of the several peace rallies on campus recently. "We are here to make our troops know we appreciate (protection)."

Tarak Shah, junior in FAA and College Democrat, echoed Walk's comments.

"It's good to recognize (troops) in this time of crisis," Shah said. "We are here to honor."

Other organizers, such as Chase Anderson, junior in LAS and College Republican said the event is to show those who oppose military action against Afghanistan what the majority of the campus feels.

"I want to get the campus a little stirred with patriotism," Anderson said.


Jesse E. Evans The Daily Illini

A small crowd stands for the playing of the national anthem by members of the Marching Illini Thursday afternoon on the Quad. The band members were performing as part of a patriotic rally sponsored by both the College Democrats and the College Republicans.


Jason Plummer, freshman in FAA and College Republican said he believes "almost everyone supports the troops." He said students who have problems with the attacks on Afghanistan might not understand the whole situation.

"They're there to help Afghanistan, too," Plummer said.

Another speaker at the rally, James Skyles, junior in LAS and College Republican, said he thinks some students view war as against their ideals, and therefore would not support the war effort in Afghanistan. Skyles said in his speech that he almost always opposes war but that he "can look at this as a just war."

Shah said the groups received e-mails protesting the rally. One e-mail he received read: "If (College Democrats) are sponsoring it with the College Republicans, it must be pro-war."

No one protested the war during the rally.

Not all students who attended the event were from College Democrats or College Republicans. Diana Kofler, freshman in LAS, said she went because she fully supported the war.

"I am supporting the war action," Kofler said. "It's like an eye for an eye."









© 2002 Illini Media Company, all rights reserved.
Illini Media: Buzz | WPGU | Illio | Technograph Contacts | Staff | Jobs | Ad Rates | DI Alumni | Privacy Policy

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http://www.thestarpress.com/tsp/news/local/03/mar/0302rallies.php







Tuesday, March 11, 2003


CHERISH THE FLAG
Members of Indiana Rolling Thunder Chapter 5 walk to their cars Saturday after a military support rally at the Delaware County building. Indiana Rolling Thunder is a group dedicated to POW and MIA accountability.
Kurt Hostetler
Iraq crisis brings out supporters of troops, those opposed to war
By JENNY KOPACESKI
jennyk@thestarpress.com
MUNCIE - Two groups had rallies Saturday morning to express their opposing views on the war with Iraq.

While a rally to show support for military personnel was unfolding at Delaware County Building, another group walked from Tuhey Park to city hall to promote peace. Both events began at 11 a.m.

"I think we're doing what we needed to do a long time ago," said Gordon Swafford, Anderson, of sending troops overseas, while he carried a large "Support Our Troops" sign. "My personal view is that we finally have a president with a vision for the world."

Brad Dakins, an Army veteran and member of the National Guard, attended the military rally with his family.

"We're here to support the troops," he said. "I think it [the rally] is great, and we should have more of them."

When asked what she hoped people would gain from the event, which attracted close to 100 people, Dakin's fianc*e, Erin Hosier, simply answered "an awareness."

Just a block over, Ball State University students Christopher McLaughlin and Brie Thompson joined about 50 others to "stop the madness", McLaughlin said.

"I think this rally is a really good idea. It's a chance to speak our voice," he said. "America doesn't need to go to war."

Thompson agreed.

"Our voices have to be heard," she said. "It's our friends, our age-group."

Both groups had special guests to help celebrate their views on war. Members of the Delaware County Honor Guard stood proudly while speakers like Nate Lamar, Army reserve captain, spoke outside the county building, and the band, Revel in the Morning, performed at city hall.

"Our band stands for peace and unity," said Eric Sherman, drummer for Revel.

An organizer for the military rally, Jerry Griffis, said in an earlier publication of The Star Press that the event was neither "political" nor "pro-war" and that participants simply were there to "support our men and women in the armed forces." Griffis is a Vietnam veteran and the county's veterans officer.

Fellow organizer John Bultman of the Marine Corps League concurred.

"I'm a Vietnam vet," he said. "We don't like war because we've been in it, but you have to support the guys that go over and do the dirty work for us."

In a twist, Bultman, who owns The Music Room on Jackson Street, said two of his employees were involved in the peace rally at city hall. He was unsure whether the contrasting events were purposely planned for the same day, but neither group caused any friction for the other.

"I talked to them Friday," he said of his employees, "and they have respect for what we're doing."

z Contact news reporter Jenny Kopaceski at 213-5825.






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Copyright 2003 The Star Press.

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http://www.heraldnet.com/Stories/03/2/28/fyi.cfm





UW group rallies support for troops

The University of Washington College Republicans and Operation: Support Our Troops offer a "Support Our Troops Rally" at noon Saturday at the UW's Husky Stadium.

"Our rally is not designed to be pro-war. Rather, it is designed to say that whether one is for the war or against it, the reality is that U.S. troops are stationed in the Middle East and they deserve the support of the nation," said the group's president, Casey Stanley.

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http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/02/23/1045935267378.html





Pro-war rallies back Bush
Sunday 23 February 2003, 14:30PM




American flags snapped in the wind and vocal praise for President George W Bush filled the air as thousands of Floridians rallied in support of US troops preparing for a possible war against Iraq.

About 2,000 people turned out in Orlando to hear songs and speeches, including the Gettysburg Address, while another 1,000 prayed and marched in Pensacola. The day's events began in Miami with the Tribute to the Military 5K Run.

In Pensacola, Navy Warrant Officer David Wolff, a veteran of Desert Storm, arrived in full uniform with his wife. He believed the event would give soldiers readying for war a needed boost, much like the yellow ribbons he received from Americans during the Persian Gulf War.

"I was so saddened to see so many in our nation not supporting our troops and our country during (last Sunday's) anti-war protests. It was really upsetting," Wolff said. "This is great. This is very uplifting."

Anger against last week's protests, which drew hundreds of thousands worldwide, was apparent in the speakers' words and attendees' signs. Echoing a slogan from the 1960s, one placard read: "America - Love It or Leave It".


"The anti-war protesters last weekend are aiding and abetting Saddam (Hussein, Iraq's president)," said Sherri Tabb, a 37-year-old homemaker from Osteen. "Saddam has gotten emboldened, he is not cooperating. War is the only solution."

But not all participants advocated war.

"I'm here because I love America," said Vince Chandler, a 59-year-old banker and Air Force veteran. "I support the president, the troops. If the world shows determination against (Hussein's regime), they will leave; I prefer not to go in."

Another target was France, which has stood in the way of a UN resolution authorising force against Iraq. "Use your emergency duct tape to gag (French President) Jacques Chirac," said one sign.

Standing out in the sea of red, white and blue at the Orlando rally was the Israeli flag carried by Jason Hoffman. The 33-year-old Internet consultant noted that Israel air force planes, one flown by future Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon, bombed a nuclear reactor in Iraq in 1981. The raid received harsh criticism from the global community.

"What Israel did 22 years ago has made it much safer world now," Hoffman said, "and our troops are not facing a nuclear-armed Saddam."

The Pensacola rally was a grass-roots effort coordinated by Milton resident Sam Mullins, while the Orlando event was put on by the talk-radio station WFLA-AM.

"There's a silent majority out there that really hasn't had a vehicle yet to get their voices heard, and that's what this is all about," radio host Shannon Burke said. "These are people who love their country, and they're just here to share that."

Retired Air Force Col. George "Bud" Day, one of the nation's most decorated veterans who now is a Fort Walton Beach attorney, received loud applause when he told Pensacola rally goers: "Terrorists thought they could bring war on us, intimidate us and cow us. When we show them American power they'll take off like a bunch of scared rats.

"(Terrorists) want to die, but they don't want to die with somebody shooting them in the face."

©2003 AP

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http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/ny-bc-ny--fortdrumdeploymen0310mar10,0,3863447.story?coll=ny-ap-regional-wire

By WILLIAM KATES
Associated Press Writer

March 10, 2003, 4:09 PM EST


FORT DRUM, N.Y. -- Americans should put their politics aside and support the troops headed overseas to dispose of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, Sen. Charles Schumer said Monday.

"I get a lump in my throat when I talk to our men and women," said Schumer, who delivered parting words to 250 10th Mountain Division troops and Army reservists at Wheeler Sack Airfield.

"Whatever your politics are, it is time to unite and back up our soldiers. It's one thing that has always united America, that's backing up its soldiers," said the New York Democrat.

After speaking briefly and pledging his support to troops inside the Rapid Deployment Facility, Schumer stood in the bitter cold on the wind-whipped tarmac and shook the hand of each soldier as he or she climbed aboard the plane.

Col. Anavel Carin, of Elmont, N.Y., a member of the 883rd Medical Company, said the troops appreciated Schumer's visit and words of support.

"He made us feel like we are valuable. It boosts our morale. It's not all the time we get a senator to visit. It shows he cares," said Carin, an 18-year veteran reservist who works in Queens as a psychiatrist.

Carin was among 75 members of the 883rd, a unit of reservists from mostly New York and Massachusetts, who shipped off Monday. Also deployed were 175 members of Fort Drum's 511th Military Police Company, several of whom returned last April after spending six months in Afghanistan.

The Army does not disclose the destination of deploying troops. The troops are assigned to Central Command, which means they could serve in any capacity from homeland security in the United States to combat in the Middle East.

"I understand people have their own points of view but when you're getting ready to board a plane to take you somewhere where you are going to maybe risk your life for your country, it's nice to hear words of support," said Specialist Christopher Kinsella of Oneida, a 32-year-old member of the 511th leaving on his first deployment.

Despite what he has seen in the media about anti-war protests, Kinsella said he has heard only positive comments as he prepared for possible deployment.

"It's a job that needs to be done," Kinsella said.

As the troops, dressed in the desert tans, waited inside the terminal, Schumer spoke briefly, telling the two assembled companies that he was honored.

"In your daily lives, you have to make ends meet, to provide for yourselves and your families. Yet here you are with this extra duty, this extra burden," Schumer said. "Meeting you is a humbling experience. You are America. You are the greatness of America."

Schumer said once American soldiers are in the battlefield he believes support will come from throughout Congress from the most dovish to the most hawkish members.

"My view is that we have to back up our troops all the way. We can't leave them out in the field without every single thing they need because they are the ones putting their lives on the line," Schumer said.

Schumer said he believed there was a link between Al-Qaida, which has been blamed for the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, and Iraq.

"I don't think it is the strongest link, but I don't think Saddam Hussein can be allowed to remain in power. He has ignored 12 years of deadlines," Schumer said.

However, the senator said it was wise to wait another week before attacking Iraq on "the outside chance that Saddam might blink."

He said it would be better if the United States had wider support from its allies, but he said he is unwilling to let France or any other country dictate to the United States how it should protect its citizens.

The 10th Mountain Division has been the military's most deployed unit over the past decade. As the United States presses closer to war with Iraq, the northern New York Army post has been a deployment staging area for reserve units from throughout the Northeast. Close to 1,000 division soldiers and reservists have departed from Fort Drum in recent weeks, a post spokesman said.






Copyright © 2003, The Associated Press



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http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/111739_support08ww.shtml






Saturday, March 8, 2003

Hundreds gather in support of U.S. troops

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

TACOMA -- Hundreds of people gathered on an overpass near McChord Air Force Base on Saturday to show support for American military personnel as the United States faces the possibility of war with Iraq.

The rally, coordinated by Sammammish-based Operation Support Our Troops, drew around 400 people, Washington State Patrol spokesman Johnny Alexander said. Organizers estimated the crowd to be around 600.

Demonstrators of all ages gathered for about 3 1/2 hours along the Bridgeport Way overpass spanning Interstate 5 near Tacoma, waving signs which read: "Support Our Troops," "God Bless the Military" and "Free Iraq."

The rally was the eighth in six weeks staged by the group. Organizers say as the United States gears up for war in the Middle East, it's imperative that troops know the country is behind them.

"As we get closer to a decision on Iraq, it's very important to remember that our military is what keeps our country safe, and the freedoms we have here are forever kept," rally coordinator Norma Anderson told the Associated Press Saturday night. "I feel they need our support now, more than ever."

Cheryl Ames, whose son, Army Pfc. Michael Morris, is in Kuwait, told KOMO-TV she is against possible war with Iraq but did not think U.S. troops should be castigated for fulfilling their duty.

"Our troops need to be supported, no matter what," Ames said. "They didn't choose this war. My son didn't choose to go over there."


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