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JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – They take war seriously at the American Legion Hall in downtown Johnstown, Pa.

If there's ever a place to find support for U.S. troops, it's here. But regulars at the Legion Hall's dark corner bar applaud Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., for urging the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq.

Elsewhere in town, some rage at Murtha for turning on a war they still support. "Crazy," said one constituent. "Traitor," said several callers to his district office.

But mostly, people in Murtha's blue-collar, coal-and-steel-country district in west Pennsylvania express weariness over the war. They endorse the man who has represented them since he became the first Vietnam veteran elected to Congress in 1974.

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The support suggests that attacks on Murtha on Capitol Hill will gain no traction in his district. His continued political strength in the face of vicious Republican attacks could potentially embolden others to speak out against the war, though it's far too early to tell.

The House voted 403-3 Friday night to reject an immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. Murtha voted against the measure too, after his earlier call to withdraw U.S. troops "at the earliest practicable date."

"I agree with him wholeheartedly," said Robert Bender, a World War II veteran and retired steel worker who serves as the adjutant of American Legion Post 294. "We shouldn't have been involved in the first place. Now that they have a constitution, we should get out."

The blue-collar Democrats who live and work in the small towns of Murtha's district tend to be culturally conservative. Like him, they're pro-gun and pro-life. And like him, they're proudly patriotic.

Except for a few Pittsburgh Steelers posters, the Legion Hall's dark-paneled walls are a billboard of support for the U.S. military. "Operation Desert Storm, U.S. military at its finest," says one poster. "9-11-01. We will never forget," says another.

"It's a conservative area. But we don't support this particular war," said Bender. "Most of the people around here are in accord with (Murtha) on this."

In Washington, Murtha came under Republican attack after his call for withdrawal. House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., said Murtha and his party "want us to wave the white flag of surrender to the terrorists of the world." Rep. Jean Schmidt, R-Ohio, quoted a constituent who "asked me to send Congressman Murtha a message: that cowards cut and run, Marines never do." Under fire, she later apologized for the remarks.

Her words didn't sit well in the Legion bar.

"We're proud of him. We don't like it when people attack him," said Barry Sirko of Johnstown, sipping a beer after his shift washing buses. "We've lost more than 2,000 troops so far. Murtha thinks the Iraqis should be fighting on their own. Murtha's right. It's gone on and on and on. They're all nuts over there and we should get out."

At Murtha's district office, calls, e-mails and faxes ran about 2-to-1 in support of his position, though aides didn't know how many came from within the district. But some people are angry.

"We have to stay until it's finished. We can't just leave the job undone," said David Gall, a retired contract officer from Windber, Pa. "I'm appalled at his attitude. I think he should be ousted from his position. He's gone a little crazy. He has no credibility now."

Gall, in the Coast Guard during the Vietnam War, said Murtha's comments can only hurt the morale of troops just as anti-war talk hurt him then. "I don't understand what's happening in this country anymore."

*** The football Gods sudden abandonment of Pittsburgh Steelers coincided with Murtha's betrayal of his country. The Steelers have been known for being a tough team, perhaps the toughest in the NFL. Since Murtha's crap, all the pundits have said that the Steelers have lost their macho-- that they've gone soft. Murtha, Murtha, Murtha.