Posted on 09/23/2005 5:31:38 PM PDT by jan in Colorado
The “Support our Troops and Their Mission” tour wrapped up its third day across the country with a stop in Denver, Wednesday. Deborah Johns and Joseph Williams appeared live on KOA AM-850 AM with host Mike Rosen, followed by a rally in front of the Capitol building in downtown Denver. Military Moms, WWII vets, and Freepers helped to create an energized crowd. There was some great news media coverage of this event. CLICK HERE to read the Rocky Mountain News account and then CLICK HERE to read the Denver Post’s story on the bus tour and rally.
Four mothers of soldiers came as representatives of Rocky Mountain Military Moms. Mary Gilmer’s son, Corporal Alex Gilman, will eventually be deployed to Iraq. Jean Hines son Corporal Brian Douglas is currently serving in Iraq. Cheryl Turners son Lance Corporal Alex Klima is currently in Afghanistan. James Cochran, son of Ellen Alis Saxl, has, fortunately, returned safely from a tour in Iraq. All four soldiers are in the United States Marine Corps.
As the tour travels across the country, it continues to meet the families of soldiers who lost their lives over the course of the War on Terror, and Denver was no exception. Gerald and John Risner father and younger brother of James Risner, turned out for the rally. James was killed in Iraq on August 18th, 2004 serving with the 10th Mountain Division.
The MAF rally also brought out two veterans of WWII. Joe Cheney of Denver served in the European theater for 22 months. He landed on Normandy shortly after the D-Day invasion and advanced as far as the Elbe River before his tour ended. Levi Martinez served 4 years in the Pacific Theater in New Guineu and the Phillipines. “These are the real heroes today, though,” he said.
Also showing up in front of the statehouse was state senator Tom Wiem. Senator Wiem’s district includes the United States Air Force Academy. He was out to show his support for the troops. The bus tour has continued to receive tremendous support from FreeRepublic.com’s Tony Jivolin, who showed up for the morning’s Cheyenne rally, and then continued on to Denver. Tony posted his account of the Denver stop at Free Republic - you can CLICK HERE to read his report and view more photos. In addition, several other “Freepers” also turned out for the Denver Rally, including Jan Freeman of Longmont , CO. “My Free Republic group doesn’t have any family in the military, but we have adopted the military.” She also came as a representative of the Longmont Republican Roundtable. “You wouldn’t think there are many Republicans up near Boulder, but there are.” You can read Jan’s account of the rally and see some GREAT pictures just by CLICKING HERE .
A very vocal supporter supporter who showed up was John Coyner, of Littleton. Mr. Coyner is angered by the way the media is covering the War on Terror and doesn’t believe in what Cindy Sheehan is doing. He has three sons-in-law who served in Vietnam, all of whom returned from the war to become sherriffs deputies. One Jason Schwartz, died in the line of duty. “It [The Iaq War] is for freedom, not oil,” he said.
The tour moves on to Lincoln, Nebraska for a rally and press conference set to kick off day 4. It will be held in front of the Cornhusker Marriott, from there it heads to Omaha, Nebraska, Des Moines, Iowa, and Rockford, Illinois, before stopping in the night in Chicago, Illinois. At each stop banners will be available to signed with messages of support, and Tour T-Shirts will be available. The banners will be sent to troops In Iraq and Afghanistan.
My wife was attached to the 10th during her Air Force enlistment. They are a great bunch of folks.
God Bless James Risner, a hero proved who has climbed to glory!
Jan, you rock!
Could you tell that to my three teenagers?
God Bless ALL the Troops and give strength to their families.
As I said on my after report of this rally, Deborah Johns was such a delight to listen to. She shared how proud she is of her son, and how he has wanted to be in the military since he was a very young boy. I am so thankful that Move America Forward is out there giving the other side of the story. The media may not want to cover it, but the Truth is being told. I do wish more people would go to these rallies with signs of support. The military parents are so appreciative of people coming and it's the least we can do.
BTTT!!!
WTG, jan!
FREEPERS SUPPORT OUR TROOPS!
Wait until you hear the stories from today's hate fest. I don't know whether I should laugh or cry...I guess a little bit of both!
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