Hear, hear! I was on the other side of the group from the Marines, I didn't see them. I was born and raised in and around Camp Lejeune. So many of those "other people" don't realize how their activities damage troop morale. Did you see the sign that said, "Bush is sending my brother overseas. Send Jeb instead"? They had signs that said, "Support our troops, keep them alive" or "support our troops, send them home". They don't give a sh!t about our troops and they can't support them because of what they do. The reality is our troops are trained to kill. They are trained to kill our enemies. They must think the military is all about pretty uniforms and college scholarships. They are there to kill our enemies and risk their lives to protect US interests. I accept that. But they are also trained to help civilians and protect civilians in the areas they are occupying, like in Afghanistan. That's what they do.
I would respect those other people more if they had protested against Kosovo, but did you see them around then? Noooooooo! I hated Clinton's guts, and I didn't particularly think going into Kosovo was a good idea, but I wanted our guys to kick ass and win. I was with them all the way. But for those people, it's not about handwringing over civilian deaths, it's about politics. If Clinton had taken care of Saddam (like he should have), you wouldn't see those people protesting (except for the few who are anti-war out of conviction) at all, but I would still be supporting our troops.