Posted on 02/16/2003 9:16:19 AM PST by goodnesswins
McChord: Throngs rally in support of U.S. troops
Debby Abe; The News Tribune
Patriotism and gratitude grabbed Sarah Jenkins' heart when she saw throngs of demonstrators waving Old Glory over Interstate 5 Saturday.
She stopped her car, borrowed a flag and hopped on the hood to join the hundreds of families, veterans and well-wishers demonstrating their support for America's soldiers.
"I drove by and started crying," the University Place woman said as Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the U.S.A." blared from her car radio. "I'd never seen anything like this before. I wanted to say thank you."
Organizers estimated that between 850 and 1,200 people participated in the "Operation: Support Our Troops" rally on the Bridgeport Way I-5 overpass in Lakewood, just outside McChord Air Force Base.
Pierce County Sheriff's Office put the crowd at 400 to 500 at the overpass and another 100 at the Madigan gate to Fort Lewis.
At Oak Harbor near the Whidbey Island Naval Air Station about 500 people marched in support of United States troops.
In Tacoma, participants came from as far away as Seattle, Issaquah, Lynnwood and Port Townsend.
For two hours, they held signs and flew the Stars and Stripes as one driver after another honked in support.
Among the demonstrators were some 100 Vietnamese Americans and immigrants now living in Tacoma and Olympia. Many were veterans of the South Vietnamese army, said Duoc Nguyen, a former pilot.
"I'm out here today because I'm sure Saddam Hussein is a dictator and terrorist," Nguyen said. "We'd like to support President Bush's agenda."
The event was intended to show U.S. troops that the "vast majority of America is behind them," said Terry Harder, one of the rally organizers.
The Tacoma man has two sons called up in the Army Reserves, including one who's about to be deployed overseas, and a daughter who recently enlisted in the Army. At first, they were upset over the antiwar protests sweeping the country.
"That's what motivated me to do something personally," Harder said. As soldiers leave to go overseas, he said, "I was not about to let their last vision of America be antiwar protesters."
Mary Gibbs of Kirkland awakened Saturday to find CNN covering huge antiwar protests in Europe and the United States.
She immediately thought of her son, 19-year-old Curtis Gibbs, who was called up to serve in the Army Reserves in January, four days after he started college. Now he is in the Persian Gulf region with the 671st Engineering Company, a combat specialty unit based in Everett.
"I thought it's not fair," she said. "I'm not for war, but I'm for supporting his dream," she said, noting her son had wanted to be in the military since he was a child.
"My dad went into combat when he was 19 in World War II. (Now) his grandson is 19 and going into combat."
She recalled how her father was held as a prisoner-of-war in the Korean War. She flicked a tear away.
"The flag is so important to my family."
"I don't think anyone wants war," said Barbara Cathcart of University Place, whose daughter and son-in-law are in the military.
"Sometimes we have to face reality and it's the only way. I pray every day we don't have to go to war."
The Associated Press contribute to this report. Debby Abe: 253-597-8694 debby.abe@mail.tribnet.com
Thank you!
See these Pins or buttons none of them are expensive Button
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
