Rally supports U.S. troopsFebruary 22, 2003
Waving American flags and chanting slogans, about 1,000 wet and boisterous people rallied Saturday on Monument Circle in support of American soldiers.The rally was mostly upbeat with singing and speeches, but a heated exchange at the end pitted a handful of hecklers against Vietnam veterans opposed to war.
"Mainstream America loves and supports our troops," rally organizer Robb Greene told the crowd, many of them huddled under red, white and blue umbrellas.
The purpose of the rally was to boost morale of U.S. troops overseas, said Greene, a political science student at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. He said he got the word out through e-mail, on campus and through the media.
He read an e-mail from soldiers based at Camp Virginia in Kuwait thanking them for their support. The rally was over in less than an hour.
Though billed as a nonpartisan event, many attendees said they supported the Bush administration's intention to invade Iraq.
"Action in Iraq is long overdue," said Del Schraeder, a 48-year-old construction supervisor from Greencastle who went to the rally with his wife, Gayla, 48.
Among the signs were those that read "George W. is the man," "Go Bush" and "Support our troops and President Bush." The master of ceremonies, radio talk show host Greg Garrison, told the crowd that an invasion was the right course of action.
Things got contentious at the end of the demonstration when some people at the rally confronted a group of about 20 people calling itself "Vietnam Veterans for Peace."
"Go home and eat your wine and cheese, you sissies," William G. Rice, 40, yelled at the veterans as they walked away. "Cowards."
Rice, a laborer, said that although he had no military experience, he thought he understood the political situation better than the veterans.
"I seem to have a better understanding of the price of freedom than they do," he said.
Noah Merrill, 23, who came with the veterans' groups, said he attended last week's peace rally.
"You can love the warrior and hate the war," said Merrill, a teacher with Indianapolis Public Schools. "The best way to show support for the troops is to avoid war."
Greene said the partisan sentiment was unavoidable.
"This is a big tent. Everybody supports the troops. You are going to get different opinions," he said.
Indianapolis police blocked off traffic around the Circle because the crowd was so large. "The people were backed up to the street and we didn't want any cars hitting them,"said Indianapolis Police Department officer Scott Chandler, who estimated that 1,000 people were there.
The crowd was more than twice as large as the anti-war rally held last weekend at the Circle.
Among the speakers were State Sen. Luke Kenley, R-Noblesville, former Rep. David McIntosh of Muncie and and retired Army Sgt. Sammy L. Davis, a Hoosier who received the medal of Honor for action in Vietnam.
"Never is it acceptable to blame the war on the warrior," Davis said.
"The anti-war protestors must be careful not to let our troops down," McIntosh said. 'We must remember how our soldiers in Vietnam were shunned."
Call Star reporter John Tuohy at 1-317-444-6418.