Posted on 03/06/2003 11:03:48 AM PST by bigaln2
Flags to wave for U.S. soldiers
By PETER MALLER Last Updated: March 5, 2003
Polk - Upset by recent demonstrations opposing a possible war in Iraq, Kathy Kiernan is organizing a rally to show support for American soldiers as they prepare for battle.
"It just hurt us to see so many protests that were not appropriate," said Kiernan, whose rally Sunday at Washington County Fair Park is being sponsored by the Washington County Republican Party.
"The worst part was the signs they (demonstrators) were carrying," she said. "They made our president look like a bad guy. Saddam Hussein is the bad guy."
Called "Rally for America," the event will be at 2 p.m. at the Fair Park's main pavilion. Admission is free.
The park is on Pleasant Valley Road, at Highways PV and P, east of Highway 45.
Families, veterans groups, drill squads, Boy and Girl Scouts and other community organizations are welcome. The event is not politically motivated, said Kiernan, a member of the Republican Party.
"We're sending e-mails, calling television and radio stations and putting signs up in groceries and gas stations," she said.
The rally's agenda is still in the planning stages, but Kiernan says participants will surely sing patriotic songs and wave flags.
Information giving names of members of the military will be posted so supporters can write encouraging letters, she said.
"People can pick soldiers' names to write to or pray for," Kiernan said.
Members of the military overseas need to know they have the support of Americans at home, she said.
"This rally is because we all remember what our soldiers felt like during the Vietnam War, when all they saw was ugliness at home," Kiernan said. "We need to show them that we support the job they are doing."
Kiernan said she does not support war, "but sometimes things have to be done for us to live in the country we do."
Rallies similar to the one being planned for Sunday have been held in other parts of the nation, but the media has mostly ignored them, she said.
"I'm, quite frankly, tired of seeing all of those people who look anti-American" on television, she said.
Kiernan is organizing the event with Jan Baldock, the local Republican Party chairwoman.
Participants are asked to bring flags, Kiernan said.
Now that's journalism!
Conveniently located off HWY. 45 at Pleasant Valley (Hwy. PV) Exit between Jackson and West Bend, Wisconsin.
Approximately 30 minutes north of Milwaukee, 30 minutes south of Fond du Lac, and 1 hour south of the Fox Valley area.
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