Ohio Valley Rally to Support Troops, Moundsville, W.Va.

Citizens of Marshall County and the entire Ohio Valley are being asked to rally in support of U.S. troops overseas.

Marshall County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Dave Knuth announced Monday the cities of Moundsville and Glen Dale will be holding a rally to show support for American troops who are serving in the Middle East. The event, which is being called the Valley Rally, will be held at John Marshall High School's Monarch Football Field in Moundsville at 1 p.m. Saturday.

"We've heard a lot of negative news here for the last three weeks about going to war, but it's time that we speak out in favor of supporting our troops," he said.

Knuth said invitations will be sent out to all American Legion posts and Veterans of Foreign War posts from Bellaire, Martins Ferry and Shadyside to Moundsville, McMechen and Wheeling, and it is expected that at least one representative from each will be in attendance. Several speakers have been tentatively scheduled for the rally, but their names are not being released until positive confirmation has been made.

There will also be a parade preceding the rally that will include fire departments from several local communities.

The parade will begin on First Street in Moundsville and continue to the football field, located at Fifth Street and Lafayette Avenue.

The first Valley Rally was held in Moundsville 12 years ago before Operation Desert Storm, and the current organizers of the event believe now is the right time to hold a second rally as tension continues to escalate between the United States and Iraq.

Those who plan to attend are encouraged to bring American flags with them, but flags will be handed out during the event. Videotapes of the event will be sent to troops from the Ohio Valley who have been deployed to let them know they are being honored at home.

American Legion and VFW representatives Chester Dobbs, Jack Gould, Bob Hanket and Bob Wilson were in attendance for Monday's announcement and had much to say.

"We really want to do this because the troops have heard all of this negative stuff and they want to know that somebody is for them," Gould said.

"I think this is a great idea. The last one (rally) we had was for the Gulf War and it was a tremendous success, and I'm sure this will be," Dobbs added.

I'll post the Wheeling newspapers' account of the rally. I didn't go, and was quite infuriated to hear that Rockefeller was going to make a pre-rally appearance (said he couldn't stick around for the whole thing). Of course, Gov. Wise showed up. In any event, I'm writing a letter to editor about Rockefeller's hypocrisy. Here's the News-Register account:

Throngs of area residents filled Monarch Stadium in Moundsville on Saturday to show they care about and support members of the American military who are serving in the Middle East. According to David Knuth, executive director of the Marshall County Chamber of Commerce and an organizer of the event, an estimated 3,800 people attended the "Valley Rally."

The rally itself was preceded by a caravan of police, fire and emergency vehicles that traveled through the streets of Moundsville amid flag-waving crowds of observers. Among the agencies represented in the caravan were the Moundsville police, fire and volunteer fire departments, the Benwood Police Department, the Marshall County Sheriff's Department and the Glen Dale Police Department. Volunteer fire departments from Big Wheeling Creek, Washington Lands, Glen Dale, Sherrard, McMechen, Fork Ridge, Benwood, Limestone, Boggs Run, Roberts Ridge and Cameron also took part.

In addition, Benwood Mayor Larry Ferrera and McMechen Mayor William Kern participated, as did veterans from American Electric Power's Kammer-Mitchell Plant, representatives of Tri-State Ambulance Service, and the Marshall County Office of Emergency Services.

On hand to talk with caravan participants was Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., who said he recently returned from a two-week trip to the Middle East where he found conditions to be difficult for American soldiers stationed there. He described the desert climate in which U.S. troops are operating, saying that the winds sometimes even blow their tents away.

"But they will hang in there because they are American soldiers," Rockefeller said.

He added that those serving overseas told him they have access to some news broadcasts where they constantly see people protesting a possible war with Iraq. For this reason, Rockefeller said an event like the rally held in Moundsville would be significant for these troops because it will show them the American people support them, regardless of their feelings about a possible war.

"Nobody feels good about a war with Iraq," Rockefeller said. "But it's going to happen, and we need to be ready."

Rockefeller added that he doesn't believe such a war will last long, but he said the United States will need to maintain a long-term presence in the region to ensure the country will be stabilized.

Rockefeller also told those gathering for the caravan he is hopeful that Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel's most recent application for a $250 million loan will be approved by the Emergency Steel Loan Guarantee Board.

When the caravan arrived at Monarch Stadium, Gov. Bob Wise served as one of several featured speakers. "This is a great day for the Ohio Valley and for the United States of America, and you represent it well," Wise greeted the crowd.

He told those gathered at the football field that local legislators including delegates Scott Varner and Kenneth Tucker, both D-Marshall, and Sen. Jeffrey Kessler, D-Marshall, and Sen. Larry Edgell, D-Wetzel, were "in Charleston finishing the legislative business of the state, but their hearts are in this stadium!"

Wise reminded the assembly that West Virginia has an outstanding record of service to the nation and that the men and women deployed overseas are there to protect civilians like those who gathered in Moundsville. He also asked that the people of Marshall County, the entire Ohio Valley and the state of West Virginia do their best to protect and care for the families of the soldiers in their absence.

Wise said he wants troops who have been deployed overseas to be able to focus clearly on their missions without worrying about the welfare of the families they left behind. He asked that those attending the rally join him in caring for the "many needs and concerns" of the soldiers' families. "When the country turns and calls up its best, it turns first to West Virginia," Wise said as he explained he had scheduled five additional stops on Saturday, where he would say "thank you" to soldiers who are about to be deployed.

"As West Virginia troops have been deployed, I have tried to look every soldier in the eye and simply say 'thank you,"' Wise said. "This rally today is a way for this whole community to say thank you and to let the soldiers know your thoughts and prayers are with them and you will take care of their families."

Wise pointed out that West Virginia's National Guard has been rated No. 1 in readiness for several consecutive years and that other Mountain State troops have consistently been among the highest rated in the nation. Regarding a possible war with Iraq, Wise said "it is not a question of if, but when."

"We must be prepared to strike with great strength - to get in and to get our troops home."

He also commended the police officers, firefighters and emergency responders in the crowd, saying "we are here because of what you have done."

Before leaving the podium, Wise, like Rockefeller, addressed the plight of the steel industry. "We will stand up for steel," Wise said. "We will fight for steel, and we will keep the steel industry here in the Ohio Valley!"

Wise wrapped up by saying he would take a message of support to the troops he would visit later in the day, saying the "spirit of the Ohio Valley" will help let them know they go to their mobilization stations with the support and prayers of the very residents they are about to help protect.

After Wise had concluded his remarks, a local veteran made a special presentation to the governor. Jack Gould, a veteran of WWII, reminded Wise he had called Gould to Charleston two years ago to present him with a medal from the government of France. The medal was awarded to Gould for his participation in the invasion of Normandy. Gould then presented the governor with that very medal and asked that Wise return it to the government of France.

"I just feel that I would never wear it," Gould said after the rally. "I don't want it. I am ashamed of France.

"They (France) are certainly entitled to their own opinion, but I just don't like it," he continued. "We (the United States) also had a right to our own opinion when we freed them - twice."

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