Posted on 03/16/2003 5:41:30 PM PST by Dr. Scarpetta
VALLEY FORGE - With the clock ticking on an expected U.S. military strike on Iraq, thousands of people rallied in Valley Forge today to show support for American troops.
The "Rally for America" - held on a field near Valley Forge National Historical Park - was the latest in a series of pro-troop rallies organized by syndicated radio host Glenn Beck.
Police said this one attracted about 6,000 people, many of them waving flags and holding signs.
Rally-goers sang patriotic songs and helped to raise a gigantic American flag before reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.
Rick Moody, 57, and his wife Martha, 58, of Souderton, said they hope that American troops preparing for war with Iraq will get more public appreciation and support than troops did during the protest-filled Vietnam War.
The couple's son, Todd, is serving with the Army reserves in Bosnia - and they said they'll support him and other troops wherever they go.
"If and when hostilities start, we should be unified as a country," Rick Moody said. "And we're the most anti-war people you can get."
Anthony D'Alterio, 58, who served as a combat medic in the Vietnam War, said that public opposition to Vietnam in the 1960s and 1970s caused resentment among soldiers.
"We're trying to keep all of that under our hats," said D'Alterio, of Brookhaven. "There's a bigger cause. That cause is freedom."
Many objected to the anti-war rhetoric of celebrities including actress Susan Sarandon and singer Sheryl Crow. "Hollywood does not speak for me," one sign read.
Another sign took aim at the United Nations' lack of support for military action, saying: "The U.N. is irrelevant; Iraq needs to go."
Martin Zak, of Collegeville, said he thinks a war is needed to liberate the Iraqi people. "Their people are suffering," he said.
Anti-war protesters also made their voices heard today. In Pittsburgh, several hundred people gathered in a park near the city's two colleges to protest any military strike on Iraq.
Sixteen-year-old Jen Martinsen - who wore a black gas mask and an Uncle Sam T-shirt that said, "I Want You To Mobilize for Peace" - said she doubted the protesters would have much influence on whether there will be a war.
But "somebody's got to say something. George (Bush) may not listen. He doesn't seem like he's going to. We can't be silent," said Martinsen, of Mount Lebanon.
Dave Balint, 54, who was an Air Force linguist during the Vietnam era and whose son is an Air Force mechanic, ridiculed Bush with a sign that said: "Like a rock only dumber."
"Bush can't even get nine votes on the Security Council. Are we supposed to believe the rest of the world is wrong?" he said.
In Lancaster, peace demonstrators planned to gather on the courthouse steps Sunday night to take part in a global candlelight vigil.
"I think we're making a mistake," said Mary Ries, a 42-year-old print company employee and mother of four who planned to attend.
America's Finest - The SpearTip of Freedom. (Photos of our deploying troops - share yours)
"The liberties of our country, the freedom of our civil constitution, are worth defending at all hazards; and it is our duty to defend them against all attacks. We have received them as a fair inheritance from our worthy ancestors; they purchased them for us with toil and danger and expense of treasure and blood. It will bring an everlasting mark of infamy on the present generation, enlightened as it is, if we should suffer them to be wrested from us by violence without a struggle, or be cheated out of them by the artifices of false and designing men." Samuel Adams
An air cushion landing craft passes an American flag as it carries U.S. Marines with the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit to waiting ships from Onslow Beach in Camp Lejeune, N.C., Wednesday March 5, 2003. More than 2,300 Marines and sailors deployed Wednesday.
Rally For America - Valley Forge
![]() Martha Moody, of Souderton, Pa., reacts during a rally in support of the troops in the Persian Gulf at the Freedom Foundation in Valley Forge, Pa., Sunday, March 16, 2003. Moody's son Todd is a Marine serving in Bosnia. Thousands gathered for the rally supporting the troops. (AP Photo/Chris Gardner) ![]() The crowd reacts as they listen to a speaker at a support the troops rally at the Freedom Foundation in Valley Forge, Pa., Sunday, March 16, 2003. Thousands gathered for the two hour support rally. (AP Photo/Chris Gardner) ![]() Thousands of U.S. troop supporters rally at the Freedom Foundation in Valley Forge, Pa., Sunday, March 16, 2003. (AP Photo/Chris Gardner)
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Valley Forge! What a perfect location to gather to show support for our troops!
A beautiful day too.
How right you are.
The 6,000 figure at Valley Forge -- by the way -- while not unfair, only takes into account the amphitheater -- not the thousands who were turned away -- which police would have confirmed -- or the several thousand who held a secondary rally at the Baptist Church from which the shuttle buses came when told they would not be able to get into the main one.
Philly.com is crap.
Owl_Eagle
Unleash the Hogs of Peace.
P.J. O'Rourke Parliament of Whores
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