Posted on 03/25/2003 9:49:09 AM PST by Coleus
Edited on 03/25/2003 10:47:43 AM PST by Admin Moderator. [history]
Pro-war protesters hold rally
Times Square draws 1,300
Monday, March 24, 2003
BY JERRY BARCA
Star-Ledger Staff
NEW YORK -- Amid chants of "We Support George" and "U-S-A! U-S-A!," Robert Cuellari held a sign bearing a picture of his 19-year-old son, Air Force Private Robert Cuellari Jr., who is serving in the war. "He's not there for Bush, he's there for you," Cuellari's sign read as the Freehold resident stood amid 1,300 people gathered in Times Square yesterday for a rally to support the military effort in Iraq.
"I don't want my kid coming back to anti-war protests. It should be unconditional love for these kids and the country," Cuellari said.
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The number of people at the rally was minuscule in comparison to the 125,000 anti-war protesters who crowded 30 city blocks along Broadway on Saturday.
But, the turnout didn't matter to former merchant Marine Joseph Gallo of Jersey City, who led the crowd in some patriotic chants.
"These are people who believe in something," said Gallo, holding a megaphone in his right hand and cigar in his left. "We may be small in number, but we represent the silent majority."
The crowd turned Times Square between 41st and 42nd streets into a sea of waving American flags. They sang "God Bless America" and "The Star-Spangled Banner." Chants came to a crescendo each time a fire truck rolled by the demonstration.
While there were banners saying "Support Our Troops" and "Free Iraq," harsh messages were sent in signs like "Bomb Saddam" and "War Now or Hell Later."
Patrick Duran held a five-foot- wide sign asking to "Give War A Chance."
"We've given Saddam 12 years, that's quite enough time to disarm," said the Manhattan man.
The vehement pro-war activists disappointed the rally organizer. "With a crowd this big you may get some people like that. ... But you have to be crazy to be absolute pro-war," she said.
Conservative groups including the Free Republic Network, the Christian Coalition and Young Americans for Freedom helped organize the demonstration.
A few blocks west of Times Square, several dozen people gathered at the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum for a prayer service in support of the U.S. troops.
Several hundred more people, including veterans and family members of troops stationed in the Middle East, attended a rally in a Staten Island school parking lot.
In addition to New York, police said more than 5,000 people went to a pro-military rally near Richmond, Va.
In Washington about 300 activists demonstrated in support of U.S. troops on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.
Meanwhile, anti-war activists held rallies yesterday in Providence, R.I.; Melbourne, Fla. and Gainesville, Fla.
Gulf War veteran Ron Pecina, 33, of Rahway went to Times Square because he was fed up with the anti-war protests around the world.
"It's time to show support for the troops. This time we're going to finish the job," said Pecina, who served in the Navy.
"You've got to support the president 100 percent. We've got to keep morale up," said Joe Piazza, a 73-year-old former Marine from Staten Island who served in the Korean War.
The crowd's anti-Iraq fervor grew as word spread that several U.S. soldiers were taken prisoner in the southern part of Iraq.
"I'm sickened," said Ray Bennett, 35, of Brooklyn.
"It's typical of the terroristic Iraqi regime," said Maribel Anaya of Ridgefield, Conn.
Word of the soldiers' suffering drew Anaya from her home to the rally. "I think war is our only chance," she said.
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