Two hours before the start of the antiwar rally here, supporters of the war effort held a counter protest on the National Mall, southeast of the Vietnam Memorial. Fewer than 100 people — mostly from two groups, one called Move-Out and another called Free Republic — waved flags as "The Star Spangled Banner" played over a portable speaker.
"We believe in America and what America stands for," said Joe Kernodle, a Vietnam veteran and spokesman for Move-Out. Many of the counter protesters were associated with the military, but Nina Burke and her husband, Steve, came from Fredericksburg, Va., as civilians. "We need to disarm Saddam before he sneaks a nuke into Chicago or New York, not after," Ms. Burke said.