This is good news as well from ST: Troop supporters far outnumbered the estimated 30 anti-war demonstrators
Supporters gather near Fort Lewis as 3,300 Guardsmen report
Sunday, November 16, 2003 - Page updated at 12:00 A.M.
By Keith Ervin
Seattle Times staff reporter
seattletimes.nwsource.com
ALAN BERNER / THE SEATTLE TIMES
Charlotte Carrell, right, who came to Fort Lewis yesterday to support the troops, gives an earful to Cynthia Whetsell, left, who came to protest the continued U.S. presence in Iraq. Troop supporters far outnumbered the estimated 30 anti-war demonstrators.
FORT LEWIS, Pierce County — National Guard troops headed for Iraq were greeted yesterday by hundreds of flag-waving supporters who jammed freeway overpasses and lined the streets around the gates to Fort Lewis.
Supporters of the troops and the U.S. occupation of Iraq created a festive atmosphere as they cheered the occasional Army truck passing by, sang "God Bless America" and handed red roses to uniformed soldiers exiting Interstate 5.
A small group of protesters called for the return of U.S. troops, but their peace signs were hidden by U.S. flags as supporters chanted, "USA! USA!"
Both sides were drawn to Fort Lewis by the call-up of 3,300 members of the Washington National Guard's 81st Armor Brigade who reported for active duty yesterday.
The soldiers' 18-month tour of duty — which will take them to Iraq next spring — represents the largest mobilization of state Guard troops since World War II.
The pro-troop demonstration at Fort Lewis, promoted by talk-show hosts on two Seattle radio stations, drew so many people that hundreds left to wave flags on other freeway ramps. After they left, more than 700 remained near the Fort Lewis entrance.
Many in the crowd had personal reasons for taking to the streets. "Proud Marine Aunt," read one homemade sign.
Karen Judd, whose son, Randy, reported for duty yesterday, said, "I'm very proud of him. He just wants to give to his country."
ALAN BERNER / THE SEATTLE TIMES
Carlos Lively of Tacoma, who served in the Air Force during the Vietnam era, blocks the view of protesters yesterday with a U.S. flag near the Madigan gate to Fort Lewis.
Tim Cooke, a retired Army officer whose younger son was an interrogator in Afghanistan and Iraq, recalled the deployments of U.S. troops in the 1980s and 1990s. "They kind of went without notice," he said. "I don't think that should happen this time."
"This isn't just for the troops. It's for the families who are waiting here," said Clarence Atchison, a Vietnam-era Navy veteran. "They're in need of a lot of support."
Gayla Fenimore of Puyallup, who stood in the rain at the Bridgeport Way freeway overpass, said, "I'm here with my grandsons. I want to teach them they have to stand for something or they'll fall for anything."
While those supporting the troops' deployment far outnumbered protesters, yesterday's events illustrated a deep rift over the Bush administration's foreign policy.
About 30 anti-war protesters carried signs reading, "Don't go — say no," and, "The Iraqi people are our sisters and brothers."
"You're a seditionist!" a woman shouted at a protester in one of many confrontations. None of the arguments led to blows, although a Lakewood police officer told pro-troop demonstrators they couldn't block a man from walking to a freeway overpass with a sign they found offensive.
The man's sign showed President Bush with a Hitler mustache and a swastika.
"He has as much right to go where he wants as you do," the police officer said.
When a group of about six protesters held their ground while surrounded by angry pro-occupation demonstrators, Army veteran Cooke observed, "You've got to give them credit" for their guts.
ALAN BERNER / THE SEATTLE TIMES
Jennifer Atkins, whose husband is serving in Iraq, joins others in a show of support for troops at a rally at Fort Lewis.
"I'm frightened," said protester Marie Holert of Vashon Island. "I think there will be a draft within a year. I have young sons and I don't want them to go. I don't believe the administration."
Vicky Monk of Issaquah, a member of Military Families Speak Out, whose son, Tim, is in Iraq with the First Armored Division, said the latest deployment of troops to Iraq represents "a horrible sacrifice for their families."
Her son, Monk said, called her last week "to say he had watched one of the soldiers put the gun to his head and commit suicide. The effect on the soldiers who are there is tragic."
But Robert Burton, a private in the Fort Lewis-based Army First Brigade who expects to ship out to Iraq in April, said he believes in the mission of keeping Saddam Hussein from returning to power.
"Regardless of whether you feel we should have gone in in the first place, we need to be there," Burton said.
If U.S. troops leave, Burton said, Iraqis "will just die. There are women and children."
Another pro-troop demonstrator turned to Burton and said, "We're going to support you while you're over there. We'll support you big-time."
Keith Ervin: 206-464-2105 or kervin@seattletimes.com |
