Students, faculty rally for troops on commons

Dave Kim / senior photographer Students display signs supporting U.S. troops fighting in the war during a rally Wednesday afternoon on the commons.

Waving flags, holding signs and chanting, a group of nearly 300 students and faculty members gathered on the commons yesterday to show their support for troops fighting in Iraq.

Junior Kevin Brennan organized the "We Support Our Troops" rally, which lasted from noon to 1 p.m. He said the rally was "meant to unite our campus and show that we support the men and women that are fighting for our freedom.

"They deserve it. They do everything for us, and it's the least we can do for them."

More than 200 blue and red ribbons were distributed, as were stickers reading "I support President Bush" and "I support our troops." Signs supporting the overseas soldiers were displayed, including ones saying "May God protect you as you protect us" and "You're heroes to us all."

Wearing a ribbon, an American flag tie and a sticker, Brennan, who serves as the second vice chair for the College Republicans, said that in addition to the College Republicans, fraternity and sorority members and sports teams were among the groups taking leading roles at the rally.

While similar demonstrations recently have taken place downtown in Court Square and across the nation, Brennan said he thought yesterday's rally also would impact America's war effort. "You wouldn't believe how many people said they have loved ones fighting in Iraq and Kuwait," he said. "They were taking pictures to send to their boyfriends to show we haven't forgotten about them."
Saying that if the rally touched one soldier, it was worth it, senior Josh Porter said, "We just came out here to support our troops and let them know that they're not forgotten, and they're [our] heroes."
Participants emphasized that the rally wasn't necessarily pro-war, but instead was a way to show support for the troops in Iraq.

"It's a ‘we support our troops' rally, not a ‘pro-war' rally," Brennan said. "We did this to show that a lot of people do support our troops. With so much negative coverage, we thought we'd do something nice to support our troops overseas."

According to another attendee, junior John Leonard, Americans should support the soldiers who have been putting their lives on the line for others.

"Whether you agree with the war or not, we should all be supporting the troops who are risking their lives for Americans' freedom," Leonard said.

Sophomore Nick Winkler expressed his feelings about the rally by saying, "We're tired of being the silent majority. [Opinion] polls show that 75 percent of the nation supports this war. I'm glad that we're taking this stand."

Brennan said more rallies may take place, based on the success of yesterday's event.
"We want to have another one in the future," he said. "It feels great."