I’d say hurry and get finished with this,” said Villanow resident Phyllis Parker who attended a rally to support U.S. troops Saturday at Joe Stock Memorial Park in LaFayette. “Kick them up good and come home.”
At the rally, attended by about 15 people, Parker held a poster saying “Support our soldiers or stay quiet.” Affixed to the poster was a photo of her husband, Army Sgt. 1st Class Connie LeRoy Parker, who is stationed in Fort Polk, La., and spent eight months in Afghanistan before returning home in December.
Supporters displayed signs backing President Bush and the coalition in their quest to oust Hussein.
“If I could speak to the troops, I’d say no tyrant should rule, not in this land or any land,” said Chatsworth resident Grace Dill at the rally. “There should be justice for all.”
Dill’s son, Army Sgt. R.C. Thomas, 26, is in Iraq after being in Kuwait since February.
“Freedom doesn’t come cheap,” Parker said. “Thank God these guys and girls go the extra mile for our country.”
Other area residents have expressed their support for U.S. troops and worry about potential terrorist attacks on the homefront.
LaFayette resident Karen Ball said her son, Clint, is a sergeant in the U.S. Army and crew chief on a Blackhawk helicopter. He was deployed to Kuwait three weeks ago.
She said her son is in charge of the soldiers and in-flight repairs to the aircraft.
“The president believes that this terror will not stop unless something is done,” Clint told his mother. “He’s commander-in-chief, and he wouldn’t put the country in war if he didn’t believe there was a good cause.”
Fort Oglethorpe resident Charlie Romines said, “Saddam Hussein should have left the country if he cared anything about his people.”
“I think we need to go over there and do what needed to be done 12 years ago,” Romines said. “The problem was we did all we could 12 years ago.”
“I think it’s a tragedy, but we have to do what we have to do and get it done,” Cookie Romines of Fort Oglethorpe said. “I’m just worried about what could happen here.”
“I just hope we go in, take care of business and get out,” said Pat Kaliher, who also lives in Fort Oglethorpe.
Staff writers Andy Diffenderfer, Eric Beavers and Scott Herpst contributed to this article
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