Local reaction to the news

of the alleged terrorist attacks throughout the country Tuesday morning

hit home at Melear's Restaurant.

Magistrate Court Judge Kenny

Melear was "concerned" but not worried about his granddaughter,

Holly, a former Fayette resident who is stationed at the Bethesda Naval

Hospital near Washington, D.C. where the Pentagon offices were attacked.

Holly Melear is a dental technician

at the National Naval Dental Center there, the judge said.

A phone call to the office

where Holly Melear worked Tuesday afternoon confirmed that she was just

leaving the office after 1 p.m. Melear tried to contact her earlier in

the morning, but he couldn't get through because all phone circuits were

busy. He had last spoken to her Sunday, and everything was fine with her,

he said.

Melear said he has been worried

about the nation's lack of military preparedness, particularly in light

of military budget cuts that have taken place over the past few years.

"It's a terrible thing,"

Melear said as news accounts flowed through the speaker of a TV set behind

him, next to a photo of his granddaughter in Naval dress uniform. "Many

lives are lost today."

David Prince of Fayetteville

said he believes the government has let the military cutbacks "go

too far."

John McLucas, a Fayette County

native, said he hoped whichever group was responsible for the attacks

"had made their best effort already."

"I don't think there's

a group large enough to pull off a military strike nationwide," McLucas

said. "But that remains to be seen. ... I'm concerned."

Ink Bundy, a Fayetteville resident

for 30 years, said she hopes President George Bush "does what he

has to do."

"You can't prevent it,

I guess," she said. "But I hope he does whatever he can and

I'm sure he will."

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