They called it a "pro-America"

rally, not a pro-war event, and so an hour-long demonstration Saturday

at Heritage Park in Fayetteville was heavy on showing support for troops

in the Middle East, with a passing barb at Democrats and "the media"

thrown in for good measure.

About 200 people braved cool,

damp weather to rally for President Bush and his campaign to remove Iraqi

President Saddam Hussein from power. It was one of similar gatherings

held around the country Saturday, including a "Rally for America"

at Centennial Olympic Park in downtown Atlanta that drew an estimated

20,000 people.

The signs in abundance left

no doubt to the political stand of the crowd, from "Anti-American

Protestors are Saddam's Streetwalkers" to "12 Years is Long

Enough" and "Let's Roll."

As Saturday afternoon traffic

backed up on Ga. Highway 85, the Fayetteville group sang along to patriotic

tunes and heard from several speakers, including U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Jack

C. Wheeler (ret.) of Fayetteville, who told them U.S. motivation against

Iraq is different in the 12 years since the Persian Gulf War.

"No longer can we afford

to take the risk of any individual, a dictator, having weapons of mass

destruction, and the risk that those weapons might find their way into

the hands of terrorists," said Wheeler, a former general manager

at The Citizen newspapers who recently returned to active duty part-time

to help with military mobilization.

"Those terrorists, we

found out on 9/11, have no hesitation about coming to our shores and murdering

us," he said.

Removing Saddam Hussein and

liberating Iraqis from years of oppressive leadership will hopefully have

a side effect, Wheeler said.

"It could be the start

of a reshaping of the middle east as we know it today."

Support for troops both at

home and overseas was a high message of the day. Wheeler encouraged local

residents to fly the flag, send e-mails to troops, stop by recruitment

centers to thank those who keep the enlisted ranks full, and spread the

word "that citizenship has an obligation: Freedom is not free."

Capt. Gail Daras, whose husband

Maj. Kirby Daras is serving at Camp Doha in Kuwait, said families here

at home have special needs when a soldier goes off to war.

"I was deployed four months

after the birth of my son," she recalled. "It was very hard."

"Find out who in your

neighborhood is deployed and how you can help their families," Daras

said. "Or find out if there are people in your neighborhood in the

reserves or national guard. Get to know your neighbors."

How you can help

Donations of toiletry items,

packaged food items (not homemade) and candy are being accepted through

"Operation We Support Our Troops" at both locations of Village

Paint, on Ga. Highway 54 in Peachtree City and in Hudson Plaza in Fayetteville.

Here are some other ways you

can help through the Internet.

·www.operationuplink.org:

Donate a calling card to help keep service members in touch with their

families at Operation Uplink.

·www.dearamericansoldier.com:

Started by the American Family Association, this e-mail pen pal program

is a way to send letters, poems or prayers to soldiers.

·www.operationdearabby.net:

Send a greeting via e-mail through this service started by the advice

columnist.

· www.defendamerica.mil:

Sign a virtual thank-you card.

·www.usometrodc.org: Donate

directly to "Operation USO Care Package"

·www.va.gov.vetsday: Volunteer

to work at a Veterans Administration hospital by going to this site.

Make a donation to one of the

relief societies serving each branch of the military:

·www.aerhq.org: Army

·www.nmers.org: Navy and

Marines

·www.afas.org: Air Force

·www.cgmahq.org: Coast

Guard

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