There was a time when Wisconsin National Guard Sgt. Daniel Fanning never envisioned spending part of a Veterans Day weekend at an anti-war rally calling for the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq.
That was before he served in Iraq.
"I can think of no better way to support the troops than by not supporting this war," Fanning told the crowd gathered for Sunday afternoon's rally at Duluth's Portland Square.
We owe it to our soldiers and their families, Fanning said, to "ensure that no one else dies for this mistake. We must end this war."
Rally organizers believe Tuesday's election results show that Americans want the troops brought home and that politicians -- worried about voter backlash -- will be more willing to heed the call.
ADVERTISEMENT
Tuesday's election "sent a clear message that the war in Iraq must end as soon as possible," read an oversized petition spread out on the ground and addressed to future U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. The petition called on elected officials "to take all necessary steps to immediately bring our troops home."
Fanning said he believes the continued presence of American troops in Iraq is fueling chaos and violence. He said the best way to end the suffering is to pull the troops out and help the Iraqi people rebuild their nation.
Rally speaker Fletcher Hines, a Marine Corps veteran of the Vietnam War and a member of Veterans and Military Families for Progress, told the crowd that the message he sent to Washington, D.C., with his votes as a veteran and a citizen was to "bring the Iraq war to an end; [and] bring the troops home; [and] take care of the troops when they come home."
Hines spoke of what he sees as the similarities between the wars in Iraq and Vietnam and of the human costs of combat.
"The years go by, but the war never leaves you," he said. "I never again want this country to enter a war of choice."
Sunday's rally began with a march from the Rose Garden. About 150 people joined the march, carrying American flags and signs with messages such as "Bring the troops home now," "Liar, Liar, World on Fire" and "Mobil, Amoco, BP, Shell, take your war and go to hell."
As they marched, the crowd chanted "Support the troops, bring them home" and "What do we want? Peace. When do we want it? Now."
Bob Tammen of Soudan marched with an American flag in one hand and an "Impeach Bush Now!" sign in the other. Tammen served as an artilleryman in Vietnam for several months in 1965. When he left, American causalities still were low. He worries the human cost of staying in Iraq will swell as it did after he left Vietnam.
ADVERTISEMENT
"I think of the 50,000 who died after I was there," he said. "I look at the Iraq war. We don't seem to have a plan to end the war. People are still dying because politicians can't admit they made a mistake."
STEVE KUCHERA can be reached at (218) 279-5503, toll free at (800) 456-8282, ext. 503, or by e-mail at skuchera@duluthnews.com .
