Mar 24, 2003
Thousands sound off
'Rally for America' enthusiasm infectious BY JEREMY REDMON
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER
 Police and the Innsbrook Foundation estimated that about 7,000 people gathered at the Rally for America at Innsbrook Pavilion yesterday. (DON LONG) |
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Thousands of Virginians crowded onto a sun-kissed field outside Richmond yesterday, chanting "USA", waving American flags of all sizes and cheering the U.S. troops in the Persian Gulf.
They toted pictures of their loved ones in the military. They shouted the "under God" part of the Pledge of Allegiance. And they treated a Patrick Henry impersonator like a rock star.
Police estimated that 7,000 people squeezed onto the grassy field of the Innsbrook Pavilion for the "Rally for America." The Innsbrook Foundation, which manages the property, confirmed that figure. Organizers noted traffic heading to the pavilion on Lake Brook Drive snaked all the way back to Nuckols Road.
Glenn Beck, a syndicated-radio talk-show host, led the rally in western Hen- rico County after bringing it to several other cities across America, including Atlanta, Philadelphia, and Cleveland.
Beck, whose conservative-politics show is carried locally on WRVA 1140 AM, saluted a handful of veterans he invited on stage and he quoted from the Declaration of Independence.
After recalling the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, he urged the crowd not to be swayed by anti-war activists, many of whom were planning to demonstrate in Richmond's Monroe Park a few hours later.
"Don't let these people confuse you," Beck told the audience, which booed when he referred to the peace demonstrators. "We know that we are facing dark and terrible times."
"We will unite together."
WRVA did not bill the event as a pro-war rally. Rather, the radio station advertised it as an opportunity to back America and its troops. Still, some in the crowd loudly displayed their support for the invasion of Iraq.
"Saddam needs to be taken down," said Troy Herndon, a James River High School student. Troy shouldered a homemade sign that read: "U.N. Useless Negotiation." He muttered: "The U.N. is worthless."
Demonstrators also set their sights on France and other countries that have opposed the U.S. attacks. One person carried a sign with the words: "Iraq is French for Hollywood."
Becky Thomas had similar feelings. She wore a homemade T-shirt that castigated the French, the Germans and anti-war activists. Her 2-year-old niece, Gabrielle Gauldin, wore red, white and blue ribbons in her pigtails and sported a "Republican in Training" shirt.
Henrico County police said the event was peaceful. About 25 officers patrolled the pavilion, some with bomb-sniffing dogs. Anyone in uniform was popular at the rally. A steady stream of people thanked the police and some soldiers who were on hand.
The weather was perfect with mostly blue skies and temperatures in the upper 60s, prompting some to break out their Bermuda shorts. People also dug out anything they could find in red, white and blue. There were American-flag T-shirts, belt buckles, bandannas, jackets, vests and even jumpsuits.
Danielle Ashbridge, a citizen of both Britain and the United States, tried to catch Beck's attention with her British flag.
"You can always count on them," the South Side resident said about the British. "They don't seem to have Alzheimer's like other countries."
Peggy Fannin, of Richmond, carried a homemade poster bearing a photo of her stepson, Anthony L. Castelvecchi, a Marine who is in the Persian Gulf.
Her daughter-in-law, Jackie Castelvecchi, carried a photo of her husband and his brother, Robert, a Navy man serving on the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean Sea. Jackie is pregnant with their son, due "any day now."
"We are worried as hell," said Fannin of Anthony and Robert, "But we are very proud of them."
Contact Jeremy Redmon at (804) 649-6804 or jredmon@timesdispatch.com
RTD