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The State.com
S. Carolina's Home Page
Posted on Mon, Mar. 10, 2003
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200 rally at State House to support U.S. troops
Staff Writer Kelly Floyd said she remembers how badly her brother was treated when he returned from fighting in the Vietnam War. She doesn't want the same to happen to her 19-year-old son serving in the Marine Corps -- or any members of the military deployed to the gulf. "I certainly don't want there to be a war with so many members of my family (serving in the military), but we're here to say that we support them," Floyd said. She wore four buttons, each with a picture of a family member in the military. The message was the same throughout the crowd of more than 200 on the State House grounds Sunday, where veterans, military family members and others gathered to say: "We support our troops." Sponsored by the American Legion Auxiliary, the rally included speeches, prayers and patriotic songs. Many held American flags, banners and signs with pictures of family members deployed overseas. One of those signs was held by 13-year-old Adam Finch of Gilbert. It said: "I'm proud of my brothers." Two of his brothers are in the Marines, with one, Arlington Finch Jr., deployed to Kuwait three weeks ago. "We're just here to show them we love them and that we're behind them," said their mother, Dena Finch. She and her husband also carried signs with their sons' photos. The back of one sign said simply: "Pray." That sentiment was reflected over and over Sunday. "I don't want war to break out; I have family members there," said Jane McGee of Easley, whose son James is overseas. "But I gathered up my whole family, and we came down here." One in her group Sunday was Rachel Morris, who was there with her daughters, 19-month-old Brittany and Tiffany, 3 months. Morris' husband, Richard Allen Morris Jr., shipped out in early February. "We're trying to let them know we're here for them," said Morris, as she rocked the baby in her arms. Brittany, red and blue ribbons in her tiny pigtails and wearing a shirt that said, "My daddy is a U.S. Marine," played nearby. Morris held a sign: "We miss and support you." Tamara Edens of Blythewood said she's trying to do something to support the mothers of those in the military. She recently started the South Carolina chapter of the Blue Star Mothers. "I was missing my son," she said of Joshua Diaz, a Marine serving in the Pacific fleet. The Blue Star Mothers, a national nonprofit organization started during World War II for mothers with children in the military, serves as a support network. The South Carolina group seeks to bring together mothers in various areas of the state. "Women are so grateful to be able to connect with other mothers," Edens said. "We need to keep each other strong." For information on the Blue Star Mothers, visit www.scbluestarmothers.org. |
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