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| Families Angered by Crosses at War Protest |
| Wednesday, August 24, 2005 |
Nearly 600 white wooden crosses in perfectly straight rows stretch down the narrow road leading to President Bush's ranch, a sea of names in the grassy ditch. Lt. Seth Dvorin. Sgt. David W. Johnson. Daniel Torres. Casey Sheehan.
To some relatives of the fallen U.S. soldiers, however, it isn't a tribute to heroes but a political statement by liberal groups with whom they disagree.
Sherry Orlando, a spokeswoman at Fort Campbell, Ky., said she doesn't want her husband, who was killed in Iraq in 2003, to be used "for someone's political agenda."
"Being in the military ... was who he was. It wasn't just a job. He supported what he did and I support that as well," she said.
The crosses were erected two weeks ago by Veterans for Peace as part of the war protest that began Aug. 6 outside Bush's ranch by grieving mother and peace activist Cindy Sheehan. She vows to continue the vigil until Bush talks to her or his monthlong vacation ends.
Last week Gary Qualls, whose Marine son Louis died in Fallujah last fall, went to the Crawford site and yanked up a cross bearing his son's name. He said it was disrespectful because he disagrees with the protesters' views and supports Bush.
But Qualls said the demonstrators keep replacing the crosses. Since then, Qualls said, he has removed two more crosses bearing his son's name. The three crosses are now in front of "Fort Qualls," a pro-Bush camp set up last weekend in downtown Crawford. |
posted by Jay Are @ 11:37:00 AM   |
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