03/16/07: War supporters know ultimate cost all too well
WNPJ's statewide roundup of 4th anniversary events is featured in this Milwuakee Journal Sentinel article
By JENNIE TUNKIEICZ
jtunkieicz@journalsentinel.com
Posted: March 16, 2007
Not a day goes by that Dave Wyatt doesn't think about his son, Marine Lance Cpl. Daniel Wyatt, who died in Iraq on Oct. 12, 2004.
He was thinking about Daniel on Friday morning while driving through the Allegheny Mountains in a sleet and snow storm, making his way from Racine County to Washington, D.C.
Wyatt, of Caledonia, will be joining thousands of military family members at a rally today at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial as part of the group Move America Forward, which is calling its effort "These Colors Don't Run." The rally is timed to mark the fourth anniversary of the start of the Iraq war, which is officially March 20, 2003, and also to counter anti-war ralliesin Washington today.
The group's caravan started in San Francisco on March 8. Wyatt and his wife, Danni, joined the group Tuesday for rallies in Little Rock, Ark., and Memphis, Tenn. The group has been gathering U.S. flags, which will be displayed today at the National Mall and will later be sent to troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. As of Friday, they had gathered more than 15,000 flags.
Protesters will be out, too
Anti-war protesters are tying their activities in Washington today to the historic 1967 march to the Pentagon to protest the war in Vietnam. Organizers say today's anti-war climate is similar to that of 1967 and that voters in the November election sent a message to end the war and bring troops home.
There will be more than 30 events in Wisconsin this weekend to mark the war's fourth anniversary, according to the Wisconsin Network for Peace and Justice.
In Milwaukee, a noon rally today at O'Donnell Park Plaza is co-sponsored by Peace Action and Voces de la Frontera, an immigrant-rights group. In Racine, the Coalition for Peace and Justice will hold a vigil at 1 p.m. Sunday at Monument Square, 6th and Main streets. A full listing of events is at www.wnpj.org/4years.
Another son heads to war
Dave Wyatt, who served in the U.S. Air Force in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War, said that, too often, those who support the war effort are not being heard.
For him, today's rally in Washington is a chance to stand up for what he believes in.
"I did need to go and stand up a little bit, too, just like Daniel did. He thought he could make a difference in Iraq. Maybe I can make a difference," Wyatt said. " . . . I think Danny would want me to be here. I know he believed in his mission, he really did."
Last weekend, the Wyatts traveled to the U.S. Army base in Fort Benning, Ga., to cheer on Danni Wyatt's son, Josh Friday of Oshkosh, as he left for the Middle East. Friday, a combat medic, is expected to be in Iraq in three weeks.
Dave Wyatt was also thinking about Josh during his drive to Washington.
"The war effort is now doubly personal," said Danni Wyatt, who did not accompany her husband to Washington this weekend.
She, too, invoked the Vietnam War, during which she said protesters and anti-war politicians micromanaged the war.
"They are not going to do that this time," she said. "They are not going to endanger my son with infighting and backbiting.
"It gives terrorists the strength to go on one more day, and that day might be the day my son dies. If we present a united front, this could be over more quickly than people think it could be."
War supporters know ultimate cost all too well
Father of slain Marine among those gathering in D.C.By JENNIE TUNKIEICZ
jtunkieicz@journalsentinel.com
Posted: March 16, 2007
Not a day goes by that Dave Wyatt doesn't think about his son, Marine Lance Cpl. Daniel Wyatt, who died in Iraq on Oct. 12, 2004.
He was thinking about Daniel on Friday morning while driving through the Allegheny Mountains in a sleet and snow storm, making his way from Racine County to Washington, D.C.
Wyatt, of Caledonia, will be joining thousands of military family members at a rally today at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial as part of the group Move America Forward, which is calling its effort "These Colors Don't Run." The rally is timed to mark the fourth anniversary of the start of the Iraq war, which is officially March 20, 2003, and also to counter anti-war ralliesin Washington today.
The group's caravan started in San Francisco on March 8. Wyatt and his wife, Danni, joined the group Tuesday for rallies in Little Rock, Ark., and Memphis, Tenn. The group has been gathering U.S. flags, which will be displayed today at the National Mall and will later be sent to troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. As of Friday, they had gathered more than 15,000 flags.
Protesters will be out, too
Anti-war protesters are tying their activities in Washington today to the historic 1967 march to the Pentagon to protest the war in Vietnam. Organizers say today's anti-war climate is similar to that of 1967 and that voters in the November election sent a message to end the war and bring troops home.
There will be more than 30 events in Wisconsin this weekend to mark the war's fourth anniversary, according to the Wisconsin Network for Peace and Justice.
In Milwaukee, a noon rally today at O'Donnell Park Plaza is co-sponsored by Peace Action and Voces de la Frontera, an immigrant-rights group. In Racine, the Coalition for Peace and Justice will hold a vigil at 1 p.m. Sunday at Monument Square, 6th and Main streets. A full listing of events is at www.wnpj.org/4years.
Another son heads to war
Dave Wyatt, who served in the U.S. Air Force in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War, said that, too often, those who support the war effort are not being heard.
For him, today's rally in Washington is a chance to stand up for what he believes in.
"I did need to go and stand up a little bit, too, just like Daniel did. He thought he could make a difference in Iraq. Maybe I can make a difference," Wyatt said. " . . . I think Danny would want me to be here. I know he believed in his mission, he really did."
Last weekend, the Wyatts traveled to the U.S. Army base in Fort Benning, Ga., to cheer on Danni Wyatt's son, Josh Friday of Oshkosh, as he left for the Middle East. Friday, a combat medic, is expected to be in Iraq in three weeks.
Dave Wyatt was also thinking about Josh during his drive to Washington.
"The war effort is now doubly personal," said Danni Wyatt, who did not accompany her husband to Washington this weekend.
She, too, invoked the Vietnam War, during which she said protesters and anti-war politicians micromanaged the war.
"They are not going to do that this time," she said. "They are not going to endanger my son with infighting and backbiting.
"It gives terrorists the strength to go on one more day, and that day might be the day my son dies. If we present a united front, this could be over more quickly than people think it could be."
Submitted by wnpj on Mon, 03/19/2007 - 10:06am.