Hatred at an Anti-War Protest
By Kieran Michael Lalor
Posted On March 31, 2005

As a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom, I visited an anti-war protest a few weeks ago in New York City's suburbs, in White Plains, and was shocked and disappointed at the hostility and venom with which I was treated by people who claim to support the troops.

Anti-War Hypocrisy

When I first arrived, I approached the person I thought was the ringleader. I was ready to show him pictures I took of Iraqis waving American flags and expressing their gratitude toward the U.S. I was wearing a Marine Corps shirt, and perhaps he thought I was a Vet seeking to decry the war and betray my fellow servicemen. Before I could say a word he handed me the microphone, in a scene reminiscent of "Forrest Gump". Seizing this unexpected opportunity to have my views heard, I began to tell how I supported the war and how our efforts had liberated millions of people and planted the seeds of democracy in the region.

Less than a minute elapsed when these so-called "progressives" who claim to be devout supporters of “free speech” unplugged the microphone.

After my impromptu speech was censored and cut short, I mingled with the demonstrators for a few minutes. A woman marched up to me, looked me in the eye and coldly asked, “How many children did you kill?” I showed them the photos I took of my buddies and me with the smiling Iraqi children we befriended and another woman sniped, “You probably gave them candy just like the Nazis did before they killed Jewish children.”

When I showed a woman a picture of my friend in the scorching desert heat sharing his limited water supply with an Iraqi girl she dismissed him as “a killer.” A man walked up to me and with disdain in his voice, called me a “sucker” for volunteering to serve my country.
These slurs from people claiming to want peace were the most vicious and hurtful things anyone has ever said to me. The protesters had no interest in hearing my first-hand perspective of the war and clung to the notion that war is “never necessary.” When I pointed out that the American Civil War unshackled millions of slaves and that WWII ended the holocaust, the demonstrators evaded my point entirely instead choosing to bash the United States as unjust and evil. They spouted empty clichés about President Bush’s “war for oil” and ignored me when I asked if they thought that January’s successful election was a positive step toward peace and stability.

The arrogance of the protesters was such that they sought to educate me, still an active member of the Marine Corps Reserve, about the military and about a war that I participated in. Not surprisingly, though, the leaflet they handed me was riddled with inaccuracies.

Misguided Objectives

The expressed goal of the demonstration and the thrust of the flyer being distributed were to halt military recruitment. This pathetically shortsighted goal ignores the fact that in addition to prosecuting the War on Terror, the U.S military is the conduit through which humanitarian aid is distributed to the most impoverished peoples of the world.

One prominent recent example: When the tsunami devastated Asia in December it was surely not the smug, self-righteous, protesters who risked their lives to bring relief and aid to the survivors. It was U.S. marines, sailors, soldiers, and airmen who fed, clothed and gave medical care to the victims.

Do the protesters realize that if their goal of reducing enlistments succeeds America’s ability to provide humanitarian aid suffers? Do they care?

Aid and Comfort to the Enemy

Amazingly, Saturday’s protesters call for peace but they have the exact same goal as Abu Zarqawi and Osama bin Ladin: The removal of U.S. troops from Iraq. The protesters certainly have the right to express their views, a right countless servicemen have died to protect. The truth, which they surely know, is that their actions benefit those who routinely behead civilians and make the job of our troops more difficult and more deadly.
The terrorist enemy cannot defeat the U.S. military tactically. Their only hope is for the anti-war crowds to swell to the point where politicians are pressured into effecting a premature troop withdrawal. The unquestionable result? The terrorist thugs are emboldened to slaughter civilians and brave public officials in the young democracy unimpeded by the American military.

With the exception of a few well meaning but naïve protesters, what I found at the demonstration were mostly zealous America-haters who blamed the U.S. for 9/11, defended Saddam Hussein as “not that bad” and harbored open hatred of me, simply because I’d done my duty for expressing an opinion counter to theirs.

Kieran Michael Lalor is the founder of the Eternal Vigilance Society and a law student at Pace University. He can be reached at klalor@eternalvigilancesociety.org.

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