Please try to attend the next "Army - Don't Go to Iraqistan" rally to be held this coming Saturday, Oct. 10 at West Point to address people arriving for the Army-Vanderbilt football game. Directions.

We will gather at 10:30 a.m. in Highland Falls by the clock at the southern most tip of the public park at Main Street and West Point Highway, just south of West Point's Thayer Gate. The rally will end at noon, kickoff time.

Eleven of us attended the rally there this last Saturday, and we found the experience very worthwhile.

We came to West Point because it is the nation’s top training center for young people entering Army leadership and because it is a way to reach out to people who are directly affected by the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. The photos below are graciously provided by Andy Courtney.

We all were very surprised at the numbers of people who gave us thumbs up, honked horns or showed other signs of approval.

For example, when we got into town we set up shop across from the park on the shoulder of the road. A man, who seemed to be from Highland Falls be cause he knew the name of the person in front of whose driveway we were standing, stopped his car and suggested that we move to the park because this would increase our visibility and would put us on public property, thus avoiding a complaint by the driveway owner, who, the motorist told us, could be quite contrary.

We did not receive this warmth at earlier anti-war protests at the same spot. We also got some of the customary signs of disapproval, but this was outweighed by the positive responses.

In addition, we found the Highland Falls police extremely cordial and agreeable to our presence in the park; they asked only if the park was where we intended to hold the rally. A police car stood by during the event, and at one point a man stopped to talk to the officer in the car, pointing at us. But nothing was said to us by the police beyond our initial encounter.

As we prepared to depart at noon, Chuck Bell suggested that we shout out Margaret Eberle’s name and then shout “Presente”, which we did three times; for although she has passed from us we felt her very much with us on Saturday and continue to do so.

This is a link to a report of the rally appearing on the MidHudson News website.

Again, we urge you to attend the next rally this coming Saturday. If we have enough people, we will set up a rally point at West Point's Stony Lonesome Gate off of 9W, just north of Highland Falls, where people also enter to attend the game. You will feel that you are making a difference.

Please RSVP if you will be able to attend. Note that we plan to hold similar rallies on Oct. 23 and Nov. 14, also home games for Army.