N.H. mom rallies support for troops

PORTSMOUTH - Most of those gathered in the drizzling rain in Market Square on Saturday didn�t know Natalie Healy.
In fact, the majority of the more 20 participants had never met her son, Senior Chief Petty Officer Daniel Healy, a Navy SEAL who was killed in Afghanistan in June.

Nevertheless, they stood in the rain for nearly two hours to shake Natalie�s hand and tell her they supported her, the troops, the president and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Natalie Healy, of Exeter, said she�s been concerned over a number of peace vigils that have been taking place across the country, particularly the one in Crawford, Texas, where a mother camped out for two weeks near President Bush�s ranch after her son was killed in Iraq.

"I�m down here to support the troops," Natalie said Saturday, waving an American flag and holding a photo of her 36-year-old son in his uniform. "I don�t want the only message to be what they�re hearing from Crawford, Texas. ... Not all Americans feel the same as Cindy Sheehan."


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Her message is meant not just for the troops, she said, but also for al-Qaida.

"We won�t wimp out," Natalie said. "We will finish our mission to help establish an Iraqi democracy."

Natalie said the troops need Americans� support more than ever, and peace vigils are sending the wrong message.

When asked if she believes Americans could both oppose the war and support the troops, Natalie said she didn�t think it was possible.

"It�s nice to say you�re supporting the troops, but when you holler, �Get us out of there,� you�re aiding the enemy," she said.

Nathan Ritzo, of Portsmouth, who served in the Army and was recently deployed to Iraq, said he was pleased to see the rally, explaining that when he first heard about it, he knew he needed to come out and support it.

Ritzo said he was tired of the media constantly showing the negative things happening in Iraq rather than many of the positives he saw each day.

He described the peace rallies he saw on television or read about on the Internet while he was in the Middle East as "disheartening."

Dick Menard, of Portsmouth, a retired Air Force veteran, stood alongside Natalie.

"We need to eliminate them before they attack us again," Menard said when asked about the war in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Asked how he felt about the Sept. 11 Commission findings that Iraq was not connected to the Sept. 11 attacks, Menard replied:

"It�s all one war. We�re at war with a culture. ... It�s irrelevant; it�s not a factor if there is a direct connection or not. It�s the culture."

Elaine Healy, who had never met Natalie, was one of the first who gathered in Market Square for the noontime rally. Elaine said that after reading about her in the paper, she knew she had to come down and show her support because four of her family members who are in the military might be going to war soon.