Posted on Sat, Aug. 06, 2005
Mass casualties push war sentiments back to forefront
JOE MILICIA
Associated Press
BROOK PARK, Ohio - Casimiro Zayas stood unflinchingly, his right hand held to his brow saluting Ohio's fallen Marines as the national anthem was sung at a prayer vigil.
His firm posture reflects his stance on the war in Iraq, which has grown only more resolute as the nation's casualties mount.
"In the beginning, I was totally against it," said Zayas, whose son is in the Army in Iraq. "But now that we're there, we're making a difference and we should stick it out. We've lost too many lives."
The loss of 16 Marine reservists from Ohio has pushed the more than 2-year-old war back into the forefront of daily life back home. Many people are shedding tears, but they're also discussing the war on radio talk shows and Internet message boards and at memorials for the Marines.
One caller to public radio station WCPN-AM on Friday said the Bush administration misled the public and provoked a war. The next caller said that Saddam Hussein, his sons and "Chemical Ali" were themselves weapons of mass destruction and that ending their rule was enough reason to go to war.
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http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/special_packages/iraq/12320800.htm