Opposing sides air views along Bangor streets

BANGOR – Divergent images of a country in conflict were evident Saturday.

Carrying large photos of Iraqi children and mothers whom demonstrators claim will be thought of as “collateral damage” in the war, nearly 100 veterans and other protesters advocating peace lined Route 2 in Bangor. Supporting a “chain of concern,” the men, women and children stood for an hour in the cold drizzle, displaying the images photographed by Bangor resident Jim Harney during a recent pre-war visit to Iraq.

About a mile away, about 150 people waved “Support Our Troops” signs and American flags along Hogan Road.

As scores of vehicles festooned with American flags hailed them wildly, the cheering group hung in for two hours next to the busy road.

While the peace activists called the war in Iraq illegal, immoral and devoid of rationality, the Hogan Road group eschewed most verbal explanations in favor of a patriotic, morale-boosting cheering session.

The peace activists said they support the military troops overseas but are concerned about a pre-emptive war setting a dangerous precedent, among other matters. The Bangor Mall group espoused a simpler philosophy: Back our troops because they’re giving their all for the country.

“Those peaceniks down the road should wake up and see what’s really going on” in Iraq, said Lisa Harrell of Hampden. The Iraqis are “using kids as human shields,” she said.

Harrell’s son, Air Force Staff Sgt. Eric Harrell, is a maintenance crew chief on a C-5 transport aircraft making frequent trips to Kuwait and other areas. Harrell said she worries about her son, but realizes he is one of many people who want to put a stop to a burgeoning problem. Harrell said her son “knows if he doesn’t do it [be part of the war effort] today, then our children will be doing it tomorrow.”

Her sentiments were not shared a mile away.

The Route 2 event was sponsored by the Maine branch of Veterans for Peace and the Bangor-based Peace and Justice Center.

Veterans from World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and the first Gulf War stood along a stretch of Route 2 between Cascade Park and Eastern Maine Medical Center.

The weather and other peace demonstrations, including a big gathering in Boston that day, probably prevented a larger attendance, according to Ilze Petersons of the Peace and Justice Center.

Korean War veteran Tom Sturtevant, 74, of Winthrop, the statewide head of the Veterans for Peace Chapter No. 001, said the Iraq war is “illegal” and that the conflict “has nothing to do with the freedom of Iraq. It’s the oil.”

Vietnam War veteran Al Larson, 61, of Orono said the Iraq war was undertaken for the “wrong reasons,” adding that the struggle is being done at the “wrong time” and that it was “not being done in the right manner.”

Larson said “colonialism and neo-conservatism on the part of the Bush administration” were motivating the war.

Decrying the poor treatment of veterans when they return to the United States, particularly in regard to veterans benefits, Larson, who served three tours of duty in Vietnam, said Iraqi war veterans probably will be subjected to the same maltreatment when they return home.

But Army veteran Harry Rideout of Presque Isle predicted veterans from this war will be treated differently.

Waving a flag outside the Bangor Mall, Rideout said the weekly gatherings were to “show support for our troops.” He said the support will carry over “to when they get home.”

“It’s not like Vietnam,” he added. “Our troops will get better treatment” when they get home, “and we want them to know we support them right now.”

Also on Saturday, a “die-in” was staged on Cottage Street in Bar Harbor involving about 10 peace demonstrators.