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Sunday, February 25th, 2007
Historic 22 City Caravan to Support Troops
NEWS RELEASE CONTACT: Robert Dixon
of Operation Iraqi Freedom
With the 4-year anniversary of the commencement of Operation Iraqi Freedom this March, anti-war advocates had been hoping to use the occasion to rally their supporters to the streets. Instead, it will be pro-troop supporters who plan to put on a massive display – creating a historic caravan of vehicles that will cross the entire country from San Francisco, California all the way to Washington, D.C.
 The caravan is called: “These Colors Don’t Run” and is being organized by the nation’s largest grassroots pro-troop organization, Move America Forward (www.MoveAmericaForward.org). The patriotic and pro-troop caravan will stop at 22 cities across the country, conducting pro-troop rallies at each stop. At the rallies, Move America Forward will collect American flags from attendees – the flags will be brought to the final rally location on Capitol Mall in Washington, D.C. where they will be erected into a powerful and patriotic “Flag City” display. The Washington, D.C. event is being held in support of the “Gathering of Eagles” rally on March 17th being organized by veterans. At the conclusion of the rally each flag will be sent to a U.S. Service member stationed in either Iraq or Afghanistan along with a placard showing who donated the flag, and how it flew in a patriotic show of support for our troops and their missions in the war on terrorism. The public is invited to join the caravan with their own vehicles, decorating them with red, white and blue patriotic flair. “We’ve had enough of the negativity and backstabbing of our troops. They need our support, and more importantly they deserve our unqualified backing,” said Melanie Morgan, Chairman of Move America Forward. “This historic caravan will cascade across this nation with a wave of patriotism, driven by a positive message celebration our nation’s foundations of freedom and liberty that our troops help to preserve,” said Morgan. “How can we hope to win a war when some in this country are actively working to defeat the mission?” Morgan asked.
 Cities where the caravan will make pro-troop rally stops (and where new supporters can join the caravan or just bring an American Flag for our troops) include: San Francisco, CA; Lafayette, CA; Vacaville, CA; Sacramento, CA; Stockton, CA; Fresno, CA; Bakersfield, CA; Los Angeles, CA; Palm Springs, CA; Phoenix, AZ; Tucson, AZ; El Paso, TX; Midland/Odessa, TX; Dallas, TX; Little Rock, AR; Memphis, TN; Atlanta, GA; Columbia SC; Charlotte, NC; Raleigh, NC; Richmond, VA; Washington, DC. The caravan will include spokespersons whose lives have been deeply touched by the war: Gold Star Mother Debra Argel Bastian lost her son, Derek in Operation Iraqi Freedom; Gold Star Father Joseph Williams lost his son Michael in Operation Iraqi Freedom; Marine Mom Deborah Johns, whose son, William, is currently serving his third tour of duty in Iraq; and Operation Iraqi Freedom & Operation Enduring Freedom veteran, Marine Reservist John Ubaldi. Other military families, Gold Star Families and veterans will help the caravan at rally stops along the way. A small sampling of those involved in the effort are: Gold Star Father Mark Crowley in the San Francisco Bay Area, Gold Star Father John Holley in Southern California, Gold Star Mother in Tucson, AZ, Gold Star Parents David & Deborah Tainsh in central Georgia, Gold Star Parents Joe & Jan Johnson in Northern Georgia; Gold Star Mother Merrilee Carlson of Minnesota (traveling to join the caravan); and Operation Iraqi Freedom & Operation Enduring Freedom veteran, Eric Egland in Washington, D.C.
A copy of the caravan’s route and itinerary can be found online at the Move America Forward website: http://www.MoveAmericaForward.org
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