Showing Support On Armed Forces Day

SPRING HILL - Ritchie "G" Golder was zigzagging in the roadway, sprinting to every parked car he could while the stoplight was still red.

He was giving away handheld American flags like they were lollipops Saturday morning.

Golder, along with 35 or so people, was standing at the corner of Cortez Boulevard and Mariner Boulevard in front of the Walgreens. For two hours, they waved flags and held signs commemorating Armed Forces Day.

"We want to support our country, our troops," said Golder, a military veteran.

The group was part of Saturday's Salute the Troops Rally. Residents were invited to stand at six intersections across the county.

The biggest crowd was at Mariner and Cortez. Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite, R-Brooksville, also was there.

"I'm a Vietnam vet and proud of it," said Golder, who was snatching flags by the handful and running into the road during every red light along the north side of Cortez. "To do this is a great honor."

Most of the people in the crowd were wearing red shirts. Many of them came from the Spring Hill Enrichment Center, where they are encouraged to wear red every Friday to show support for the troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The rally also brought out veterans and their families, as well as members of the local Hernando 10-13 Club, a group of retired New York City police officers.

"We're here to support the troops and nothing else," said 10-13 member Tom Zaccone. "We're here to support those who are over there fighting and dying for us."

The rally was scheduled from 10 a.m. to noon.

Motorists honked their horns as a show of support.

Nick Morana, a U.S. Army veteran, was with the group to show his support of the men and women fighting in Iraq, but offered a clue as to how he felt about the war itself.

"I'm in support of our troops," said U.S. Army veteran Nick Morana. "I always have been. I was one myself. I wish this thing over there would end. I think that's what a lot of us want."