We were about 40 strong and they were about 3,000 strong. However, the local TV stations gave us excellent coverage. All the local media gave our gallant and proud Patriots as much coverage as they gave the misguided "miscreants". Some of them even thanked us for coming out and said we could call them in the future when we rally! Special thanks to Tera with Fox news and Antoinne with WGN! The Chicago Police were extremely supportive and lots of them thanked us for coming out. They totally surrounded us and those on the horses were not facing us, they were lined up on Dearborn Street facing the demonstrators. I am so proud of what we accomplished and the one thing I had hoped for occurred. As this is my Son's hometown where these people chose to demonstrate, I wanted more than anything for my brave warrior over in Afghanistan to see his mother out there with her sign declaring pride in his service. Well, I am happy to report my Sign was all over the TV and my Son has seen my sign! He thanked all of us for coming out and supporting our Soldiers! He also had a colorful response to the young man carrying the sign F--- the war pigs, but I will leave to your imagination what that was.

Thank You to the Minutemen, Gathering of Eagles, Eagles Up and Each and Every Patriot who came out and stood with us on Saturday! Thanks to Move America Forward and Families United for your moral support! We may have been small, but we stood with mighty hearts in support of our troops and their mission! Size doesn't matter here, our message does! Everyone agreed we will contune to Step Up Stand Up and Stick Up For Our Soldiers!! Thank you with all my heart to all who came!

One last note, as we were leaving, driving in our car, we witnessed 4 young anti-war protestors throwing their signs away in the garbage can (the Poor Chicago Sanitation Dept!) They saw us watching them and they starting pulling their signs back out of the trash! We took our signs home because we are committed to our Soldiers and their mission and we intend to use them again and, Nobody bought our signs, we paid for them ourselves!

To those who say they support our Soldiers but not the war, I say your actions in demonstrating and holding signs that say F---the War Pigs, are aiding and abetting the enemy and hurting our Soldiers!

It is no coincidence that we have not been attacked since 9/11. Our Soldiers are doing a great job keeping the terrorists out of our backyard. Support them in their efforts as they support your way of life.

I leave you with this quote from General Giap of the Vietnam military and I urge all Americans to learn from history and take heed:

What we still don t understand is why you Americans stopped the bombing of Hanoi! You had us on the ropes. If you pressed us a little harder, just for another day or two, we were ready to surrender! It was the same at the battles of TET. You defeated us! We knew it, and we thought you knew it. But we were elated to notice your media were definitely helping us. They were causing more disruption in America than we could in the battlefields. We were ready to surrender. You had won!—

I am The Very Proud Mother of Sgt. John P. White HOOAH!!!!

Beverly Perlson Founder, The Band of Mothers