Edwards Campaign Press Release - Edwards' Call To Support The Troops, End The War Resonating Across The Country

Website Active For Only 48 Hours - and Already 100 Events Organized for Memorial Day Weekend

Chapel Hill, North Carolina – During his commencement speech this past weekend at New England College, Senator John Edwards launched a new effort, which is resonating across the country, to support the troops by taking action to end the war in Iraq. Edwards called on Americans to spend this Memorial Day weekend honoring our fallen troops and supporting our troops serving overseas by urging our government to support our troops in the most important way it can - by ending this war and bringing them home. Americans from across the country have visited his new website, www.supportthetroopsendthewar.com, and have already organized 100 events in 20 states to support the troops, including a woman who is organizing a prayer vigil for her husband and the other troops serving in Iraq and a mother of an Iraq War veteran, who is contacting her local representatives.

Edwards started the website to give Americans ideas about ways they can take action to support our troops and end the war. It lists 10 activities that Americans can do this Memorial Day weekend, such as helping injured veterans, making care packages for the troops, and holding prayer vigils. The website also allows people to come up with their own activities to support the troops.

In his commencement address, Edwards discussed reclaiming what patriotism means—that the best way to support our troops is not doing whatever President Bush says to prolong the war, but rather ending the war and bringing our troops home to a hero's welcome. Edwards believes every American who thinks this war is wrong should speak out this Memorial Day to honor our troops and urge an end to the war.

From North Carolina to Michigan to Maine, Americans are taking action to honor the troops and end the war. Groups are writing letters to President Bush and Congress in Ohio, Washington, California and numerous other states. In Cleburne, Texas, one family is baking homemade goods and sending them to the troops and one group in Arlington, Virginia is holding a candlelight vigil, which includes a moment of silence for the fallen.