After American flags quietly whipped in the wind all morning Saturday, the silence was shattered in the afternoon -- and residents cheered as it happened.

Representatives from veterans' organizations, fire departments, law enforcement agencies, Lawrence County Amateur Radio Emergency Services/ Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Services (ARES/RACES) and various concerned citizens blared sirens or adorned their vehicles with red, white and blue regalia to show their support for those fighting in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

At the rally's starting point at the Lawrence County Fairgrounds in Rome Township, the line of those driving in the rally nearly stretched to the opposite end of the fairgrounds.

The rally first headed east on State Route 243, then south on State Route 7, taking it through Proctorville and Chesapeake. After traveling on County Road 1 in Burlington, it progressed on Fourth Street East in South Point, then Solida Road. The drivers then drove on U.S. 52 to Coal Grove, down Third Street in Ironton to Park Avenue, and then parted ways at the Lawrence County Courthouse.

Dean Cooper of VFW Post 6878 organized the event and was not surprised at its high turnout.

"People's hearts are where they belong," he said. "I'm tickled to death."

"This sends a real strong message to both the public and the troops," Stephen Saunders of the Disabled American Veterans Chapter 51 of Ironton. "They are not criminals. They are our sons and daughters."

Sheriff Tim Sexton led the rally with a deputy at the end of the line. When the rally would pass through another village, that village's police department was waiting, directing traffic or following the drivers. Sexton was also pleased by the turnout.

"This is proof that the people of Lawrence County support our military and our president," he said. "Saddam Hussein is a brutal dictator, and the Iraqi people deserve to be free."

As the rally progressed, county residents came out of their houses to wave, and drivers in opposite lanes honked their horns in support. Some people, already aware of the rally's time and route, were waiting for it, holding signs and American flags and cheering. The Burlington-Fayette Township Firehouse was along the route, and firefighters extended a ladder with an American flag hanging from it over the route.

Cooper, a veteran of the Korean War, said the difference between that war and the current war

is that Iraq is more mechanized. However, fighting in both Korea and Iraq has drawbacks.

"We fought in hills and mountains, and they're fighting in deserts," Cooper said. "They deal with sandstorms, and we had to deal with cold. It was 20 below sometimes. Every situation is different."

Proctorville resident Tammy Woodyard came in support of her 19-year-son son Robert, stationed in Germany with the U.S. Army.

"I'm proud of him. I've always been proud of him for what he's doing," Woodyard said. "I'm scared, but he's doing what he wants, and I'm standing behind him."