SOME VIEW STRIKE AS A SURPRISE

CAPE GIRARDEAU -- While some expressed surprise at the swift U.S. air strike against Iraq, people in Cape Girardeau Wednesday night said they supported U.S. troops' actions in the Persian Gulf.

Keith Stark, 24, of Cape Girardeau, said he was surprised that the U.S. air strike against Saddam Hussein's armed forced in Iraq came so close to the United Nations' Jan. 15 deadline for Iraq's withdrawal from Kuwait.

Stark, interviewed at Ragsdale's On The River, said he went to the tavern to watch the developments in the Persian Gulf on television.

"I thought they would hold out a little while before they launched an air strike," he said. "But from news reports, it sounds like we're doing a pretty good job."

Stark, like many people interviewed Wednesday night in Cape Girardeau, said he supports President George Bush's decision to launch a military offensive in the gulf.

"I supported our involvement there from the start," he said. "Nobody wants a war, but sometimes you have to fight. They say that freedom's not free."

Stark, a Kennett native, said he has several friends in the Kennett National Guard, who were sent to the gulf.

"I hope it gets over quickly and not too many people get killed," he said. "I think that's everyone's hope.

"It will either be a real short war or we'll be there for a long time. I think a lot will come out (today) after they assess the damage from the initial air strike."

Marvin Spann, 26, of Mississippi, and Edward Jackson, 29, of Miami, Fla., had stopped in Cape Girardeau Wednesday night, taking a break at Ragsdale's from their work on the Mississippi River. Both men serve in the U.S. Coast Guard.

"I was pretty much expecting it to go like it did," said Spann of the air attack. "It's more or less a relief that it happened now, rather than holding back and waiting, wondering when we would strike."

Spann, who served in the U.S. Army four years ago, said he has seven first cousins in the Middle East as part of Operation Desert Shield. A neighbor and several "best friends" also are serving in the gulf, he said.

"My old unit's over there, too, so I'm keeping an eye on it," Spann said. He said he thinks the soldiers serving in the gulf are well prepared to fight.

"When I was in the Army, that's what we were trained to do, and it's a relief for the soldiers to finally do what they're trained for. But it's still scary.

"Our forces are well trained and they're better trained than when I was in the Army four years ago," Spann added.

Jackson said Americans should be concerned about possible terrorist reprisals by Iraqi sympathizers here.

"I see a lot of that happening in the states," he said. "There's no way of telling how many of those people are already in the U.S."

But Spann said the initial air strike against Iraq could have left Hussein's army ill-equipped for retaliation.

"At daybreak, I think we'll know better what's happened," he said. "The initial air strike might have taken (Iraq) out."

Chris Macklin also was in Cape Girardeau on business Wednesday. A resident of Cincinnati, Ohio, she works for Procter and Gamble.

Macklin said Wednesday's events left her with a "horrible, sinking feeling inside.

"When I heard today that it had started, my heart just sank," she said. "It was a horrible feeling.

"I'm not surprised it happened today, I just wish that it hadn't," she said. "I'm just really afraid it's going to get out of hand, but I do support the president."

Macklin said her son is in the U.S. Army, stationed in Alaska. She said if the war in the Persian Gulf escalates, her son likely would be sent to join forces in the Middle East. She also has three nephews in the armed forces, including one who already is in Saudi Arabia.

"If it escalates, everyone who's trained in defense will be needed in the gulf," Macklin said. "I'm concerned not only for my family, but everyone else who has family there.

"I haven't seen my son since March. If he has to go, I will not have seen him for a year and I may not see him ever again.

"But really I'm more concerned with the mothers who are over there. I don't think we're fully aware of what's going to come back."

Macklin said it's difficult to think about the war in the gulf without being affected deeply by its seriousness.

"I just feel it's very unfortunate," she said. "During the Vietnam War, I was much younger and didn't really know the politics involved. But with this war, you're older and much more aware of the seriousness of the situation."

Troylene Haywood, 33, of Cape Girardeau, works at Wal-Mart and part time at Spanky's Texaco on Broadway. She said everyone who came to the gasoline station Wednesday night expressed concern over the gulf crisis.

"Everyone's been coming in like crazy and buying gas, I guess expecting the price to go up," she said. "Everyone who's come in has asked: `Have you heard, have you heard.'

"I guess I was surprised, but then again I wasn't. You knew something was going to happen and it was just a matter of when."

Haywood said that as an employee of Wal-Mart she's heard a lot of public comments about the situation in the Middle East. She said the public overwhelmingly supports U.S. efforts there.

"Definitely, I think people support what we're doing there," Haywood said. "We all put yellow ribbons on our name tags (Wednesday) at work to show our support.

"There are a couple guys I work with who were sent over there and we (Wal-Mart employees) got together and plan to send them letters to tell them we're supporting them."