Edition: U.S. / Global

Our Towns; A P.O.W. Brings War Close to Home

Published: April 2, 2003

IN the 10 days since he was taken prisoner in Iraq, Sgt. James Riley has become something of a symbol in this working-class town where he grew up -- a homegrown argument for or against the war, depending upon who is talking.

Joseph McCollum, a maintenance worker who lives next to the Rileys, said that when he heard the news, ''I said 'Maybe we should go over there and drop the bomb and suffer the consequences.' ''

''Since 9/11, I think we needed the war,'' Mr. McCollum said. ''This makes me feel like we really have to get them.''

Around the corner, Charlene Walls, a school aide, said the capture of Sergeant Riley, 31, perfectly illustrated why she opposed invading Iraq: ''It's just people losing people.''

''We've already lost too many people for something no one can tell you why we're in there,'' Ms. Walls said.

If people are being made to think twice by the war's unexpected difficulties, they seem to be coming down even more firmly where they were already standing.

Antiwar protests are growing in vigor, while polls show the country supports the war as much as ever. Everyone is rallying around the flag, or a banner.

When Sergeant Riley's maintenance company was ambushed outside Nasiriya, yellow ribbons blossomed amid the red, white and blue in this South Jersey town. Even the giant water tower that rises behind the houses has a yellow bow on it.

There's also a big yellow bow outside the local tavern, Bryson's Pub. Inside, Tom McVeigh, a landscaper, said that Sergeant Riley's capture only brought home the cost of the war in people and world opinion. ''We look like a bully,'' he said.

But few people in the neighborhood appear to question the war.

Ed Russell, who works in finance for I.B.M., trusts what the Bush administration says about Saddam Hussein. ''I don't think it's in the nature of the American people to go out and start a war,'' he said. ''They must have critical evidence that something bad was about to happen and they needed to stop this guy.''

Mr. Russell said he hardly knew the Rileys, but Pat Dimter, who grew up down the street from James Riley, sees her friend's capture as more justification to fight. The United States treated the Iraqis ''like they're our own people,'' she said. ''And it's not fair what they're doing to us with 9/11 and how they're treating our P.O.W.'s.''

GREG SASSONE, an eighth grader, was walking through the neighborhood park on Monday when he picked up a piece of yellow ribbon from the ground and tied it to a tree. One of Sergeant Riley's sisters was his baby sitter, and the ordeal has hit too close to home.

Greg's father is in the Air Force Reserves. ''If my dad gets called, he could get captured,'' he said. And his 20-year-old brother could get called if there were a draft, he said. ''My mom says she would move him to Canada.''

At school, students fear another terrorist attack, Greg said. That's why, despite Sergeant Riley's capture, he supports the war against Saddam. ''We have to get rid of him before it's too late,'' he said.

It's hard to find someone without an angle on Sergeant Riley's capture.

Monday night, at the close of a stirring vigil dedicated to Sergeant Riley, the Rev. Guenther Fritsch pulled out a Bible to show what the enemy ''is all about.'' He read a passage about Ishmael, from whom Arabs are said to be descended: ''He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone.''

The only people who seemed to find no larger significance in Sergeant Riley's capture were his parents.

Athol Riley, a building inspector, was calm and simple when he addressed the crowd. He said that in addition to his son's being captured, a daughter had died on Friday after a long illness. Mr. Riley thanked the township that employs him, the publishing company where his wife works, the store where his surviving daughter works, and the family that runs the McDonald's where his deceased daughter had worked. ''I would like to thank everyone for the show of support,'' he said.

Afterward, mobbed by television cameras and reporters, he was asked how he felt about the course of the war. Mr. Riley expressed no thoughts about Saddam Hussein or George Bush.

A stout man in a dark coat, Mr. Riley obliged the cameras only when he was asked if he had a message for his son. A sad smile on his face, Mr. Riley had no angle, only words from the heart: ''Hang in there, and hurry home.''