Recruiters See Civilians Eager to Serve the Troops

In the past week, the Army recruiting station here, the busiest of seven in the San Gabriel Valley, has been the recipient of an outpouring of patriotic fervor.

Middle-aged men have come in to try to sign up. Service groups, such as a local Moose Lodge and a Kiwanis Club, have brought in shaving cream and games to donate to troops abroad.

Ordinary people have called in to get the name of someone--”anyone,” says Sgt. Larry Smith, head of the station--to whom they can write letters of support.

A Whittier truck driver came in on his lunch break Tuesday with what he insisted was a sure-fire way to stop the Iraqi Scud missiles. It involved computers and a topographical map of Iraq. “It’s been bugging me for a couple of days now,” he said. “Maybe you could get in touch with Gen. Powell?”

The recruiters suggested the man write a letter.