OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - With a son-in-law in Iraq and a son who served in Afghanistan, Kathy Johnston says she wants to make sure her five grandchildren know that it’s important to support U.S. troops, no matter how they feel about the war.

That’s why she, her daughter and daughter-in-law took them Saturday afternoon to the Oklahoma version of Operation America Rising, an event touted as a non-partisan way to express appreciation for the job that U.S. soldiers are doing.

“Her husband wants to be here (at home),” Johnston said, motioning toward her daughter-in-law, Melissa Morning of Fort Bragg, N.C. “But he knows what he is doing is right.

“There is a lot of good going on over there, and we hear about it firsthand, even if the media doesn’t report it,” she added.

Similar rallies - some numbering in the hundreds, others with a handful in attendance - took place in cities and towns across the United States, including Ford City, Pa.; Baton Rouge; Bristol, Conn.; and Denver.

The Oklahoma event, held at State Capitol Park, included three speakers and six bands. All the participants offered their services for free, said Ren Schuffman, the lead singer for Oklahoma City band StoneWater and one of the event’s organizers.

“It’s not anti-war. It’s not pro-war,” Schuffman said. “It has nothing to do with war.”

In Bristol, several hundred people milled under tents, ate picnic food and listened to bands on a school lawn.

“We’re here to support the troops; that’s the bottom line,” said Kevin Martin, Connecticut’s Operation America Rising coordinator.

At least 100 people gathered in Baton Rouge next to the plaza where the battleship museum USS Kidd is docked. Organizer Janet Broussard described it as “speeches, music; just a good-time kind of get-together visit with our veterans.”

The names of the 182 Pennsylvania service members who died fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan were read aloud to a silent crowd in Ford City. The Veterans of Foreign Wars honor guard then fired a 21-gun salute.

Speakers told the crowd that they can support the troops in tangible ways. Navy Warrant Officer Willie Grier, who served in Iraq, said troops look forward to getting packages containing everything from baby wipes and candy to paper and pens.

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