Local veterans expressed a wide range of feelings Wednesday about the war against Iraq.

"You may not like what's going on, but you still have to back your country on it," Jack Sanford of Sharon said Wednesday afternoon from his bar stool at American Legion Post 229 in Sharon.

Also there was Jim Becker, 56, of Hermitage, past commander of Sharon American Legion and Vietnam veteran. He said he supports President Bush in whatever decisions he makes because he's the commander-in-chief and should be supported.

Becker said he didn't think Saddam Hussein would leave Iraq as Bush ordered him to do. "He's an egomaniac. He's not going to leave," Becker said.

Becker said he expects this war to be quite different from Vietnam, predicting a "fast and concise victory."

After spending nearly five years in the military and a little more than a year in Vietnam, Becker said he feels today's troops have more support behind them than the Vietnam soldiers did. "A lot of Vietnam war guys were upset. No one really welcomed us home," he said.

But no matter what, the American soldiers in Iraq should have the country's support, he said. "It's a very scary thing when you're in war sitting in a bunker with bombs going off. I don't want to see our soldiers get hurt."

At the New Murray Bell Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 7597 in Farrell, George Thomas, 42, of Sharon, seemed mainly concerned about U.S. soldiers. The former Army sergeant said his old unit was shipped out Monday to Fort Dix, N.J. Thomas spent nine months in Iraq during Desert Storm and Desert Shield and said he feels for the soldiers in Iraq.

"I think (the war) will be a lot worse than last time. If Saddam didn't use gas last time, he will this time," Thomas said.

Thomas said he's witnessed the turmoil of war, having helped to pull fallen comrades' bodies from wreckage in Iraq.

"It was scary. I was pretty scared there," he said.

At Shenango Valley VFW Post 1338 in Sharon, veterans sat around watching the news on television and playing cards. Among them were Thomas Thompson of Sharon, a Vietnam Army veteran, and Bill Sabo of Hubbard, a World War II Air Force veteran. Thompson said if it were up to him, he would bring all of the troops home and cut off all foreign aid. "I feel sorry for those guys," he said of American soldiers.

Sabo agreed, adding that he thinks Bush is using his powers too freely.

"He's a little bit too free with the people's lives. He could have resolved this a different way. I'm very much against what he's doing."