The New York State Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), which represents more than 20,000 law enforcement officers throughout the Empire State, recently joined the National Board of the FOP in expressing their unanimous support for President George W. Bush and the US-led effort to liberate Iraq.

This unprecedented display of support by every FOP state chapter president and national trustee was memorialized on March 22 when I, along with the NY State chapter's national trustee Charles Caputo, traveled from our headquarters in Hicksville to a national meeting in Savannah, GA. While there, we voted to fully and unequivocally support President Bush.

It's no coincidence that the leaders representing all 305,000 FOP members expressed their unanimous support for the president on the same day as a handful of clueless demonstrators decided to turn an alleged march for peace in Manhattan into a lawless riot.

As someone who proudly served this country during the Vietnam War, I know all too well the tremendous sacrifices being made by our troops in Iraq. Freedom does not come without a price. It's very troubling for me to see anti-war and anti-American sentiment being displayed within our country when our young men and women are fighting overseas to uphold our freedom and help put an end to terrorism. The FOP wanted to let President Bush know that the vast majority of law-abiding Americans support him and our troops. This vote by the FOP is one way we can send him that message.

In the letter to the president advising him of the FOP vote, the National Board said: "We commend your strong resolve in the effort to protect and defend our nation. You exhausted every diplomatic avenue to achieve peacefully the disarmament of this rogue nation, but when the Iraqi tyrant left you no choice, you did not hesitate to swiftly defend the security of the United States. The FOP has every confidence that, under your leadership, the US and allied forces will be victorious...The FOP is calling on all US citizens to unite behind you, both in the war to liberate Iraq and the larger war against terrorism here and abroad."

As a New Yorker, I was proud to participate in the vote of confidence for our president and our troops. After the horrific attacks of September 11, which took the lives of so many from our area, we needed a leader who would have the guts and determination to go to war against terrorism and all those who give aid and shelter to terrorists. President Bush clearly has that determination, as shown by his actions in Iraq. This will deprive our terrorist enemies of one of their most powerful allies, and remove one of the world's most ruthless leaders. And in the end, we can only hope and pray that the sacrifices that are being made will make the world a safer place.

Frank Ferreyra

State President, FOP