War Worries New Englanders

New Englanders, famous for their Yankee stoicism, learned on one another for support yesterday as they pieced together sketchy details of the Persian Gulf war.

At the harbor Light Mall in Weymouth, volunteers, many with relatives in the Gulf, have operated a packaging service for boxes sent to soldiers since November. Yesterday was their busiest yet.

Some came to cut, tape and pack Many just needed someone to talk to.

"People say `We're here to help.' But they are frightened and nervous, and some of them just need hugs," said Mary Treacy, a Weymouth volunteer. "People drop by to keep themselves busy. There's nerves and fear, and it helps in a group where people understand."

There was also a sprinkle of protests around the region, but the prevailing mood seemed to be one of anxiety.

"A kid came up out of the blue and said, `Do you think if we go to war that a lot of people will die?' I said, `yes, I think they will.' I didn't know what to say. I had to be truthful," said nancy Smith, a teacher's assistant who works with second- and third-graders at the Baxter School in Portland, Maine.

In North Stonington, Conn., Wheeler High School's 14-member crisis intervention team met at 6:30 a.m. yesterday to discuss helping worried students. Eight of the school's students have immediate family members in the Gulf.

"We are trying to keep things as normal as possible" in the midst of exam week, said Assistant Principal Natalie Pukas. "But we are available to students who feel they need to talk to someone."

Some sought solace in prayer. At St. Timothy's Church in Warwick, R.I., about 200 people, double the usual number, attended morning services.

At Massachusetts' largest military installation, Fort Devens in Ayer, many relatives of soldiers called on the base's family support center.

"A lot of people are looking for support groups, other people they can talk to," said Anne Wilson, a community service officer for the Army.

To help relatives understand what their loved ones might be experiencing, the center had set up a display dubbed "Saudi Central."

"It has artifacts, photos, maps, different demographic information, so people can get a feel for what it's like over there," Wilson said. "Just hearing the words Saudi Arabia doesn't mean anything. This makes it more real for them."

Among anti-war protests yesterday, police arrested 84 people who allegedly blocked access to the John F. Kennedy federal building in Boston.

Meanwhile, about 50 protesters blocked traffic temporarily on the Calvin Coolidge Bridge in Northampton, Mass., but no arrests were made And about a dozen anti-war protesters rallied outside the federal building in Providence, R.I. Some held signs calling for President Bush's impeachment.

Authorities continued to express concern about possible terrorist attacks within U.S. borders. The New England office of the Anti-Defamation League yesterday issued a statement asking Jewish and Arab-American groups to take greater security precautions, and police increased security at the State House and other state buildings in Massachusetts.

Framingham police and the FBI were investigating the fire bombing of an armed services recruiting office early yesterday. Police said three molotov cocktails were tossed into the building. Damage was not serious, and no one was injured.

Civil defense officials met in Framingham yesterday to brief state agencies about security and preparations at Logan International Airport. Logan is a staging area for war casualties. Injured flown there would be transferred to area hospitals.

In western Masschusetts, prisoners pitched in to help at the Holyoke Soldiers Home. Hampden County Sheriff's office spokesperson Richard McCarthy said about 15 inmates helped ready medical personnel quarters at the Soldiers Home in case the home is called on to receive casualties.

Despite satellite-age coverage of the war, news seemed to come at a snail's pace, increasing the worry.

"The lack of information is making people nervous," said Lt. Col. William R. Mark, a chaplain at Fort Devens. "People have to be brave and patient."

Dorothy Hostage, a Wellsley resident, was one of a few mothers of soldiers in the Gulf lucky enough to see that her son was OK.

Air Fore Lt. Col. Michael Hostage, 35, was interviewed in a Defense Department pool broadcast shown on American television. Hostage, an F-15 pilot, escorted bombers in making runs over Iraq.

"It was so wonderful to know he's back from this mission," she said. "We're still concerned. This is definitely not over. We realize there are still Iraqi planes out there that are going to come, and when they do he's the one who's going to have to get them."