Turning their backs on John Kerry are Bob Gibson of Lexington (right) and Jere Hill of Massachusetts. "In 1971," says Hill, "after (Kerry) came back from Vietnam, he turned his back on us." The Enquirer/MICHAEL E. KEATING

John Kerry brought out the protesters en masse.

They displayed homemade signs and took impromptu stances Wednesday inside and outside the Sabin Cincinnati Convention Center in greater numbers than their organized counterparts.

Hours before the Democratic presidential candidate took the stage to address the Veterans of Foreign Wars' 105th Convention, Janet Campbell sat in a parking lot and finished her homemade poster.

"Kerry's war against America" read her message.

The Florence woman thinks the Massachusetts senator's stance on abortion is waging war "on the unborn children in America."

Describing herself as "just a mom with five adopted children," Campbell held her sign across the street from the convention center.

"I've only done this once before, when Gore was running."

Mike Jones marched nearby. The Crittenden, Ky., trucker took a vacation day for his first protest. Jones made his sign in his kitchen.

"Kerry has no " the sign read. Representing the posterboard work's last word: a plastic scrotum.

"Bought that from a truck driver friend of mine," Jones said.

"Cost me $10."

Berta Lambert, an Over-the-Rhine activist, planted himself on a street corner. His signs covered his back and chest.

They were self-stenciled. "Did them in the hallway outside my apartment," Lambert said.

The signs held one word:

"Iraq-nam."

Lambert wants that word to be "in the public's consciousness.''

"Iraq-nam helps people equate what went on in Vietnam, the way things fell apart, with the way things are falling apart in Iraq."

During Kerry's speech, two of the estimated 10,000 VFW members in attendance stood up, turned their backs and stood at attention.

"I turned my back on him because, in 1971, when he addressed Congress with his long hair after he came back from Vietnam, he turned his back on us who were still there," said Jere Hill of Wareham, Mass. He was the first of the two VFW members to stand.

Minutes later, Bob Gibson of Lexington crossed the aisle and joined Hill.

The protesters had never met. Gibson followed suit "to be next to my brother."

Hill said his stand was premeditated.

"I knew if Kerry came here, I'd turn my back on him."

As he took his 34-minute stand, Hill thought of his wife back home in Massachusetts. Then he saw photographers taking his picture.

"If that makes it on TV and my wife sees me," he said, "I'm a dead man."

Cliff Radel