George Gillespie knows what it’s like to start each day wondering if someone in a military uniform will show up at his door with bad news about his son. And he wants to help others with the same fears cope as their loved ones fight in Iraq.

Gillespie, whose son has been deployed in Afghanistan, Guantanamo Bay and now Iraq over the last two years, is starting a support group for families who have a son, daughter, husband or wife in harm’s way in Iraq.

&uot;When I went to the rally Sunday, I met a lot of people who are wanting this,&uot; Gillespie said.

He said many of them aren’t sure what their family member’s job is in Iraq, or they have questions about the military. Gillespie, a Vietnam veteran himself, hopes he can help, along with local veterans’ organizations.

&uot;We can help people understand exactly how the military works,&uot; he said.

The owner of the Web Room, a computer business at Northbridge Mall, Gillespie also said he can use the Internet to help people find information about their loved one. By entering their military address in a search, he can find out what they are doing. That’s how he found out that his son is with a headquarters unit, which goes through captured territories to search for things like evidence of chemical weapons.

Gillespie can also blow up and print digital photos at his business, and is offering to print 8-by-10 photos of local soldiers free of charge for their families. He has printed a photo of his son and placed it on a post in his front yard with a sign asking people to support the troops.

&uot;I do have an understanding of what it means to be involved in an unpopular war,&uot; he said. &uot;This is something I want to help in my own way to keep from happening.&uot;

The support group’s first meeting will be at 7 p.m. Monday at the Albert Lea Union Center. People can sign up at the Web Room or call Gillespie at 377-8591.