[Times photo: Ken Helle]
Tom Hiznay, left, and Gerald White listen as local dignitaries speak during the "Americans United" ceremony Monday at Courthouse Square in downtown Tampa. The ceremony honored those killed in last week's terrorist attacks and to demonstrate solidarity with the rest of the nation.

While Tampa Bay area residents tried to return to normal, it was clear Monday that life would be anything but ordinary again.

Many said they would give up some personal freedoms in exchange for increased security checks in public places such as airports.

They expressed overwhelming sadness over Tuesday's terrorist attacks and strong support for the president.

And, mirroring national opinion polls, they stood behind the idea of using military force to stamp out the terrorism responsible for attacks last week in New York and Washington, D.C.

"I think they should track down the people responsible and treat them likewise," said David Lumpkins, 73, a retired businessman who lives north of Inverness.

The sentiments of Lumpkins and many others in the Tampa Bay area echo two national polls taken over the weekend -- one a USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup poll and the other a Newsweek poll -- which showed overwhelming support for a military response.

In Largo, Darrel Polsley, 33, thinks the United States should do "whatever it takes" to ensure no further terrorist attacks happen here. Polsley said, however, he is unsure just who we should go to war with.

"If they find hard facts (that Osama bin Laden) is the one and Afghanistan is trying to hide him, I say we go after Afghanistan," said Polsley, whose home is decorated with red, white and blue lights and an American flag.

Retired Pinellas County Administrator Fred Marquis, who was on vacation in Jerusalem during the attacks, said he knows the best response is a reasoned one. Nevertheless, the events brought out the warhorse in a public official who had been known for his low-key demeanor.

"I think we need to go kick some ass big time," said Marquis, 62, a retired U.S. Army Reserve major general. "My gut feeling is to go for revenge, but I really know we need to go for justice."

His feelings on the situation are framed by the knowledge that the hijacked plane that slammed into the Pentagon took out the office Marquis had used for four years in his reserve capacity.

Raheem Jones, 23, a dishwasher at Applebee's in Inverness, said U.S. leaders shouldn't hesitate.

"I feel like America should be more revengeful," he said. "Who's to say they (terrorists) won't do it again?"

While most Americans support whatever action is necessary, not everyone is quite ready for what that could mean. "I don't know if I'm prepared for (war)," said Margaret Holzer, 23, of Tampa, a credit analyst with Colonial Bank. "It's really frightening for me because the only war I've ever seen is the Gulf War."

The thought of more stringent security measures at airports and other public places, something to which Americans might typically object, also was met with support.

"I think that's a necessity more than an option," said Wesley Johnson, 35, a long-distance truck driver from Brooksville. "We're a little bit too comfortable."

Said Ishmael Jackson, 43, a church custodian who lives in West Tampa: "We need it. If you can hijack four airplanes in a day, you need to double the security. That's tragic."

Across the country, nearly 80 percent of those polled over the weekend by NBC and the Wall Street Journal expressed confidence in President Bush's handling of the crisis.

Browsing outside a craft store, Marna Miles, 69, of Port Richey said she thought Bush was on the right track and that she was prepared for war.

"Unfortunately, we have to be," she said. "That's what made our country great: World War I, World War II. Let's hope we don't have World War III."

Sitting outside Gulf View Square Mall, Eugene Nieto, 75, of Port Richey said he is prepared for casualties in this new war, understanding like others his age what sacrifices have to be made.

"We had them (casualties) before," said Nieto, who served as a ground crewman in the 8th Air Force in World War II, the group famous for its daring bombing raids over Germany. "I know that seems a little harsh perhaps, but not to me."

Others supported the president's measured response.

"One thing about President Bush -- he's clear," said Annette Alvarez, 34, an accountant who lives in northeast Tampa. "I'm glad he didn't make a quick decision to do anything."

Others hope the president will use economic sanctions before moving forward with force.

In Dunedin, Tom Saunders tunes in to the news for regular updates on the terrorist investigation. The 48-year-old who lives on his boat at the Dunedin Marina said the U.S. government should find ways to cut off money being funneled to terrorist groups, then go after them.

"Deprive them of economic base, deprive them of cover and when they go running, get them," Saunders said.

Many have had difficulty absorbing the magnitude of the events and the uncountable ways in which they wrought tragedy, personal and public. Some donated blood. Others hung flags.

"I said personal prayers," said Leslie Banaszek, 42, a clerk at the Dade City Police Department. "I spent a lot of time watching the news. It still bothers me. It actually made me sick."

Despite being deeply saddened by the events, John Hopkins Middle School principal Ed Baldwin, 49, said he feels it is his duty to make life at the St. Petersburg school as normal as he can for its 1,520 students. They've had red, white and blue-themed activities, but mostly they are getting back to the business of education.

In a way, last week's tropical storm -- and the attending school and business closures -- provided a respite.

"Today it appears we are back to normal," Baldwin said Monday. "It was probably a blessing that we had no school on Friday. It gave kids a chance to be with their parents."

Darryl Morris, 37, of St. Petersburg was at an auto detailing shop on Central Avenue on Monday afternoon -- a chore scheduled for last week that became unimportant after the terrorist attacks.

Though the events were shocking, he said, there comes a time when you have to resume your life, no matter how it may change.

"You don't want to mourn forever," he said. "You just want to pick up the pieces and move forward and do something about it."

- Times staff writers Melia Bowie, Brady Dennis, Jennifer Farrell, Amy Herdy, Deborah O'Neil, Jim Ross and Matthew Waite, and researcher John Martin contributed to this report.

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