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Friday, March 23, 2007
Defending the Wall on 03-17-07
The man with the yellow on his back is screaming at the vets, while waving his large banner.
Well, it's over now, the assembly areas for the Gathering of Eagles is an empty hillside of churned mud, the antiwar protest field is less muddy but just as empty. It was a long day, but a good one.
It started for me Friday night, when I went to visit one of the principal motels for the GOE movement, a Holiday Inn in Ballston, just outside DC. A friend and I walked in the door and were struck immediately with the sight of a couple dozen men in various kinds of clothing and insignia that marked them as
The first major meeting was a discussion held by a vet who is also a retired cop, with crowd control experience, and who had been in liaison with the Park Police. He explained how carefully they were preparing to keep things safe, that they were our best friends, and that we needed to cooperate with them to the max. And that above all, we were not to let ourselves be goaded into any sort of violence, even if seriously provoked, since that was exactly what the radicals would like. People were to be designated as marshals, with special identifying shirts, and it would be their job to buffer the rest of us from attacks, and to demonstrate the discipline we have as lawful counterdemonstrators. He reminded everyone that there would be both very sincere and nonviolent demonstrators whom we should not confront, and even regular tourists to whom we should be as courteous and helpful as possible.
The message came through loud and clear, and was accepted fairly well by everyone. (Even those angrier among us who would have welcomed a chance to let an abusive radical find out firsthand what the consequences can be of provoking those who have served the country they love.) It was said again and again by people that after all, we fought for their right to free speech and political expression, whether we like what they say or not. After all, it is who we are.
The next morning we got on the DC Metro at one of the outlying stations, on the first train of the day, and no sooner did we enter the car than we saw half the people on it were veterans. The sharing in conversation was great, and we were all building enthusiasm for the day to come.
When we got off the Metro, we were several blocks from the Memorial, and as we exited the station, there was another group of vets assembling on the corner. We started together down to the assembly point, and on the way, joined with three other groups of vets and supporters. This was before
At the assembly point they were already building a large
By then the police presence was obvious, numerous officers standing around, motorcycles and police cars parked nearby, and booths had been set up at one end of The Wall for metal detectors, and one-way traffic past The Wall was required so everyone had to get checked before getting near it. There were also officers at a couple of places along the walk, and many vets making their way along as well, so I felt reassured that the chances of any vandalism had become vanishingly small.
My partner and I then made our first pass through moonbat territory, but hardly anyone was there. They were setting up enormous 12 foot speakers , and various displays of different protest groups, but clearly the main mass of their people had not begun to arrive. We did note large stockpiles of very nicely preprinted signs, condemning the war and call for impeachment of the President, ready to be handed out. Clearly these people are well funded and very well organized.
We roamed some more, to the
In the following hours the crowds grew, and eventually the main line between the protestors and the vets was drawn, right at a point on one side of the Lincoln Memorial, where a street divides the memorial area from the field where the antiwar people had set up the HQ (loudspeakers and all). Vets lined up on the memorial side, displaying many American flags, POW/MIA flags, and some banners as well. On the other side were many of the printed antiwar signs, but also a mixture of many others, some homemade, some also nicely printed, like the several I saw of Che Guevara, There was a PLO flag, a few "Truth for 9/11" signs (you know, the CIA/Mossad/Martians flew the planes into the towers), a poster calling for Christians to be Christian and renounce war, and some really nice vintage signs, like that oldie-but-goodie "Make Love, Not War".
The yelling across the street (police were on the median telling people to on their own sides, the vet side had marshals in orange shirts as well) got loud and nasty, and some of the protestors would come across the street to provoke the vets. I watched and photographed one guy deliberately carry his large homemade protest sign in a walk across the entire length of the vet side, inches away from them, taunting them, clearly looking to have someone throw a punch or grab his sign, but the marshals were telling everyone to stay cool, and the protestor finally reached the end of the line and had to cross back over to his side. Several more protestors moved over towards the vet side, yelling and screaming, only a few vets moved into the street to yell back, and finally the police pushed the protestors back to their side and told them to stay there. I never saw any of the vets give any trouble at all to the police, and it became clear later that this was noticed.
Eventually the police called in reinforcements, eleven mounted officers formed a line at the end of the corridor between the two groups, and riot police put barriers all the way down the whole front of the antiwar side. But the barriers were shorter on the vet side, and every officer on the ground between the two curbs was facing the antiwar side, It was not hard to see who they thought were the real troublemakers.
The chants of USA-USA-USA at times could be heard from the vets, but much of the time the giant speakers on the other side drowned out everything. I was occasionally walking through that side (had a pullover windbreaker on over my jacket so they didn't see my VN ribbon or USMC emblem), and it actually hurt my ears to walk past those speakers. People wanted to give me the Socialist newspaper ($1 donation), and other antigovernment publications, but I stayed busy taking pictures of the lifesize red doll of a devil with Bush's head on the shoulders, and the assorted radical cause banners displayed in several places. There were Quakers there, Moslem activists, old VVAW guys, a motley collection of people and causes only united by their being in opposition to our government. Some of them reasonably sincere and courteous, but many harshly aggressive.
Meanwhile, there was more sense of having gone through a time machine back to 1970, as the loudspeakers played the old songs, like "War- - What Is It Good For", and people actually had "Hell No, I Won't Go" buttons on. Original issue buttons, not reproductions, on people who must have dusted them off from their souvenir drawer to wear them again.
At one point a VVAW guy came up to me and wanted to talk, he recognized me as a vet and wanted to see where I was coming from. We had barely started to speak when a TV crew came over to drag him off for an interview. When he came back I asked him how they came to him rather than anyone else, and he mentioned they had interviewed him at other protests and knew him. He also said they were foreign press, so I asked from where.
Hmm, I decided to try something, so I ran after them found them and said to the lady interviewer "Sind Sie Deutsch?" She, surprised, said yes. So I said "Moechten Sie mit einander altem Soldat sprechen?" (Would you like to speak with another old soldier?) I figured, how could she say no, how often would she ever get a chance to interview an American vet who would speak German to her? They'd love that in
But she said that they 'd just talked to one of us, and I said, yeah, but I am from a different point of view. She then quickly said "Oh, we have all the interviews we need, I must hurry now", and she turned and walked away fast.
I say again- what media bias? In my trips through protest areas, I saw at least 6-8 interviewers with TV cameras talking to people. I was told only two made it to the GOE area, Fox being one of them. Perhaps there's some meaning there.
The late morning went on, the crowds got thicker, the GOE hillside filled up and the many feet turned the soft ground into a monster mud pit in places. There were some good presentations, good music, and that feeling of unity and warmth that made up for the cold breeze. (Well, almost!)
Guard groups of vets formed at the two entrances to the GOE site, and no one with an antiwar banner was allowed in. There were minor scuffles when some protest types tried to push in, usually their signs were trashed and they found themselves facing a solid wall of bodies that would not let them pass. And they went away, yelling nasty things. I saw one young woman slide past the first rank of guards, then start screaming at everyone, get barred from further travel inward by a line of men, and when she kept up her yelling, the police came in, she abused them, and wound up on the ground outside the gate. (A lot of smiling and chuckling at that point.) But no vet touched her.
When parade time approached, a procession of protestors came by the GOE area, between ranks of vets on either side, and it was again flashback time, Yes, I kid you not, they sang "Give Peace A Chance". A bunch of them were the Code Pink ladies, in seriously ridiculous pink outfits, and old enough that I realized they were probably singing that song because they'd sung it before, back about 1970 or so, and were reliving the glory days of the old protests.
In the end, their parade went off towards the Pentagon, and most vets relaxed and the day wore down, and by
My best guess was that there were roughly equal numbers on both sides, maybe 4-5000 each. No one came near a monument with a spray can, no vet was ever rebuked by the police, and the antiwar people were clearly taken back to find themselves for once not in command of the situation, not able to dominate the whole event, and with a strong and unyielding presence of people who disagree with them while not trying to prevent them from exercising their rights. This was not a win for them, though they will certainly try to claim it as one.
This was a win for all of us who honor the Memorial, who don't' agree that antiwar extremism should prevail, who do believe in giving as much support as possible to our people in harm's way on our behalf. I am enormously grateful to all those who worked hard to set this up, and get it organized and coordinated. I am so damn happy and proud to have stood again in the ranks of those who love and defend this country that it's hard to express it properly. It was a great, great day.
To all those who participated in any way, I can only say I was honored to be there with you, thanks a thousand times, and Welcome Home., Brother. Now and always.
Del
Labels: 03-17-07, defending the wall, Del, GOE, Gulf War, Legion Riders, Media Bias, Nam Knights, Park Police, Patriot Guard, Rolling Thunder, US War Vets, Vets
An Eagles View of 17 March 07
An Open Letter to the Canada Free Press
I am Rev Ernie (Smiling Hawk) Tucker, I am a Vietnam veteran and served over twenty-three years as an Airborne Infantryman in the United States Army. I am the Chaplain of the Aaron A. Weaver Chapter 776 of the Military Order of the Purple Heart. With your permission, I would like to give you this old soldiers view of the event known as "A Gathering of Eagles."
On Saturday, March 17, 2007, I was blessed with the opportunity to attend the Gathering of Eagles in Washington, DC. This event provided more healing for the mental pain, frustration, and anger then all the counseling I have gone through for many years.
As I stood there on the stage and looked out at a sea of American flags waving proudly in the cold brisk March winds a long absent sense of pride returned to my spirit. I went down off the stage to find my boots once again in the mud as walked among strangers without fear or trepidation for the first time in almost forty years. Because even though I did not know any of the men and women gathered there, I knew them intimately. They were my Combat Brothers and Sisters. These were the men with whom I had shared the life and death struggle known as "Combat." Many of the women there had been the Nurses that tended my wounds and calmed my fears as I lay in the hospital wondering if I would ever walk again, much less return to my unit and the brave young men I had come to love as my brothers.
Not everyone at the gathering was a Vietnam veteran, although we made up the majority of those there. We had come to stand silent guard over "our memorial." However, there were W.W.II veterans as well as Korean War veterans in attendance also. For me the high light of the day was when a W.W.II veteran got on stage, looked us Vietnam veterans in the eye and said, "Your fathers and grandfathers thank you for your service and sacrifice." Here was a member of "The Greatest Generation the World had ever known" saying "THANK YOU." Thank you to a group of men and women, who for almost forty years, had been neglected, spat upon, and vilified by not only our government, but our countrymen as well. I could not hold the tears back. As I looked around I saw I was not the only Vietnam veteran that his words had touched deeply. There were tears in many of the combat hardened eyes there that day. Those two little words had strengthened our resolve to not only guard our memorial, but theirs as well. We did just that, we stood in silence, a human shield around the three memorials erected to honor the service and sacrifice of Americans of three generations.
The protest organizers and the media "Claim" that their numbers were small because of the winter storm that swept through the North east the evening before the rally. I find it very ironic that this same storm did NOT prevent Eagles from Canada, Maine, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania from arriving in DC. I think it is more likely that these no show protesters knew that for the first time they would be facing more then an out numbered police force, and the welcoming arms of the main stream media. They would instead be facing the cold steal eyes of combat hardened veterans and "TRUE PATRIOTIC" Americans. And that is something they did not want to do.
The main stream media, the communist and jihadist backed protesters, and even the leadership (and believe when I say, I'm using the word "Leadership" loosely) think they can ignore the "Gathering of Eagles" consider this. There are SEVENTY-MILLION veterans in the United States of America. Our current President was elected with sixty-million votes. We represent TEN MILLION more people than elected the President. God help the media, the protesters and this nations "leadership" if we ever get on the same sheet of music.
Yes, our numbers were small on March 17th, and even though the media totally ignored the FACT that we out numbered the anitwar/anti America crowd however, this gathering was just the beginning. A ripple that will grow into a tsunami that will sweet the country clean of the left wing America haters, and a media that supports them. It will also clean out that domed building at the other end of the mall of those who vote for "non binding resolutions." Resolutions that do IN FACT give aid and comfort to the enemies of this great nation.
In short, the "SILENT MAJORITY" will be silent NO MORE.
Just one old soldier's view of the Gathering of Eagles.
Rev Ernie (Smiling Hawk) Tucker
Chaplain Aaron A Weaver Chapter 776 MOPH
Scout/Sniper 198th Light Infantry Bdge
Vietnam 68-69
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It looks to me as if we Viet Nam Vets are finally coming home and rejoining the US population. I aplaud "Gathering of Eagles" and their efforts to mobilize long silent vets. As noted in the above article, with 70,000,000 of us, we could literally elect "our" slate of candidates in almost any election. There are enough of us to form our own political party and most of us are fairly conservative politically. The fire kindled to life on 17 March 2007 must not be allowed to die and grow cold.
I call upon all Vets from any period to stand up, and have your voice heard by the politicians by becoming active in US politics and VOTING in all elections.
~G
Labels: Airborne, Chaplain, Gathering of Eagles, GOE, Infantry, MOPH, Purple Heart, Rev. Ernie Tucker, Smiling Hawk, Veterans Administration, Vietnam
Monday, March 12, 2007
Gathering of Eagles - Will you be there on March 17?
The following is posted at the request of:
ViperAsh50, Webmaster, Vietnam Veterans & Proud Site Ring.
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There are two petitions now up online.
One for people to sign only if they WILL be at the Gathering of Eagles on March 17th:
http://www.PetitionOnline.com/GOE31707/petition.html
The second petition is for those who will be with us in spirit:
http://www.PetitionOnline.com/GOE317/petition.html
This will be very helpful in giving us some idea of how many Eagles will be in attendance on the 17th and how many will be
supporting us from home.
If you plan to be there, sign in. Those who just can't attend but stand with us in spirit are asked to sign the second petition.
Anyone who is not participating in the Gathering Of Eagles please ignore this email.
ViperAsh50
http://www.PetitionOnline.com/GOE31707/petition.html
The second petition is for those who will be with us in spirit:
http://www.PetitionOnline.com/GOE317/petition.html
This will be very helpful in giving us some idea of how many Eagles will be in attendance on the 17th and how many will be
supporting us from home.
If you plan to be there, sign in. Those who just can't attend but stand with us in spirit are asked to sign the second petition.
Anyone who is not participating in the Gathering Of Eagles please ignore this email.
ViperAsh50
Labels: Gathering of Eagles, GOE, March 17 gathering
NPS Demonstration Permit for GOE - UNACCEPTABLE
The National Park Service in Washington, DC has authorized demonstrations areas that are unacceptable for the purpose of the GOE counter demonstration on March 17. Here is a map of the area:
It is fairly obvious to most casual observer that the areas do not provide GOE with a good position from which to defend the wall and nearby statues from being defaced by the A.N.S.W.E.R. protestors from the West. However, Harry Riley, COL, USA, Ret., Gathering of Eagles Co-Coordinator reports that "BOTTOM LINE: AS UNACCEPTABLE AS THE PERMIT GRANTED IS, WE WILL BE ABLE TO PROTECT THE VIETNAM MEMORIAL WALL"
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This is a case of another government bureaucrat that should be fired. If they cannot distinguish between those that would desecrate our government buildings and monuments, and those that would defend against the desecration of them, they should be fired for being stupid. The GOE counter demonstrators should be given positions between the A.N.S.W.E.R. demonstrators and the VN memorial and nearby statues. The closer that we get to March the 17th, the more I am concerned about bloodshed.
~G
It is fairly obvious to most casual observer that the areas do not provide GOE with a good position from which to defend the wall and nearby statues from being defaced by the A.N.S.W.E.R. protestors from the West. However, Harry Riley, COL, USA, Ret., Gathering of Eagles Co-Coordinator reports that "BOTTOM LINE: AS UNACCEPTABLE AS THE PERMIT GRANTED IS, WE WILL BE ABLE TO PROTECT THE VIETNAM MEMORIAL WALL"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is a case of another government bureaucrat that should be fired. If they cannot distinguish between those that would desecrate our government buildings and monuments, and those that would defend against the desecration of them, they should be fired for being stupid. The GOE counter demonstrators should be given positions between the A.N.S.W.E.R. demonstrators and the VN memorial and nearby statues. The closer that we get to March the 17th, the more I am concerned about bloodshed.
~G
Labels: Gathering of Eagles, GOE, Harry Riley, March 17 gathering, the wall, Viet Nam Memorial
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