The Most Indispensable of Duties

On Sunday, October 13th, I proudly participated in the Million Vet March. I'd never been witness to such insurrection, and I returned with a great appreciation for Lafayette's "most sacred of the rights."  Subsequent news coverage has been limited and warped, and I want to commit a firsthand account to writing before it fades: 

The first thing that struck me on my walk to the World War II Memorial was the maintenance being done on the Washington Monument. It took a beating in the 2011 earthquake, but steps are well underway to ensure that future generations will be able to shut it down, too. The sky was overcast and my mind wandered back to long marches on Lackland. Those early steps were links in a chain to my present ones, I reasoned.

I had to use the facilities, but 1.) they were all locked, and 2.) I'm not an illegal immigrant, so I'm not worthy of basic sanitation. I made do, but what of the elderly and disabled Veterans? As petty and pernicious as ever, the administration turned away privately funded porta-potties. Can there be any doubt as to the contempt with which you are regarded?

A sizable crowd was already in place when I arrived at the Memorial. There were people of all ages and genders, and more than a few were assisted via wheelchair, cane, prosthetic and/or a steady arm. The barricades were in place at the entrance, but some had skirted around them and started touring the site. Within the hour, all obstacles had been forcibly removed and the Memorial opened.

I stood alongside men and women from Bastogne, Chosin, Khe Sahn, Medina Ridge, Tora Bora and Fallujah. Shortly thereafter, Sarah Palin, Senator Cruz (R - TX) and Senator Lee (R - UT) spoke briefly. The support was appreciated, but it's now become fodder for the American state-run media. This was not a GOP or Tea Party rally; per the organizer's own description and follow-ups, it was a non-political, non-sponsored event. Nevertheless, it was telling that nary a single separatist official who'd attended the illegal immigration rally deigned to show their support.

(I may not be a real reporter, but for transparency's sake, I am a Citizen, a registered Independent, and served honorably in the United States Air Force).

I noticed a curious trend among the professional photographers present. They were not taking pictures of the overall event, but appeared to be actively seeking participants on the fringe. The free spirits with colored hair, for instance, and characters in outlandish costumes. Their focus was not on the innumberable Everyman, but rather the occasional kook. What narrative did that serve?

In typical fashion, propagandists like CNN's Don Lemon have described the "shameful" event as racists toting Confederate flags (I saw ONE the entire day, and still have no idea why it was even there). Not Veterans, not Americans wounded in combat, not the nurses who mended their wounds half a world away - "these people" were miscreants en masse for having the temerity to oppose Barack Obama. Not for his myriad Constitutional usurpations, not for arming the Mexican cartels, not for Benghazi or the IRS(chutzstaffel) or for calling us terrorists, but because of his mendacity and contempt for the very best of us.

Similarly, the New York Daily News reported that protesters were trying to scale the White House fence. That is an outright fabrication, and truth is indeed treason in the empire of lies.

Bear in mind, this is the same negligent news apparatus that did not do its duty on NAFTA, GATT, The Patriot Act, NDAA, the Federal Reserve, etc. Why would this be any different?

The much-maligned "Truckers Ride For The Constitution" then arrived to show their support. One driver wept as she held her air horn open. Another stopped his truck, exited and shared an embrace with a Vietnam Veteran. Cars were interspersed throughout, some filled with families whose children waved flags and raised their thumbs in encouragement:

DC Metro Police then blocked off 17th St. SW, preventing all other trucks from entering the area. In doing so, they also blocked the incoming Honor Flight buses. The Veterans did finally make it to their Memorial, despite having to be walked/wheeled five hundred feet to do so.

A sizable group then proceeded to the Lincoln Memorial. By the time I arrived, all the barricades had been removed and the site opened. A helicopter circled overhead, two persons in uniform sitting with their legs out the side. Marine 1 then took off from the west, flying over the reflecting pool. What happened then? No one defecated on a car and no rape tents were erected. We policed ourselves and the area like free men and women, and we sang: 

The barricades were then heaved atop shoulders and the march to the White House started in earnest. To reiterate, there were no politicians or talking heads leading the way (or even present at this time, from my vantage point). This was an organic, peaceful and principled endeavor borne by We The People.

The camaraderie throughout the day was amazing, but it shone especially bright during this phase. Total strangers stepped in to relieve the tired men and women, while pedestrians and motorists honked and cheered all along the way.

I'll admit it, this was the first time all day that I felt fear. As if on cue, two DC Metro trucks pulled up on either side of me and the Brother carrying the barricade. The officer was even-tempered and non-aggressive, saying, "Hey, fellas - stop for a sec and let's talk." We declined respectfully and continued on. He must have grabbed the barricade, because it became incredibly hard to pull (I did not turn to look). We plowed onward, around the rear of the front truck, undeterred for the rest of the march.

Upon arriving at the White House, the barricades were stacked nearly to the top of the fence.

(Bottom photo by Ben Swann and Sonya Sandage)

Snipers and spotters emerged on the roof of the White House. Men in black fatigues with dogs and automatic rifles stood poised to the right of the facility, a car idling with its back door open. Pennsylvania Avenue was blocked off on either side, and DC Metro arrived with a riot squad, an armored vehicle and mounted officers. Some of them were belligerent, the majority were restrained.

I'd never gotten involved in things like this before. On the ride home, however, it struck me that there really was nothing like this, at least not in my lifetime. It seems people of good conscience and character aren't going to sit on their hands anymore, and that's always a good thing. So, while the corrupt media distorts and forces its narrative onto the event, please know that it was not what some are making it out to be. I was there, I was right in the thick of it, I saw it with my own eyes. It was a cadre of brothers and sisters in arms honoring their oaths.

You can discern something's value by what it brings forth. What kind of leader purposefully inflicts maximum pain onto the People he is elected to serve? Is this the America you were born into, and is it the one you want to die in?

Until then, Barack Obama will blockade the memorials again, and we're left to wonder what evil schemes these "terrorists" have afoot: