Veterans Bust Through Barricades to Visit Shut Memorials
Veterans in the nation's capital aren't letting a little government shutdown get in the way of their visit to war memorials.
Veterans in the nation’s capital aren’t letting a little government shutdown get in the way of their visit to war memorials.
The Washington Post reports that elderly vets, along with a few grandstanding members of Congress, pushed past barricades at the World War II and Korean War memorials.
“I’m not going to enforce the ‘no stopping or standing’ sign for a group of 90 World War II veterans,” said a U.S. Park Police officer, who declined to give his name. “I’m a veteran myself.”
The veterans, from Mississippi, were visiting the memorial on the Mall as part of an honor flight program. They had chartered an $80,000 airplane, and their plans were too far advanced to postpone when the government shut down, said Wayne Lennep, spokesman for the Mississippi Gulf Coast honor flights.
Elsewhere:
Dig, Root, GrowAt the Korean War Memorial, a group of veterans from Puerto Rico also moved barricades aside in order to lay a wreath. The veterans represented members of the 65th Army regiment, which fought in Korea.
Anthony Mele, president of the regiment’s honor task force, said a Park Police officer admonished the group that the site was closed and then “literally turned his face and walked away” as the men moved the barriers in order to enter.
This year, we’re all on shaky ground, and the need for independent journalism has never been greater. A new administration is openly attacking free press — and the stakes couldn’t be higher.
Your support is more than a donation. It helps us dig deeper into hidden truths, root out corruption and misinformation, and grow an informed, resilient community.
Independent journalism like Truthdig doesn't just report the news — it helps cultivate a better future.
Your tax-deductible gift powers fearless reporting and uncompromising analysis. Together, we can protect democracy and expose the stories that must be told.
This spring, stand with our journalists.
Dig. Root. Grow. Cultivate a better future.
Donate today.
Environment
Dana R. Fisher's new book investigates what it will take for the world to finally rally around rapid, sustained climate action.
Opinion
Staunch capitalists like Gurner tell us every day they want more exploitation and precarity for people just trying to get by.
Opinion
Besides their ultra-right rulings, the justices have a well-documented history of misconduct.
The people of Mumbra fear that the government is threatening their independence and their identity.
Our oligarchic rulers are determined to ban all discussion of class warfare, which is why they are trying to block the nomination of Sanders.
For more than a century Zionists and, later, Israelis have pursued a project to seize and ethnically cleanse Palestinian land.
You need to be a supporter to comment.
There are currently no responses to this article.
Be the first to respond.