....there are a few that get it right.

......it turns out that the best reason to hit the pavement on Saturday was over in Washington, D.C.

You would have been hard-pressed to hear so in most media coverage, but Vietnam veterans and other concerned Americans showed up from as far away as Hawaii and Alaska - one unofficial estimate pegged their numbers at 30,000 - to ring and defend the war memorials in the nation's capital, easily outnumbering the ANSWER protesters who drew the bulk of the coverage.

Kristinn Taylor, D.C. coordinator and spokesman for Gathering of Eagles, said anti-war protesters tried to break through their lines and reach the memorials, but "they were not successful." Taylor said the Vietnam vets came together and took a stand for an important reason: "They do not want to see this generation of American servicemen and women be put through what they went through."

As a frequent protest crasher, I'm sorry I missed this sea change in the tired old script of Iraq demonstrations. It was even more uplifting to read messages left afterward on the Eagles' blog by participants.

"Forty years lost in the wilderness," wrote one. "Forty years in exile. Behind us now. Yesterday we took our country back. It's in the air. I can feel it. ... We have to care enough to save it. I have hope again."

The quote is from my good friend, Bill Faith. His expression reflects the feelings of many Vietnam vets. For most of their adult lives, they have quietly gone about their business, avoiding the limelight and staying far away from the turmoil of politics. Scarred by their experiences returning to a nation that rejected them and despised them, they wanted nothing more than to go home and be left alone.

Read the rest at Media Lies.

***

Bill Faith adds:

Thanks, Anti. Del emailed me a copy of that column and I decided to take a short nap before I posted about it. I'm glad I did. You handled it much better than I would have.

Contributed by antimedia on March 22, 2007 at 10:33 PM in Antimedia, Caring about our troops, Gathering of Eagles, Patriotism, Peacenik Stupidity, The American Warrior, US Air Force, US Army, US Coast Guard, US Marine Corps, US Navy, Viet Nam | Permalink

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