R J Del Vecchio: Listen, listen hard... Contributed by Bill Faith
Del emails:
If you listen very carefully, you can hear the faintest sound in the distance. It's just a murmur now, background noise made up of people checking schedules, examining possible driving routes, or looking for good airline fares, places to stay near DC, people to travel with, calling other vets, other friends, talking to their spouses about needing to take a road trip....
Slowly the word has spread, now it's faster and faster, more and more men & women have heard that there could be a possible threat to The Wall, or just disrespect for it, or just use of it in a political move that will undercut our troops. And there's a rumble of negativity growing, kind of the old line from the movie "No, hell no, we're not standing by for this, no way, no way at all." Group after group of vets have signed up to show up in DC to demonstrate that no attack or even disrespect of the Memorial is tolerable. Now one of the largest vet/military support groups has signed up as well. (See below)
In the next 14 days that murmur and that rumble will combine to become a roar, and on the morning of the 17th, we will see how many will be there to share in the vast satisfaction of protecting The Wall. Everyone who shows up will be perhaps one tiny brick in what will be the thick battlement that will surround the Memorial. But I feel sure that all who show up will be able to go home and feel like it's been one of the best days of many years, just to be part of honoring those on The Wall again, so publicly, to be part of demonstrating that some things will simply not be tolerated, to be part of telling our people out on the lines that we honor their service as well by what we do. And lastly, it'll be another wondeful chance, as we all move along the aging curve, to say to each other one more time, Welcome Home, Brother.
I wouldn't miss this for the world. See you there.
Del
By C.J. Raven U.S. Veteran Dispatch February 28, 2007
The roar of motorcycles will be absent, but the men and women who ride them will be there in force.
Rolling Thunder, the national organization dedicated to supporting veterans and their issues, will be standing guard against anti-war protesters led by Cindy Sheehan and Jane Fonda in Washington, D.C. on March 17.
Rolling Thunder has more than 80 chapters throughout the United States and abroad. Members are military veterans from all wars and peace-time, as well as non-military men and women who have the time and willingness to be advocates for American troops, veterans, and POW/MIAs.
"Our members will be there to protect the Wall, support our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan and preserve the honor of those whose names are on the Wall and are honored at the other memorials," said Art Foss, Rolling Thunder's contact at the Wall.
Veterans fear the protesters will attempt to damage or deface the Vietnam War Memorial. The same protesters sprayed red paint on the Capital steps during an anti-war demonstration in January.
"We won't tolerate any destruction," said retired Air Force Col. Harry Riley. "We believe they will try to damage the wall because of their past history. We're not for a confrontation but we will be there to guard. The National Park Police will take aggressive against any attempt to damage the Wall. Still, we need to be there. It's time to fish or cut bait time. We can't allow an environment to continue that basically destroys our troops' morale."
Riley is the organizer of Gathering of Eagles, another group of veterans who also plan to be in Washington when Fonda leads her protest. Rolling Thunder is not part of Riley's group, but their mission is the similar. ...
Contributed by Bill Faith on March 2, 2007 at 09:33 PM in , , , , , , , |
Comments
Posted by: 1stCav
Thanks R.J. You're spot on. I'll be there for sure.
Posted by: 1stCav | Mar 2, 2007 10:36:37 PM
Posted by:
Del, be sure to look us up at the Holiday Inn - Ballston Friday.
