WWII veterans sweep past security barricades at memorial in their honor
More power to these guys. On Tuesday, as the government shutdown, dozens of WWII veterans stormed past security guards as the crossed into the memorial…they weren’t going to let a shutdown deter them.
As bagpipers playing “Amazing Grace,” nearly 200 veterans from Mississippi and Iowa swept past barricades and security guards at the World War II Memorial in Washington in order to keep a commitment to visit the site, which was closed today due to the partial government shutdown. The veterans, in their 80s and 90s, were accompanied by Rep. Steven Palazzo, R-Miss., a former Marine who earlier vowed not to let the National Park Police keep them from a planned visit to the open-air monument.
“For some reason, I just feel like royalty,” Jim Ferencak, a Navy and Air Force veteran told GulfLive.com at the event.
Some veterans on hand wiped away tears when they saw a crowd waving the American flag as they came out of their bus.
“These men and women didn’t cower to the Japanese and Germans,” Palazzo said. “I don’t think they’re about to let a few National Park Police stand in their way.”
Palazzo and other members of congress moved the barricades at the memorial and police did not try to stop the veterans’ access.
The veterans are traveling as part of Honor Flight
, a program that enables World War II veterans to partake in an expense-paid trip to view the memorial. Tuesday’s trip is the second-to-last flight, with the last scheduled for November. But prior to their arrival early Tuesday, there was fear that the government shutdown and federal worker furloughs would mean no access to the monuments on the National Mall.
Some of the heroes who came were in wheel chairs.
Palazzo noted his grandfather, Manuel McCarty, served in World War II at Guadalcanal and Okinawa. Palazzo was 7 years old when his grandfather died and said he sees his grandfather in these veterans.
“I only have a couple of memories of my grandfather,” said Palazzo, who has taken part of Honor Flights before. “But each time I see these men, I envision how he’d be.”
- Posted in: Current Events ♦ General
- Tagged: Government shutdown, veterans remove barricades, WWII memorial
Newsdesk International 
While they’re on a roll they should go on up to the White House and clear out the riff raff, whomever it might be. lol
A lot of these Vets are from Story County, Iowa(where I used to live) so I no doubt know some of them.
GOP CONGRESSMAN: OBAMA ADMIN. REJECTED VETERANS’ EXEMPTION REQUEST THAT WOULD ALLOW THEM TO VISIT WWII MEMORIAL
Both the White House and the U.S. Department of Interior reportedly rejected a request from Rep. Steven Palazzo (R-Miss.) to allow World War II veterans visit the WWII memorial in Washington, D.C. during the partial government shutdown.
The Blaze
Once again the White House shows it’s small mindedness. 😦