This past Tuesday, veterans stormed past the barricades closing the World War II monument to pay their respects. Tuesday was priorly planned to be a day of memorial to these veterans, so that's what happened. Almost 200 veterans from Mississippi and Iowa, joined by Rep. Steven Palazzo, walked past security guards and barriers to the tune of "Amazing Grace." The amazing thing? All of these people, with the exception of Rep. Palazzo, were in their 80s and 90s. They had travelled a long distance in old age to pay respects of those who fought with them for the same cause.
However, Rep. Palazzo was not the only member of Congress to help the veterans. Others joined him in lining up these aging heroes along the barrier and helped to move the blocks. A move the security guards did not stop, one being a war veteran himself. Congressman Bill Huizenga was quoted saying, "this is the best civil disobedience we've seen in Washington in a while" (Fox News, para. 14).
Wednesday, another group of veterans stormed the memorial, as well. This time, veterans from Ohio, Kansas and Missouri lead the charge to pay their respects, regardless of the signs. Today, a story was posted about more Ohio veterans willing to risk arrest to pay respects to those lost in World War II. Lee Armstrong is the coordinator of Honor Flight in Ohio, a service offered to veterans for an expense-paid visit to war monuments. He was told by a woman at National Park Services if others defied the blockades, they would be arrested.
Do veterans deserve to be arrested for wishing to pay respects? Are other groups acting in defiance after seeing the first group succeed, or are their intentions pure? After all, they are in their 80s and 90s. Should the government even shut down national war monuments in the first place? In my opinion, if they have security guards watching the blockades, why don't they use those security guards to just watch the monument as those who wish come to visit.
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