The untold story of Memorial Day.......

A Maryland friend, a Vietnam Era retired Air Force Vet, forwarded me an e-mail that he had received from a very very unhappy military friend.

I can't include the whole letter because it includes several names of living Vets and Vietnam KIA's listed on the Vietnam Memorial -- so forgive me for editing.

"Today is Memorial Day and I went to the Vietnam Memorial and something happened there that upset me greatly and I want to pass it on.

For over 15 years I had been going with my dear Marine buddy, Larry X. Since he passed away last year and was interned at Arlington Cemetery, I went this year accompanied by my grandson, John. I had my list of Recon Marines, school classmates, and Larry's fallen buddies to visit but, as we got close to the area of the National Mall where the Wall is located, we saw huge white tents. We also saw barricades all along Constitution Ave and for a couple blocks in each direction from the Wall. They even closed down all of Constitution Av from the Lincoln Memorial all the way to the WW-II Memorial and there was a virtual army of uniformed and plain-clothes security everywhere.

The biggest tent was right at the west end of the Wall entrance and there was a covered walkway leading right up to The Wall. It was so close, you couldn't get to the Wall on that side so, my grandson and I went all the way around to the eastern entrance to the Wall and walked down along the Wall to the first of my names and I began telling my grandson about my buddies and how each one died. In short order, a guy in a dark suit and earpiece in his ear told us we had to leave as it was 0730 and they were closing Memorial until at least 1400 so the President could drop by. I asked if he was serious and he assured me he was. We and all the other veterans and families were forced to leave and it was locked down.


The Vietnam Memorial is the most visited site on the entire National Mall. Memorial Day has more visitors to the Vietnam Memorial than almost any other day. Even at the rather early hour John and I were there, there were a lot of veterans and family members down there. In the midst of all that, Obama decides to close it for over seven hours just so he can roll by for 30 minutes in the afternoon for a campaign appearance with Democrats, supporters, and campaign donors? This is an incredulously arrogant, egotistical, and inconsiderate thing to do. What in hell was Obama thinking?

The letter went on to name the Vet's twenty buddies whose names were on the Wall and identified the panels where their names appeared....

While we can all appreciate the need for security for the POTUS, I find it particularly hypocritical of the Obamanation team - to displace all of these Memorial Day Visitors to THEIR WALL for seven plus hours, so he could do a photo op and 'rail against the disgraceful treatment that Vietnam Vets received when they returned from their war.'

I took me a minute to remember that this was Bill Ayres bosom buddy - but then I remembered that just this week, the new polls came out showing BO lagging far behind Mitt Romney for vet's votes. I wonder how many Vets and their families that were ordered away from the Memorial Wall on Monday will change their minds and vote for this man?

Naw, just kidding, I don't wonder at all.

By the way, he enclosed a picture of the crowd of silver haired vets and their families crowded together in the streets outside the Memorial where they were banished for seven hours plus!

I can only imagine the chagrin, frustration, and anger at our government of those who had come from all over the Nation on Memorial Day to honor their fallen friends and were barred because the POTUS's campaign managers decided a photo-op for a sinking candidate was more important than the true purpose of the day......

Like the letter said -- a DISGRACE!!