The government shutdown had veterans defying the law as they stormed the nation’s Capital. World War II veterans headed to the veteran memorial in Washington, D.C., apparently pushed barriers aside, and entered anyway.
Yes, the government shutdown, apparently enacted to prevent spending for at least a little while, hasn’t stopped all aspects of the government, such as the much-despised ObamaCare or the US Post Office. However, a tour of World War II veterans flew from Mississippi to Washington, D.C. Tuesday morning to visit the memorial which honors them, not letting a little thing like the law keep them from what they feel is their right.
Four buses full of veterans were involved in the mass storming as wheelchair-bound elders ignored National Park Police instructions telling them not to enter the site, one of which proudly stated, “We didn’t come this far not to get in.” They sacrificed everything for their country and they’ll be darned if that same country keeps them from their getaway for the day.
The World War II veterans defying the government shutdown opened the floodgates for like-minded citizens who followed our brave forefathers’ lead, spending the day in the National Mall in spite of the 2013 government shutdown.
As Congress continues to argue over the national budget, the government shutdown is expected to continue, with all nonessential services shut down to conserve money in the meantime. Apparently that also meant the veteran memorial in Washington, D.C., which according to almost 140 World War II veterans is still open as long as nobody feels like stopping a mass migration of senior citizens who fought to be honored there.
Patrick McCourt , an Honor Flight volunteer, said the veterans didn’t exactly take the memorial by force:
“They were disappointed they couldn’t go on to the grounds, but they also understood why the grounds were closed. I don’t think that the veterans would have opened the gates. They have more respect for the circumstances than normal tourists.”
This means of course that someone else opened the barriers, but nobody knows exactly who did it, and the government hasn’t had anyone go by to reclose the memorial. It was tweeted earlier by Representative Steve King of Iowa that the veterans were locked out, and “we opened it.”
Proud of Story Co, IA #WWII veterans at the Memorial. They were locked out. We opened it 4 God Bless them. pic.twitter.com/rdIUwx5Uqh
— Steve King (@SteveKingIA) October 1, 2013
They fought for our rights, and most likely out of respect, nobody stopped a legion of World War II veterans from defying the government shutdown and storming the memorial anyway.