Vietnam veterans moved barricades at The Wall

Vietnam veterans finally got to visit their memorial but without congress doing their jobs. Congress doesn't do their jobs but get paid. Park Rangers do their jobs, don't get paid and end up having to tell veterans they can't go to their memorials. This is wrong beyond words.

Closure of War Memorials Continues to Cause Conflict
NBC News
Friday, Oct 4, 2013

The closure of D.C.'s war memorials continues to be a source of contention for tourists and law enforcement officials.

Like the hundreds of World War II veterans who came to National Mall to pay their respects this week, a group of Vietnam veterans found a barricade blocking the way to their memorial Friday. News4's Mark Segraves said two U.S. Park Service Rangers manning the gate asked that the group respect the government's shutdown but moved aside.

Segraves described the exchange as pleasant and respectful.

The veterans then moved the barricade and walked down to the wall to pay their respects. But a flood of tourists followed even though the memorial is closed to the general public.

"The consensus among the group of Vietnam veterans was we're going to go anyway.

We'll go through the barricade," North Carolina resident Reid Mendenhall said.
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The truth is, Vietnam veterans have been moving things out of the way for veterans ever since they got home and show no signs of stopping.

See, Vietnam veterans decided that they would never, ever allow another group of veterans to be treated the way they were. They kept that promise and today, as imperfect as it is, all the help available for OEF and OIF veterans along with Gulf War veterans, was made possible because they never gave up on the rest of us.

Shame on this congress for turning what veterans risked their lives for into some kind of political game. How serious are they? How much time did they have to figure out a budget? It has been years since they did their jobs and passed budgets in both Houses. Shame on all of them! GET BACK TO WORK FOR THE COUNTRY AND STOP THIS NONSENSE!