July 8th, 9th & 10th, 2008
After Action Report
Cannon House Office Bldg Corner
Washington DC
(Click on image for
larger view)
The
Band of Mothers and The Gathering of Eagles proudly gathered on
the Cannon Bldg Corner, and reminded all those inside that
building we stand proudly and gratefully for our Soldiers! We had
a great turnout and much support from those who passed by. We did
notice that there weren't many legislators around, still not back
from their 4th of July holiday. Must be nice, huh? We stand on
this corner to remind Americans that our Soldiers are doing an
unbelievable job in Iraq and Afghanistan and
deserve acknowledgment of their triumphs and the utmost respect of
the Congress.
It
is always rewarding when fellow Americans touring DC stop and ask
to take pictures with us and thank us for our stand! To the
father who asked me if his kids could hold our signs so he could
take pictures of them, it was a very proud moment for all of us.
Future Patriots that may one day take our place! Now that
warms our hearts!!!
This
is the most important work I have ever done in my life and I know
that those that stand with me feel the same way. We love our
Soldiers and we will stand with them and for them anywhere,
anytime. Judging from the response we get, patriotism is alive
and well in our nation's capital and it's nice to spend your day
with folks who are not afraid to show their love for their country
and their pride in her Soldiers! Heroes, Everyone of Them!
Thanks
to Britt Small and his Manager Annette for joining us on Tuesday.
Britt travels all over performing for our Veterans and he
often sleeps in camp grounds along the way. Britt is retired
173rd Airborne and now has a Son serving in Iraq who is Airborne
Special Forces. I watched Britt perform for our veterans at the
Manteno Veterans Home and he put a smile on their face. If you
can donate to his tour, please do so at
www.brittsmall.com.
Tuesday Evening
Malogne House
Walter Reed Army Medical Center
Tuesday
Evening we had the honor of meeting a Genuine American Hero. His
name is David and he resides currently at the Malogne House at
Walter Reed. David lost his legs fighting the terrorists and I've
got to tell you that I don't know too many Americans walking
around on both legs who have as gutsy an attitude as David. We
sat out in the breezeway with David and his Veteran Dad, and we
learned a lot from this Hero. The psycho terrorists in Iraq might
have taken David's legs but they didn't take his spirit and they
sure didn't take his love for his fellow Americans and his
country. I was glad to know that the butchers who did this to
David will never do this to anyone ever again. David's Brothers
took care of them and I have no doubt these maniacs are in the
furthest depths of hell. If they are with virgins, I am certain
they are ugly as sin. God Bless The Band of Brothers!
David
made sure we had some of the GREAT Espresso Coffee they enjoy when
the Chaplain brings the machine to the Malogne House. We learned
from several that the coffee at the Malogne House is pretty much
"hot water" and these Heroes eat a lot of chicken. David talked
about how much he loved that Espresso Machine and there's nothing
like a good cup of coffee. David will soon have his own Espresso
Machine, courtesy of The Band of Mothers! I don't think he
believes me but he'll see soon enough! I have also talked with
others about getting some steaks sent to these Heroes and we are
all going to work on that. As we drove back to our hotel, I
thought how brave and strong and selfless these men and women are
in the United States Military. David and all the Heroes at Walter
Reed are the very BEST of America ! David's words ring in my ears
"I just did my job." I truly wish I could give David my legs and
if I could, I would in a minute! David, you are my Hero forever
and thank you for all you have done for my family and America .
It is an absolute honor to stand for You and all our Soldiers and
I hope with all my heart you know how much we all appreciate YOU!
Wednesday
went so very well. I encourage folks to come out as it is worth
it just to hear Big Joe on the megaphone. Some of the very best
sermons I have ever heard are given on the Cannon Bldg corner by
Joe. He lectures about how lucky we all are to have such brave
and devoted Soldiers who put their lives on the line everyday
for all of us. He talks about patriotism and love of this great
country and he encourages everyone who passes by to thank a
Soldier every chance they get. Joe had a lot to say about the gas
prices and the extremely high taxes we pay in the State of
Illinois ! He spoke as the business owner he is and he let old
Dick Durbin, Obama and Nancy Pelosi know we are not happy campers
and they need to keep their first promise to all of us and lower
the gas prices. Drill Here and Drill Now was heard over and over
for 3 days by all the Congressman who passed us by. Some of these
Congressman are getting pretty good at pretending to be on the
phone as they pass by. Others stop and thank us for coming out
and they tell us every time we are there how good we look.
Compared to the Pink Psychos they are use to seeing, I'm sure we
are a refreshing change. Some folks actually get giddy when they
see us, kind of the way I imagine our forefathers acted on the
first 4th of July! Their eyes truly glisten with glee and you
get the feeling they are so relieved to see folks who are not
afraid to show their patriotism. If there is one thing we all have
come to see on that corner it is that even our own Congressman
seem afraid to show their patriotism. Last time I checked, we
live in America , land of the free and home of the brave, and
everyone of us who stands on that corner deeply appreciate our
Soldiers and the freedom they provide to all of us. We stand for
our Soldiers on that corner because we are so very grateful to
them for their courage, tenacity and sacrifice. We stand in
acknowledgment of our Soldier's victories and we do so because
the Congress refuses to do so. If it were up to me, I would
fire Nancy Pelosi and most of her 9% approval rated Congress.
When the majority in Congress refuse to recognize that our
Soldiers are winning this War, well, they certainly should not be
making decisions that affect the safety of the rest of us! Dennis
"flying saucer" Kucinich held a press conference on the landing of
the Cannon Bldg on Thursday where he was flanked by the Code Pink
Psycho People! They want Bush impeached, AGAIN! And we pay this
man??!!!!!!!! Do you see something wrong with this picture?
We
had a great crowd on Wednesday. I'm proud to report that each
time we go to the corner, there are more and more Americans who
join us. Americans young and old, came from all over this
time! We had folks from DC, Virginia , Chicago , Pennsylvania ,
Maryland and New Jersey . We met some nice folks from France who
gave us a thumbs up, an adorable Vietnamese family who thanked us
for being out there, a young girl from Denmark who also thanked
us, and a man who told me he was Muslim and asked me to thank my
Son for him. These are just a few of the many many people who
thank us for coming out for our Soldiers.
Wednesday
afternoon we had the distinct honor of standing with David and his
Dad! We hoped David would make it and he did!! He is one
tough Soldier and he sure makes you proud to be an American. Mary
and Joe brought them sandwiches and they ate good food like Nancy,
Dick Durbin and Murtha enjoy everyday! There something wrong with
this picture!!!
David
and his dad thoroughly enjoyed listening to Joe talk quite loudly
on the megaphone about the sacrifices our Soldiers are making
everyday and the profound honor it is to be in their
midst. Mary was angered by a cold and careless comment made by a
rather large man. You know the comment, I don't support the war
but I support the Soldiers. Joe does not like when someone upsets
Mary and she was not a happy camper. Needless to say, neither was
the large man when Joe had his say. He did shake David's hand and
thank him. We call that a lesson in "Soldier Appreciation!" 15
Congressman must have passed by this American Hero and just kept
right on going. The most do nothing Congress, hurrying to do
nothing! And we pay them??!!
There
were three Congressman who took the time to come over and speak to
David and his Dad, and gave their cards to him and offered their
help! Best of all, they took the time to thank David for his
service and sacrifice. Special thanks to Congressman Virgil Goode.
There
was an extraordinary sighting of one fat Adam Kokesh, so fat that
we weren't sure it was him at first. Chris Hill gave him the
steely look when he called out his name and Adam changed his mind
about coming down the stairs. I can understand his change of
direction as he looked down at Chris, Big Joe and Coby. We know
Adam is weak but he's not stupid. He wasn't wearing his IVAW
shirt, imagine that! Poor thing, probably disillusioned after
the flop of the Winter Soldier debacle! Depressed, eating a lot
to try and comfort himself over his latest flop! Poor thing, he's
changed his whole look actually. Well why not, he's in a New
Group with a New Look and a New Doo even! I wonder if he'll have
a New Name to go with his New look! It is worrisome and
concerning to see some of the riff raff that comes and goes out of
that Cannon Bldg, on our dime!
Wednesday night we paid a visit to the Code Pink
House and there just isn't much to say except, what a
dump. Imagine a dumpy row house with pink paper covering the
windows and a pink mailbox on the porch with weeds growing so high
you can barely see the bench that is there. Creepy and pretty
much what I expected. We sang America The Beautiful and Star
Spangled Banner and TJ sang the Ammunition song to us. Great
Song!
Thursday
was our last day and it was a great day. It looked like
thunderstorms so we waited for clearer skies before we headed
out. Lo and behold, as Eva and I exited our cab, there sitting on
"our" corner was the Code Pinko man who has been on a hunger
strike since last December! It's amazing as he is the only person
I have ever seen who gains weight on a hunger strike! He has
changed his get-up too. He is cleaner, sports a red white and
blue shirt and carries flags and a patriotic umbrella! George
Soros must have given him a raise! Only in America , huh? We
advised him to remove himself from our corner as we have a permit
and he was disrupting our event. He whined as he folded his stuff
up that I am always so nasty. Chris Hill said it the best when he
said: I'm not trying to build bridges to these people anymore, I
don't care what they have to say and I'm tired of them having the
only voice! Mr. Pinko man moved his sorry self across the
street.
Turnout
was good and the response from folks was awesome. We wrapped up
with the promise that we would all meet back again the week of
September 9th, 10th and 11th.
We will stand in support of our troops and their victories and we
will stand to memorialize their Brothers and our beloved Americans
whose lives were so brutally taken on September 11, 2001. WE WILL
NEVER FORGIVE AND WE WILL NEVER FORGET!
Thanks to Eva, Bob and Robbie, for all your help
and for your Son's service. Thank you Mary and Joe and who come
all the way from Chicago and who have come often, and Chief, you
are a glorious sight when you show up on your motorcycle. Special
thanks to Teresa, with Steve Sauerberg's Campaign. Teresa is a
beautiful Patriot and we here in Illinois need to Dump Dick Durbin
and vote for Steve Sauerberg, a doctor and a Patriot who supports
and reveres our Soldiers! Special Special thanks to Chad for
always showing up, in all weather conditions! You are a noble
Soldier and we are all proud to know you! We will miss you and
we will be thinking about you when we take our stand in
September.
Special
thanks to Artie Muller and his Brothers of Rolling Thunder for
joining us on the Corner for awhile! It was an honor to meet you
and Bart too. We hope to see you in September!
To
Free Republic , you folks are absolutely the most dedicated and
resourceful American Patriots I have ever seen. I am certain you
are DIRECT descendants from Patrick Henry. You Freepers are all
about "Give me Liberty or Give Me Death!"
To Chris
Hill, Capt. Bailey, Coby, and The Gathering of Eagles, you have
NEVER EVER let The Band of Mothers down and for that I am forever
grateful. You are a tough bunch and The Band of Mothers is always
honored by your presence and very grateful. The things you have
accomplished and done for our Soldiers is phenomenal. The stand
you take for our Soldiers, anytime, anywhere, will be written into
the history pages and your story will be talked about One Hundred
years from now. I have no doubt about that. Your legacy and the
things you have done are memorialized forever in several
editions of Post Cards For Soldiers Books. As Chris Hill said,
"we are taking our country back" and we are, thanks to all of
you. Like our Soldiers, you have the hearts of Warriors and it is
the job of Warriors to protect and defend those they love and care
about. You are Warriors, everyone of you, and I thank you with
all my heart for all you do for our Soldiers.
This
visit to the Corner went extremely well and we know we are making
a difference for our Soldiers. We will stand for our Soldiers,
anytime and anywhere. It is great American heroes like David
who enable us to live our life safe and free. Until September,
Thank a Soldier every chance you get and let them know we are a
very grateful nation! Our Soldiers need to know we Stand For Them
and we will until they are treated with the respect, reverence,
and appreciation they so deserve!
To
all of you who came out to join us, thank you. I know it is a
hardship on families to take 3 days off work and travel to
DC, but this is nothing compared to what our Soldiers do for us
everyday. We
will be back on the Cannon Bldg. Corner September 9th 10th, and
11th, the permit request is in! I'm
calling on everyone I know to make it out to the corner this time,
Please! If you can't make it for 3 days, make it on September
11th! We will be on the Cannon Bldg Corner at New Jersey &
Independence Ave, on September 9th, 10th and 11th, from 9am to
5pm. I promise you it will be one of the most rewarding things
you will ever do and it means the world to our Soldiers! Let's
send a message to our Soldiers that they are Loved and Revered and
we are a Very Very Grateful Nation. Obviously, this is a message
our Congress needs to hear too!
God Bless Our Soldiers
God Bless America
and God Bless The Band of Brothers!
|
