Obama’s Memorial Day Disgrace

Given the size of the insufferable Obama cranium, the above could happen only in a cartoon.  In real life, progressive Democrats like Mr. Obama have worn the uniform of the United States Armed Forces about as often as Bigfoot has donned a tuxedo.  But that never stops them from using the individuals who have as props when it’s convenient to pretend to support the troops. Still, I have rarely seen a more shameless and despicable display than that of the so-called Commander-In-Chief this Memorial Day past when he prohibited access to the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial for purposes as detailed below by Russ and Mychal.  I knew a few of the people listed on that somber monument when they were more than just names carved into cold stone.  I knew them when they were young and vital men of flesh and blood.  Americans. Like me. Like you. 58, 272 names, and all of us should take slights to their memory very personally.  Instead of honoring the dead, Barack Obama dishonored himself.  No one should ever forget it.

Phony Halo is no Helmet | Russ Vaughn at The American Thinker

As if their candidate needed to further alienate the veteran voting bloc, Obama’s clueless handlers have done it again. There were emails circulating on Memorial Day that the presidential security detail had locked down the Vietnam Memorial site early that morning, shooing off veterans and their families so that the locale could be used for a photo op. While I was never able to verify the accuracy of those emails, perhaps this ill-conceived campaign photo posted over at Hot Air where Ed Morrissey has it up as his Obamateurism of the Day, lends them some credence.

It no doubt took the president’s photogs some time to set up such an artsy pic with the light just so, so as to provide the requisite halo round the One’s consecrated cranium. Surely the pros and the pols couldn’t be bothered by the plebian presence of actual rank and file Vietnam vets and their families while such an important campaign event was underway.

Morrissey notes that the White House photo office has the pic on their official website as photo of the day for Memorial Day. It’s #5 of 24 but I couldn’t freeze it for a hyperlink. As a Vietnam vet, I was stunned when I saw this photo. I know these Democrats are clueless when it comes to military sensitivities, but do they not have any idea of the special venerability the Wall possesses for those of us who fought in that war for an unappreciative nation? Or our families and the families of those whose names grace that memorial? I’ve been to all the war memorials on the Mall on multiple occasions and can attest there is always a singular solemnity suffusing that Wall and those standing in its presence. It is the one place in this nation where we who served in that war know that our service has been honored.

And now these dim-bulb Democrats dishonor our monument by exploiting it for a photo shoot canonizing their candidate on the sacred day set aside to honor those who earned their place on that Wall with their lives? Every name there represents a comrade in arms to me and I assuredly do not appreciate seeing it used for a phony campaign photo by an affirmative action commander-in-chief who never deigned to don the heavy burden of a steel helmet in service to this country. As that picture spreads around the internet, I’m sure there are millions of other veterans who will share my revulsion as well as my determination to see this insensitive fool thrown out of office…

Obama Denies Entrance To Vietnam Vets | Mychal Massie at The Daily Rant

[…] I cannot adequately express the added contempt this summons in me toward Obama.  My personal friends were at the Vietnam Memorial over the Memorial Day weekend and they, too, were denied access–because of Obama.

My friends who served in Vietnam, and many other veterans, traveled great distances to pay their respects to those they served with and their fellow countrymen who gave their lives. Many of those who were denied entrance to “The Wall” bear the living scars of their service in that horrific war. They gave the very best they had to keep Southeast Asia from becoming the very thing Obama is doing his best to turn America into–a Marxist-Leninist State.

With his long record of unambiguous hatred for our military, this is the person who closed the Vietnam Memorial from 7:30 AM until 2:00 PM, denying access to veterans and those who truly care about the names of those inscribed on that Memorial Wall. In the opinion of this essayist, this is one of the most egregious, selfish, self-indulgent acts yet committed by this human being. And he closed it so he could give a 15-minute speech which was nothing more than self-congratulatory agitprop. Our Vietnam Veterans are the most unjustly maligned and disrespected of all veterans. They have been falsely accused, purposefully insulted, and spit upon simply because they served their country. And in the wake of that, this wretched human being has spit on them again…

UPDATE:  The following E-mails were received and forwarded by Grumpy at Grumpy Opinions (Emphases above & below are mine):

Today at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial…

I visited The Wall today as I usually do each Memorial Day and Veterans Day,

I joined my fellow Soldiers I served with in Vietnam to lay a wreath for our fallen at the Vietnam Veterans Wall.

We always gather at 0903 hours at the Three Soldier’s Monument. There we meet for a while and talk, see how everyone is doing, if anyone needs help, introduce any new guys from out of town who are visiting, new guys who are joining us for the first time, introduce any members of our family or friends who have come with us, always followed by a few remark about fellow members of the Blackhorse Regiment who had passed since we had last gathered and then we welcome each other home.

Today after walking across Memorial Bridge and rounding the Lincoln Memorial I saw our guys all gathering outside of a barricade around the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. When I joined them I found out to my total disbelief that we could not enter. No veterans allowed.

The reason was that Obama was coming there to make a speech and the area was closed to everyone except special people with special passes until his speech was over 5 hours later. I was stunned.

Thousands of Vietnam veterans gathering like us with wreaths in hand to recognize our fallen and turned away so that a politician could give a speech.

Most of us had been there when Reagan spoke, Bush 41 and 43 had spoken, even Clinton, although most of us turned our backs on him in one of the largest, silent protests ever… seen by everyone… stinging in its impact… totally unreported by the media… but even then, we were not turned away.

Today we were. I saw in a poll where Obama is over 25 points behind Romney with Vets… if they all had seen what we experienced today and knew what had transpired, the spread would be much wider. I doubt if this will even be reported in the media. But, it should.

This was not our day… it was their day… the boys who lost their lives. But it was their brothers day to come and touch their names on the Wall and remember them. It was also Decoration Day… the day we recognize those who gave all for all of us.

It was not about our narcissistic president and his attempt to appeal to the Vietnam Vets for votes.

Shut out, we met next to a hot dog stand under a shade tree and held our semi-annual ritual for our fallen.

Later that day, one of our men stayed behind and saw to it that the wreath was placed at that section of the Wall when we lost the most during the war.

We won every battle in that war and were denied victory. We had to listen to an illiterate world say that we had lost our war.

Our troops suffered more degradation, insult, hatred, and disgust from our countrymen than all other US troops from all wars combined.

We came home to a country that didn’t want us…and to many countrymen who loathed us…but yet we persevered.

Today…was just one more cut…but it was a cut that will not heal any time soon…….. Wayne

***

All:

I just wanted a bunch of you to know about this travesty.

When we were turned away from The Wall, I went to lay wreaths on my Mom and Dad and Brother and Sister’s graves at Arlington . Guess what?

They had that closed for the great man too!!! Not sure who his canned audiences were at either place, but not many veterans like the thousands of guys I saw going away pretty angry.

Tommy, be a voice on this, please……..John

To all my veteran friends and associates:

This needs to be passed on to everyone you know. One more “gig” on the man who should be “boss.

See also: Obama’s Memorial Day Photo-Op Blocks Families, Vets From D.C. Vietnam Memorial Wall For 7 Hours via The Daley Gator

Shameless Obama Regime Stunt at Vietnam War Memorial via The Constitution Club