GatheringofEagles/title> <bgsound src="PHANTOMO.MID" loop="-1"> </head> <body bgcolor="#CCCC99"> The Gathering of Eagles  </body> </html>

Yesterday, St. Patrick's Day 2007, a group of ordinary patriots, known nobly as The Gathering of Eagles, achieved something no one else ever could.

Ragtag by nature, Gathering of Eagles' membership includes the wounded, both walking and in wheelchairs, the gratefully and proudly ageing and the living-with-the-memory-of-lost- loved ones, brokenhearted. Some lie awake nights worrying about loved ones still in harm's way, but the one human emotion missing from Gathering of Eagle members is disillusion. All because if there was any chance the touted anti-war protesters were going to desecrate war memorials, then The Gathering of Eagles members were going to be there--no matter from how far away they had to come, no matter in what shape March 17 was to find them in.

When they came to the call of Move America Forward, they knew in their hearts that they would be up against it. March 17 was not only the 40^th anniversary of the Mother of all anti-war protests, when a decades-ago massive march to the Pentagon demanded an end to the war in Vietnam, it was also being marked as the 4^th Anniversary of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Capitalizing on the past, and gathering at a time when the Nancy Pelosi Democrats control the White House, the anti-war movement was flooding Washington, D.C. this weekend with a once-and-for-all demand for America to surrender the War on Terrorism.

Veterans joining up with the Gathering of Eagles from as far away as Hawaii, knew from the outstart they could be vastly outnumbered in body, but never in spirit.

From a heralding media, hundreds of thousands were said to be descending upon Washington. Jane Fonda would be there to meet them. The mainstream media, so many sadly in sync with the "U.S. Out of Iraq Now" crowd, would ensure that the other side would get little network attention.

Mother Nature brought the dawning of a cold day with proof from the age-old adage that "March wind (is) colder than snow."

Even though the counter protest was to be resoundingly successful, only snippets of what took place in Washington was to flicker briefly from yesterday's suppertime news.

But 'These Colors Don't Run', and this is what the troop-loving Move America Forward and the Gathering of Eagles accomplished against all odds.

The hundreds of thousands the anti-war movement promised did not descend on the nation's capital to mark a 40^th anniversary destined never be forgotten. They numbered only in the thousands--and part of those thousands included the less protest savvy Other Side! Indeed, Fox News reported that the crowd totaled several thousand with as many from The Gathering of Eagles as from the anti-war crowd.

Jane Fonda was a no show. Not being able to count on Al Gore's global warming, perhaps she thought she'd get her tinted feathers wet.

Big-talking Hollywood celebrities left Cindy Sheehan out in the cold on her own.

Yesterday's sea change was bound to usher in a new chapter in history. The anti-war protesters were in Washington trying to sustain a 40-year-old memory with tired, old chants like the standby "Impeach Bush" one.

The Gathering of Eagles was in Washington to protect war memorials erected to honor the fallen and in a symbolic show of love for all living troops in harm's way.

One thing for anti-war protesters to hint at desecrating war memorials. One thing for a media to remain silent when soldiers are spit upon. Quite another to meet from the distance of right across the street, the steely-eyed glint of the veterans of real wars.

Yesterday was a televised pageant of play soldiers fighting war from the safety of a world away, meeting face on, the real McCoys, a sort of underplayed Gathering of Eagles vs. the Moonbats.

As the event played out, not all of the teared over eyes from the faces in the crowd were the result of whipping Washington winds.

For the week leading up to yesterday's anniversary protest, a caravan of families who lost children in the war on terrorism, families who still have loved ones serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, and veterans of Vietnam, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom had crossed the nation hoping to get a single message across: "Surrender is not an option."

Melanie Morgan's Move America Forward caravan must have hit the road with niggling worry laced in with hope as it left San Francisco.

Anyone following the progress of the Caravan of Hope must have been misty eyed when reading about what happened within only hours of that departure. The caravan with its 10,000 flags to be sent as proof to troops fighting for freedom was mobbed along the way! Patient school children, holding homemade flags waited curbside for the caravan to pass by. Veterans wearing medals, school choirs sounding like singing angels and Americans from all walks of life left their kitchens to be there when the Move America Forward caravan was passing through Small Town America. By Texas, enthused crowds were so large, a police escort led the caravan along its way.

Little wonder why Washington winds couldn't extinguish heart warmth the caravan reached its final destination.

When history is written, March 17^th, 2007 will at long last eclipse March 17, 1967, as the day when soldiers in faraway Iraq and Afghanistan knew for certain, no matter what real time saw them doing, love and respect await their safe return. The day when it was proven to a watching world that Washington war memorials stand for what they always stood for, time immemorial, the day when the graves of fallen American soldiers the world was made warmer.

This past Saturday, the anti-war groups Code Pink and ANSWER co-sponsored a protest rally in the form of a march from the Lincoln Memorial in Washington to the Pentagon in an attempt to discourage and destabilize the Bush Administration's public support in order to end the War in Iraq. Calling for the immediate withdrawal of all U. S. troops from Iraq, and led by one of our most infamous anti-war activists Cindy Sheehan, the crowd loudly advocated the cut-and-run approach to end the war. The march drew a sizeable chunk of airtime on all major news networks, and brought the issue of immediate withdrawal once again to the front pages of America's newspapers. Undoubtedly, Americans have seen the media's coverage of the anti-war protesters in Washington, and most will think that what they saw on CNN or Fox was all there was to be witnessed in Washington that day. However on the same day, on the same National Mall, another group of demonstrators congregated in support of another cause. The Move America Forward Organization, in conjunction with the Gathering of Eagles and Rolling Thunder groups, comprised mainly of veterans, organized themselves into a counter-protest that rivaled the anti-war movement in every aspect. These patriots, conveniently excluded from the media's coverage of the St. Patrick's Day protests, convened in support of one sole mission in Washington that day, and that mission was to show their unwavering and unconditional support to the men and women of the United States Military.

The counter-protesters lined the sidewalks of Constitution Avenue, covered the grounds to the west of the Washington Monument and guarded the Vietnam Memorial wall from potentially destructive anti-war demonstrators (who had spray-painted the steps of the Capitol the week before) in a successful attempt at keeping the disruptive crowds from disturbing families visiting the sites dedicated to the memory of those who have honorably served their country. The number of counter-protesters, by the Park Service's estimates, actually outnumbered those of the anti-war crowd, and the Service estimated that about 30,000 counter-protesters were in attendance during the height of the rallies. One local news network even estimated that the pro-troop crowd outnumbered the antiwar crowd 3 to 1. This estimate is astounding, considering the fact that the anti-war groups had been planning the event for almost a year, publicly promising that 100,000 liberal supporters would show up, while the counter-protesters coordinated their own event in less than two months. Judging by the unexpectedly high turnout of anti-anti-war protesters on St. Patrick's Day, this nation's attitude is far from that of a defeated and hopeless losing team. In fact, according to several Vietnam Veterans with the Gathering of Eagles, Cindy Sheehan couldn't even be heard within her own camp during her keynote speech due to the overwhelmingly loud booing emanating from the thousands-strong Rolling Thunder and Gathering of Eagles veterans. Aside from the realization that this country does not overwhelmingly side itself with the likes of Sheehan, Fonda, Pelosi and Clinton, the scene in Washington last Saturday provided a revealing glimpse into the attitudes and personalities of those on both sides of this issue.

Looking at the 'camp sites' of each group, the protesters and counter-protesters, gives a metaphoric description of the true character of each group. On the anti-war side, protesters waved yellow banners calling for immediate withdrawal of troops from Iraq, the impeachment of President Bush, and the firing of anyone associated with the war. Protesters waved the flags of Lebanon and Palestine, screamed about America's unjust occupation of the Middle East, and proclaimed to the nation that the war was unfair and the cause unworthy. No banners could be seen in support of our troops. No signs suggested that they had any faith in the American Government. Some even handed out fliers claiming that the Federal Government had engineered 9/11 to benefit Defense Contractors. The only American flags to be seen on the anti-war side were flown upside down, spray-painted with peace signs or slanderous accusations or thrown to the ground to be stepped on by the self-proclaimed 'just and righteous' activists. Some activists even went so far as to burn the flag in a shameful act of anger.

On the other side of the lawn were the pro-troop counter-protesters. To be seen and heard in their camp were patriotic songs and speeches delivered by military men and women and their families. Signs and posters called for unconditional support of the military. Participants held fundraisers to collect donations for troops dispatched overseas. Others posted banners reminding us of the horrific crimes our enemies have committed against us and against others in the past. Veterans told of their own service in Vietnam and a few of them spoke about their time in the Second World War. VFW representatives were in attendance to support today's troops and to fundraise as well. The crowd, mostly comprised of veterans, waved over
15,000 American flags, with a few state flags and military flags speckling the sea of red, white, and blue. No yellow banners decked the railing of the stage on the pro-troop side. No foreign flags or desecrated American flags flew over the crowd, and each and every veteran made sure that those on the other side of the lawn heard every thing they had to say, and saw everything they had to show. Veterans took shifts in lining the sidewalks surrounding the Vietnam Wall and other memorials to prevent potential defacing of the monuments or disruption of family visitors. The Vets remained calm and peaceful, with the exception of yelling a few jokes at some of the more comical hippie-like folks, who soon became known throughout the pro-troop camp as moonbats. Try googling that term of endearment; I bet you'll learn something.

At the end of the rallies, after the counter-protesters had packed up their flags and banners to send overseas to our troops in Iraq, and the anti-war group had crossed the bridge toward the Pentagon, the lawn still told a story about those who had occupied it during the demonstrations. On the anti-war side, trash and stomped banners and flags littered the ground in front of President Lincoln's sacred monument, all left for the D. C. Park Service to clean up. On the opposing side's half of the lawn not a banner or flag or any trash at all was left lying in the shadow of that tall spire honoring our first Commander-in-Chief, George Washington. The respectful attitudes of those supporting our troops stand in clear contrast to those who so feverishly oppose the war and the Bush Administration.

All in all, the St. Patrick's Day activities in Washington revealed a few important details that, although minor in appearance, could make the difference in how the country moves forward in the next several years. From the distinct differences in character visible between the pro-troop crowd and the anti-war crowd to the media's unwillingness to show the nation both sides of the day's events, it is evident that Americans are not getting the whole story. The notion that some in this nation intentionally degrade those who defend this country during a time of war disturbs most Americans, and most Americans disagree with the insulting manner of the anti-war activists. if only the media would acknowledge that. So what the country needs now, in the minds of those patriots present in Washington on Saturday, is a restoration of our national integrity, and an end to the derogatory smearing aimed at our Government and our Military; and we should all remember that regardless of our political or social views, we should never speak a word that has the potential to dishearten those who dedicate themselves entirely to our country.

Washington D.C. Sunday, March 17, 2007 By Judi McLeod

Washington D.C. Sunday, March 17, 2007
By Judi McLeod