March on the Pentagon and at the Wall 2007

When anti-war protesters set up "Camp Casey," rallied on the Mall and surrounded the White House in September 2005, counter-demonstrators numbered around 200. This January, when an "Out of Iraq" rally marched on the capitol building, counter-protesters numbered about 50. When organizers planned yesterday's March on the Pentagon, it didn't excite much attention. "Basically thats what we fought for and died for," said Col. Harry Riley March 7th on The Bob Franz...
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When anti-war protesters set up "Camp Casey," rallied on the Mall and surrounded the White House in September 2005, counter-demonstrators numbered around 200. This January, when an "Out of Iraq" rally marched on the capitol building, counter-protesters numbered about 50. When organizers planned yesterday's March on the Pentagon, it didn't excite much attention. "Basically thats what we fought for and died for," said Col. Harry Riley March 7th on The Bob Franz Show.

But when anti-war protest organizers announced plans to use the area behind the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall as a staging and rally point prior to the march on the Pentagon, Col. Riley and thousands of other veterans began to organize. He said, "That raised red flags and basically created a spontaneous action amongst veterans and Americans in general that says 'wait a minute.'"

"The anti-war movement," Col. Riley continued, "has a tendency to be completely willing to damage, destroy, desecrate, or dishonor historic places and memorials maybe that are to our fallen warriors, you know maybe our medal of honor winners. And that was demonstrated in Washington, D.C. just in January when that anti-war rally people vandalized and damaged the capitol and we basically said 'That's not gonna happen.'"

Carl A. Nielsen of Washington D.C., a marine veteran of Vietnam, was also concerned with the possibility that damage could come to the Wall, so he sat all day greeting visitors with a message that would reconcile both viewpoints. "Thank you for visiting our wall. Thank you for understanding that this represents the price this nation pays for the freedom to speak freely in public without fear."

Demonstrators from the Pentagon rally arrived back in D.C. causing clashes at the bridge. As demonstrators dispersed, police chased them on bicycles. According to an overheard phone call, protesters allegedly threw objects at U.S. Park Police. Police arrested two at 22nd and Constitution, NW.
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