Great "Nightline" Friday night, 28 May 04

ABC News, Nightline ^ | May 28 2004 | Leroy Sievers & Nightline Staff

[My Dog Likes Me]

"TONIGHT'S FOCUS: They honor the nation's fallen. Standing guard over the Tomb of the Unknowns, and providing the honor guards for all of the funerals at Arlington National Cemetery. They are the Old Guard. And we will honor the Fallen from the war on terrorism as part of tonight's broadcast....

...As part of tonight's broadcast, we'll have a live camera at the Tomb for the changing of the guard." -----

[My Dog Likes Me]

Maybe some of my fellow Freepers can watch this broadcast of Nightline later tonight. Excellent.

They interview members of the Old Guard. Very moving.

[VOA]

Thanks for the heads-up.
I'll probably watch, as it sounds like this is the memorial show Kopel should have
waited to do...rather than the political one he had a few weeks ago.

[Mr. Mojo]

I watched an excellent show (hosted by Roger Mudd) on the history of Arlington National Cemetary last night on the History Channel.

I usually don't watch Nightline, but I'll probably check it out tonight.

[opinionator]

Did they read a list of all those who died during WWII?

[My Dog Likes Me]

Nightline runs a scroll of the dead from Afghan (mostly) that they didn't include in the Iraq Fallen episode last month, and in the background is the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns (that appears live). Koppel reads the names, including "Pat Tillman," and we all know him.

Hope my West Coast Freepers can watch it.

[My Dog Likes Me]

You're right, VOA.

If you all watched it, what did you think? There was one soldier (from the elite Tomb Guard) almost in tears.

[MCH]

Wow. Nightline is still on TV? I haven't seen old Red Koppel in over a decade.

[concentric circles]

Thanks. Like seeing my father in law's interment at Arlington all over again.

Very moving. He was Third Army. Once stopped and chewed up and down by Patton, who was being driven in the opposite direction, for driving with the jeep's windshield up. They were supposed to be down to reduce wounds from flying glass.

A patrol from his outfit found a warehouse in France filled from floor to ceiling with Hennessy's Three Star Cognac. It was reported and the command was given, "Put a guard detail on that warehouse!"

Truckloads were promptly delivered to the mess and one ladle was dispensed to the steel cup of every man at dinner. It seems that the man with the ladle was generously serving himself as well as the men and taking increasing pleasure in his duties. At last he was addressed by an officer, "Private, are you drunk?!"

The private stood straight up, saluting with a full ladle in his hand, and immediately passed out, flat on his back.

[The Scourge of Yazid]

Sir. I'm drunk!

Seriously, that's a great story.

Getting chewed-out by George S.Patton Sr. is definitely an encomium that should not be forgotten. I'm sure there are hundreds of stories like your father in law's, which haven't been made public but have been regaling friends/relatives of U.S. Army vets for years.

[My Dog Likes Me]

Great Patton story!

I'm glad you enjoyed Nightline's coverage of the Old Guard at Arlington. Great troops.

[concentric circles]

[The Scourge of Yazid]

Fantastic!

I wish I knew where my friend was being stationed.

I'm sure he would have enjoyed this.

[jigsaw]

Did they [Nightline] read a list of all those who died during WWII?

Right on!

[brityank]

Well -- the link didn't last long: "Content not available."

[jslade]

Great story. Thanks.

[91B]

I think the caption on the second Willie and Joe cartoon is supposed to say something like: "I need you two veterans to be a good influence on the new men".

[norton]

No kidding: they're 'sorry for the inconvenience' though, so it's all OK.

Meanwhile, good memorial day event = rent "Gardens of Stone" if they still carry it at Blockbuster. I was reminded yesterday that it is about the only Vietnam movie never ever shown on TV.

[VOA]

If you all watched it, what did you think? There was one soldier (from the elite
Tomb Guard) almost in tears.

It was a respectful short segment on The Old Guard.
And you're right; the one soldier they did the extended personal interview was getting
a bit choked up when he recalled how he elevated his motives for being in the
Old Guard to a more selfless level.

When the fellow detailed the 21 second segments and displayed the endless precision of
"walking the matt", I suddenly had a new view of some of the "repetitive work" that
I think of as challenging in my laboratory work.

When Kopel had the list of the mising from the non-Iraq theaters, he did keep it low-key.

I can get as ticked as anyone when Kopel/NightLine goes hard to a liberal/Democrat agenda,
but Kopel is not totally unredeemable.
I remember seeing/hearing him on The Larry King Show in the late 1980s when he
shocked King by saying that he wasn't for gun control...because he'd been
stationed with ABC in an Asian country (Singapore?) where people simply carved each
other to death with knives, thanks to gun control.

I'm sure the tape of that episode has at least a few missing minutes!

[VOA]

Thanks for the tip on "Gardens of Stone".

I checked the Internet Movie Database and a user said that these are the
three Vietnam-era films to see:
Gardens of Stone, Go Tell the Spartans, Assault on Firebase Gloria