An eyewitness tells what really happened the day of the Capitol storming

Editor’s note (LifeSiteNews): This American Thinker report reveals what our four LifeSite staff on the ground and most others who were at the Jan. 6 Washington event experienced last Wednesday according to calls and emails we received. It presents a dramatically different account of that day from almost all of what the media have been portraying.

The vast majority of the crowds in Washington that day were unaware of what began at the Capitol about 20 minutes or more before President Trump even finished his speech. Most, if not all, were dismayed after learning of the terrible hostilities that took place while they were there only to show support for President Trump, election integrity, and the American tradition of emphasis on the rule of law.

Today I witnessed ‘The Spirit of 76’
2-6-2021

Although my age is 76, the spirit I am referring to is the ‘Spirit of 1776,’ that spirit of the Revolutionary War, 1776 when the Declaration of Independence was signed. Just 5 months later, the winter of 1776 when all was but lost, it was then that George Washington along with his starving, ill-equipped dwindling army, on Christmas night of 1776, crossed the ice flowing Delaware River, attacked, and defeated the powerful Hessian mercenaries and changed the world forever.
In 1965 I served in Vietnam as a paratrooper in the 173Rd Abn. Bdg. At the same time my older brother Jude was serving in Vietnam with the Green Berets. He died as result of agent orange. I have seen the fear and determination on the face of men jumping out of a perfectly good aircraft. As a rifleman in combat I’ve seen that same face of fear and determination of my comrades in the jungles of Vietnam. We were well-trained for these missions; we had the best of equipment, jungle fatigues, new M-16 rifles, steel pots, food, and water. If we were wounded, there were ‘Dust Off’ Medevac helicopters to rush us to hospitals. It took courage and determination and luck to make it home.
For the lucky ones that made it home, we were inundated with flag-burning demonstrations by Americans supporting the North Vietnamese communists. As soldiers we fought for their right to demonstrate, guaranteed by the Constitution and supported by the Supreme Court. As the news media was preparing the public to greet us…as “the kids, not smart enough for college, labeled as ‘Baby Killers’. With their lofty opinion, the news media and academia knew better than the rest of us, we only had ‘common sense’ to see what was truly happening.
So, 55 years later, I find myself along with hundreds of thousands of freedom loving Americans who were in Washington exercising our right to witness what happens in a contested election. Millions of Americans stood in lines for hours in all kinds of weather to cast their ‘personal sacred vote’ This consent of the Governed, is the building block of our Republic, without it we have no Republic. We will have a dictatorship that will reverse the process of future elections, where government officials will dictate the fate of the people being governed.
For many Americans, sports are a passionate pursuit, every sport has specific rules, that participants and the public expect them to adhere to. I read somewhere that ‘Golf doesn’t build character it reveals it.’ Would Tiger Woods be considered a great golfer if he shaved off a few strokes on certain courses? Americans will not tolerate a team or players that blatantly cheat.
Thanks to technology we have all seen Super Bowls, demonstrating with clear vision of what just happened on the field of play. Using instant replay, we see exactly what happened, and we accept the results.
We live in a time of high technology, speeding down a toll road a camera will snap a picture and, in a few days, you receive a bill. Amazon ships millions of packages everyday throughout the world, they will even tell you when each package will arrive. Counting votes should be less complicated than shipping boxes or verifying license plates on speeding vehicles.
With modern technology, we can travel throughout the world to exotic destinations and whip-out a credit card and pay for anything; however, if you go over your credit limit by75 cents, your payment will be instantly denied. But, if you quickly wire transfer money into your c account, you can instantly return to normal credit card bliss.
“Dancing with the Stars” counts millions of votes in hours. With all this technology around us, we find it hard to understand why it takes months to count election votes, and that’s the main reason most of us were there in Washington on 1-6-2021. Like sports enthusiasts, we were there to see how the process works and that there was no cheating.
Let me take that last statement back, stealing votes from those that stand hours and hours to cast their vote, is not cheating. Cheating is being unfaithful to a loved one, cheating is done in sports and games. Stealing votes is not cheating, stealing votes is a crime known as voter fraud. It can destroy the institutions that control our way of life.
We Americans have a strong belief in fair play and common sense, and many of us felt there was something not right about this election. So, when President Trump asked us to come down to Washington to put pressure on our elected officials to do the right thing, to follow the rules of the Constitution, we felt it was a call to duty, and our right as a free people to witness how our elected officials were conducting business in an open clear manner.
Getting back to the ‘Spirt of 76’ I along with hundreds of thousands of God-fearing loving Americans answered President Trump’s invitation to come to Washington to see for ourselves the workings of those that hold the reins of power.
When I got off the bus from Scranton, I noticed just how cold it was, and then we were told, remember the buses are leaving and will not be back until 5pm. As our group walked the long distance toward the Washington Memorial, a native of Northeastern Pennsylvania, I knew how to dress for January weather. I underestimated the low temperature and the cold driving winds. I was freezing. I stayed in the freezing wind-blowing field as long as I could stand it. I looked around at all the large government buildings that belong to the people, they were all guarded with police, so no one could enter to get warm or use the bathrooms. I ventured away from the field looking for a restroom or porta-potty, no luck. I wandered the streets seeking any kind of shelter. The hotels and restaurants were boarded up.
After walking for what seemed like hours, I found a little greasy spoon eatery. I was so happy; it was warm and had a rest room. I ordered a cheeseburger and sat to reflect on the days event. Other attendees found the place and it quickly became quite crowded with happy proud Americans from all over the country, California, Alaska, and the fly over states. I spoke with a man from San Francisco, how disappointed he was with the deterioration of that beautiful city. Two high school football players from Frankford, Tennessee, were among the four bus loads that drove all night to be here. I met a proud grandmother with her daughter and grandson who drove from Wisconsin, and many others. All were spirit-filled expressing their love of country and wanted to be here at the Nation’s Capital to experience this historic event.
Later, as I made my way up to the capital, I noticed there were no taxies, busses, or even the bicycle rickshaws that on other occasions were all about. Everywhere one went on this day was on foot. I saw hundreds of elderly men and women, some in wheelchairs, others slowly moving along pushing walkers. I recall seeing a frail husband and wife making their way across the frozen field. Again, I saw on them the face of fear and determination I had witnessed so many years ago. I could see in their eyes, living long lives of happiness and sorrows, their love of this country, ‘The spirit of 76’ These are brave and heroic people but will not make the news.
They made it through a tough day of cold blistering wind, no accommodations, restrooms, or assistance in any way. They didn’t come because someone told them to, they didn’t come seeking a job or favor. They didn’t have any guidance or training, no issued equipment, food or water, no dust-off helicopters would rescue them, and yet they came in ‘Harm’s Way’ because they love this country.
For them, this band of valent elderly, truth seekers, we owe a debt of gratitude for their contribution to America, and we owe them more, we owe them and their children and their children’s children an honest open government, with honest and open elections.
As for what happened at the Capital Building, I could only see from a distance. However, on our bus there were a few people that did get inside, with the blessing of the Capital Police waving them in. Perhaps in a later time I can fill in some details. Let me be clear about on thing. Of the hundreds of thousands of flag waving, Trump supporting Americans, not even one of them, did I see expressing anything but respect and love of our great country.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.