Rolling Thunder (On C-SPAN 7-10 Eastern)

C-SPAN

[leadpenny]

On Now.

Rolling Thunder Gathering

[leadpenny]

Jan Scruggs will be on in about 15 minutes.

[leadpenny]

I wonder if anyone else just caught Jan Scruggs? I didn't know anything about this but I understand there has been a Bill before Congress to build an Education Center near the Wall. At least three time Senator Phil Gramm of Texas has stopped it. Scruggs repeatedly challanged Gramm to a debate on C-SPAN. According to Scruggs, there is some kind of personal vendetta that Gramm has against Scruggs.

[NerdDad]

I did catch some of Mr. Scruggs' comments. It is incomprehensible why the senator would block this bill. I would truly like to hear an answer.

I'm going to throw something out here for a vet or maybe a psych to answer. I'm 43 and an AF vet. Too young to have gone to VN but did have a brother there. I would love to have someone who could explain why this war is so raw to me, even now. Why do I have so much emotional attachment to this war that I can't seem to get past?

[leadpenny]

Thanks for your service, my friend. I wish I had an answer for you. I was just talking to a friend of mine at the Wall yesterday. He served during Nam but stayed stateside. I was telling him how I believe most vets have some type of survival guilt. Everyone reacts differently to it. When I was in Vietnam in 67 and 69/70 I would get a different kind of guilt. When I lost someone I knew I would get this horrible feeling that I knew something I was not supposed to know. I always figured it was because I knew the family would not be notified for 48-72 hours and I already knew. I've talked to others who had the same feeling.

[harpu]

Thanks for the HU. I'm watching right now.

[Carrowsboy]

Gramm dodged the draft with (at least) 5 deferrments according to Scruggs. I agree with him in that it is aterrible slap in the face to our men who served bravely.

[leadpenny]

Sure would like to know what is behind this. Scruggs was really animated. I believe he said the funds would be raised through donations and that Lott, Daschle, McCain, Hagel and a majority of the Senate was for it until Gramm killed through a unanamous consent order. Gramm leaves at the end of this term and Scruggs seems to think the Education Center will be built but still wants to publicly confront Gramm. I'm sure we will be hearing more about the Scruggs/Gramm flap in the future.

[harpu]

The 'rest of the story' is that as a part of the bill that Gramm objected to - was a permanent freeze to the addition of any other monuments (ie; Reagan) in the same general area where the expansion to the Vietnam Vets was being proposed.

Gramm is not opposed to the expansion of the VV memorial he just wants the ancillary BS removed from the proposed bill - first.

[leadpenny]

Thanks. Now I wonder if Scruggs is ignorant of this or just chose to omit it from his outburst. Maybe HE is playing politics. I have to say that the Education Center he described sounded like a good thing.

[SR71A]

Rolling Thunder XV bump.

Attended the rally at the Wall on Sunday -- most impressive. Many beautiful motorcycles, and lots of refreshing patriotism in the air. Rather hard on the hearing, though. :)

The Compost (WP) this morning (Monday) noted that this was the most highly attended of the 15 rallies, a good sign. Let's break the record again next year!

[leadpenny]

Glad to hear you had a great time. I was down there on Sat with Jimmy Valentine's brother. Decided to visit the wall in the wee hours of Sunday morning. Had the place to myself except for a few vets who were sanctifying the place with the aroma and smoke from some kind of vegetable matter. Reminded me of Nam. I rode in V and VI. Hope you can make it to some future DC FReep. BTW, what's your ride?

[SR71A]

Hope you can make it to some future DC FReep. BTW, what's your ride?

(Blushing):

Actually, my "ride" was the Metro system. :)

Don't own a motorcycle, and, from the looks of some of those I saw, I couldn't afford one! I saw a couple that looked like the paint job cost more than the Harley...

[leadpenny]

No need to blush. I'm the one who needs to apologize for assuming you were on a 'scooter.' I ride, and I go to the wall now and then, but one really has nothing to do with the other. I have a 4th ID patch on the back of my helmet and Army Aviator wings on the front. That's it. I miss my fallen brothers and I pray for those still missing. Others do the same with much fanfare. Thanks for being there, and hope to meet you someday. Watch for DC FReeps.

[JoeGar]

I rode. It was huge. I was in the middle of the pack. My bike exited the Pentagon parking lot two hours after bikes began filing out at noon. I imagine the last bikes left the parking lot about 3:30 p.m.

Two spectators along the way made me curious. I wish I could have stopped to ask them their story: (1) There was an attractive middle-aged woman cheering wildly at everyone who passed. What's her story? Loss of a father? Loss of a brother? Just patriotic? (2) There was a cheering man holding aloft a flag folded into a triangle. I assume the flag was presented to him due to the loss of a loved one. A father? Brother? Son? I dunno.

[leadpenny]

Thanks for being there. There is nothing like it. After riding in two RT's, I think it was VII when a friend and I rode in from Manassas or Dumfries and then peeled off at the Pentagon. We then picked a good vantage point on Constitution and wathed 'em go by. I highly recommend doing it that way, also.