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| Gathering of Eagles Action Report |
| 2007-03-18 |
| Note: I know I link a couple of external picture links, I apologize but I'm a little tired yet and I will try to be a good RB'er in the future! This is my first hand account so the link is to Michelle Malkin's site who has a great roundup of pictures and reports (She was there also). ;) It was a dangerous exhausting trek to get from New York to Washington DC for the Gathering of Eagles. The weather was determined to drive off all but the most stawart. Snow, sleet, hail, flooding, freezing rain in the dark of night. Cars wrecked and spun out, eighteen wheelers overturned, road signs virtually obliterated with the cold rime of side blast from snow plows. The rest of my crew had departed earlier in a van, but I was driving down alone in my trusty jeep. Time and the weather were my enemies. We had all agreed to meet at the Huntington Station in Alexandria, VA at 0700, March 17th and it was going to be an Olympian task for me to make that rendezvous. Departing Long Island at 0100 I had one advantage, the traffic had died to a mere trickle, few were insane enough to hazard the roads. The conditions were bad on Long Island, but were considerably worse on Staten Island and then reached the absolute pits in New Jersey. This was not a trip I would have considered making in any vehicle less than a four wheel drive with all terrain tires. The most nerve wracking point for anyone else would have been passing a long line of cars trailing a brace of snow plows who were plowing the left and center lanes and throwing a huge plume of snow into the right lane. I had to pass all those cars on the left and then pass the lead car, swing into the snow piled right lane and drive through the plume at about fifty miles an hour. Let me tell you driving into a horizontally moving, virtually solid wall of snow is....exciting! But pass it safely I did and continued as fast as I safely could southwards. I made just one pit stop, in Southern Jersey to refuel and quick pit stop to releive a bladder. Total elapsed time...8 minutes. Back to the road. The glow of lights from cities and towns was starkly evident on the low cloud deck. The rain/sleet started to ebb and by the time I reached the Baltimore/Washington Pkwy the overcast had cleared and I could see stars to the East. Now exhaustion was my enemy. Going on 24 hours with no sleep I began to notice myself losing focus. Open the window, get a blast of fresh air, pop an Altoids breath mint, breath deeply to oxygenate the blood, light up a cigarette, drink some water, anything to keep me more alert. Jump onto the beltway, swing over the toll bridge to Alexandria. I can't believe it I'm almost there with ten minutes to spare. Ooops! wrong turn! now I'm lost in the streets of Alexandria. I spot a Holiday Inn and pull up to the lobby. The desk clerk gives me excellent if long directions how to get to the Metro station. Another quick pit stop and then off to the Huntington Metro. 0701, I'm here! Ok, but where is everyone else? Out comes the cell phone... They Overslept?!?!?! They had arrived at my cousin's house in Maryland (who had put them up overnight) at 0430 (having departed Long Island at 2000). They forgot to bring an alarm clock and luckily someone had woken at 6:30 and got them moving. Ok, so I'll have to wait a bit, best to put that time to use. I ask how tall my brother's van is, oops, too tall to fit into the Metro garage. So I drive around the station looking at different entrances and happen to run into an employee checking the parking booths. 7' is maximum clearance on this side, he says, and 6.5' on the other side. Remembering that I had Google mapped an aerial view of the station which seemed to show open air packing I asked him about it. Oh, yeah, he says, there is an open air lot behind the station, up on the hill. I asked for directions (Believe me driving around the 'back' of the station is no where near as simple as it sounds) and then took off on a steep curving road that led to a Transit Police station and a nice open air parking field. Cool! I get back on the cell phone fill in the crew and make arrangements to meet at a 7-11 near the station. 0745, the van rolls into the 7-11 parking lot and after Coffee and donuts we drive around to the lot, prepare our gear and march into the Metro. Some local folks answer our questions about where to switch trains and we meet a vet on his way to the GOE. He advises us that there are no bathroom facilities on any of the Metros and the best idea was to go to the Arlington Cemetery Visitor's Center when we reach the stop. We take his advice. None of the escalators in the Metro station are working so it is a long slog upstairs and then a decent hike to the Visito's Center. Then back past the Metro station, around the traffic circle and across the Arlington Bridge. The sun is shining brightly and a strong wind is blowing, but the bridge is spotlessly clean and we meet a few more vets heading to the rally. We set up alongside the Lincoln Memorial nearly opposite the ANSWER loadspeaker tower. There are plenty of vets here, but no where near as many as are at the Constitution Gardens site by the Wall. The ANSWER people are playing lots of music interspersed with various rants "Chicago is in the house, Mexico is in the house, Iran is in the house, etc...". Our side counters with "U - S - A!", "What do we want...VICTORY! When do we want it...NOW!". Believe me it is tough to shout over the sound towers they have! I have the hoarse voice today to prove it! There were a lot of leather motorcycle jackets in evidence (Rolling Thunder, Patriot Guard Riders, various military vet motorcycle clubs, etc...) but there are even more plain folks just come to stand up for our troops and country. At one point my brother and I walked over to Constitution Gardens where the main assemble area was. My first impression was the huge number of flags! The second was of the mud! It was tough walking through there as the mud tried to suck the boots off your feet. We stayed for the tribute to the Wall and then made our way back to our post on the Licoln Memorial Wall for the "Moonbats on Parade" portion of the festivities. We had set up on the grass (also muddy but not as bad as Constitution Gardens) but with pending march of the Moonbats to the Arlington Bridge we moved our gear right up to the retaining wall that runs around the Llincoln Memorial. For those not familiar with the area the Lincoln Memorial is on land which slopes down toward the Potomac River. The Memorial itself is surrounded by a cricle of land which slopes gently from the top of a retaining wall surrounding the perimeter up to the Memorial itself. The retaining wall is about four feet tall from the sidewalk and about two feet wide at the top. We move our gear toward the wall and then found positions atop the wall itself with a commanding view of the street and march route. Below us the sidewalk was two to four deep with Eagles and this crowd extended from the front of the memorial to the rear opposite the Arlington Bridge. We were about midway. See this photo. We are the cluster of flags in the center with the yellow 'Don't Tread on Me" flag. As the Moonbat Circus started marching past we responded to some of their taunts and then began singing our own chant: Good Bye, Commies! Good Bye, Commies! Good Bye, Commies! We're glad to see you go!!! Looosers! Which seemed to get under their skin a bit. The last line was sung like the Nestle's dog sang 'chocolate' in their commercials, while we held our hands at our foreheads in the 'Loser' sign (Fingers vertical, thumb horizontal across the forehead). Those taking photos seemed to get a kick out of our antics and many pictures were taken. We sang this to every new group that came past. See this photo with me giving the 'Loser' salute. After the circus ended we packed up our gear and followed the Moonbats route across the Arlington Bridge. It was eye-opening to see the mess they left behind. The bridge which had been spotless and prisitine in the morning was littered with debris, discarded signs, commie newspapers (even a half full box of those!) and various other bits of trash. We saw the Vets with their great sign at the traffic circle on the other side and had another picture taken by some Virginia High School students who were there to witness the day's events. Then back to the Metro (escalators still not working), repack the vehiicles and start back on the long trek to NY. We stopped at a rest area in Maryland to grab a bite to eat and almost half the people there were Eagles laughing, eating and resting. At the end of the long drive (caravaning this time) I arrived home about 2200 Saturday night having had about ten-fifteen minutes of sleep since Thursday night. It was a great trip, enjoyable and meaningful for all who attended. I hope that there will be more like this to provide a reliable and visible counterpoint to the negativism of the Press and Moonbats. Would I do it again? You bet! |
| Posted by:Shinetle Phaiting9877 |
| #16 Well done, Eagles! |
| Posted by: Mike 2007-03-18 22:58 |
| #15 MARINE ONE also flew overhead at one point! There could be no way all those flags couldn't be seen. Yes, Marine One flew over early on, but more precisely it flew by following the Potomac westward. I have no idea if POTUS was on board, but yes, the flags in the Constitution Gardens and around the Lincoln Memorial should have been visible from the air. |
| Posted by: DanNY 2007-03-18 22:24 |
| #14 Yeah, you found one of my typos. I meant to say drawbridge. Sorry for the confusion. |
| Posted by: DanNY 2007-03-18 22:21 |
| #13 Toll bridge to Alexandria? I thought the only tolls around here are on the Dulles Toll Road/Greenway, and the Baltimore bridges and tunnels. |
| Posted by: Eric Jablow 2007-03-18 21:04 |
| #12 Dang it. I looked for the Don't Tread on Me flag, but the only person I saw said he had come alone, and not from New York. I drove up from Columbia, SC. I didn't meet anybody famous (like Michelle Malkin or Smash) but I had a great time. Made me proud to be a veteran, and an American. I did not get to actually visit the wall, because I had a backpack. I definitely plan to go back - I have two schoolmates on the wall. |
| Posted by: Rambler 2007-03-18 19:15 |
| #11 From Dallas, TX, good work East Coast Eagles! |
| Posted by: Ho Chi Glager5496 2007-03-18 18:26 |
| #10 Thank you, DanNY. Somehow the news and pictures will trickle back to the guys over there, and they aren't doing this alone. I wonder if the NY Post would be interested in running your well-written, eye-witness report? Seriously, you ought to submit it! |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2007-03-18 18:25 |
| #9 #5 & 6: "Needless to say, I am very dissapointed in NPR this weekend." As opposed to their news "coverage" the rest of the time, Sgt. Mom? |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2007-03-18 17:10 |
| #8 Thanks Dan, you sent me out on a journey through the Internet for all the reports. What a day! I had tears, just sitting in front of my computer reading and viewing! I especially like this comment from a post I just read at Free Republic, in a post relaying a telephone conversation with one that was there: MARINE ONE also flew overhead at one point! There could be no way all those flags couldn't be seen. And I loved the way our vets and others are referred to as "Eagles." |
| Posted by: Sherry 2007-03-18 16:55 |
| #7 "Can you hear me now???!!!" |
| Posted by: Sgt. Mom 2007-03-18 15:46 |
| #6 Didn't hear a word about this on NPR this morning... yesterday there had been a story about the protest, where the protesters interviewed were represented to be Christians. Not a word about a counter-protest, not a word about any other protesters. Needless to say, I am very dissapointed in NPR this weekend. Talk about sending certain stories down the memory hole... |
| Posted by: Sgt. Mom 2007-03-18 15:45 |
| #5 Didn't hear a word about this on NPR this morning... yesterday there had been a story about the protest, where the protesters interviewed were represented to be Christians. Not a word about a counter-protest, not a word about any other protesters. Needless to say, I am very dissapointed in NPR this weekend. Talk about sending certain stories down the memory hole... |
| Posted by: Sgt. Mom 2007-03-18 15:44 |
| #4 Thanks, Dan! Great to have an "on-site" report that will NEVER make it into the pages or script of the MSM. Our "mainstream media" is an enemy of a free people, and needs to be dealt with as such. Thank God for the Internet (screw algore and his piehole spewing). |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2007-03-18 15:35 |
| #3 Hey, DanNY, I got there a bit late, but did look for you, finding a Dan from Virginia! |
| Posted by: Bobby 2007-03-18 15:28 |
| #2 Heh, told you I was tired! That is actually my posting. I didn't realize my cookie wasn't set. |
| Posted by: DanNY 2007-03-18 14:20 |
| #1 Thanks Shinetle and God Bless you. For giggles I checked out the Minneapolis, Saint Paul TV news stations. Not one mentioned your efforts. No suprise but here's why From NewsBusters I almost fainted. Gathering of Eagles' web site reports that they were told by the National Park Service that their GoE estimate is ..... is ..... 30,000 GoE's site is also saying that the protester counts being reported elsewhere were 5,000 to 10,000 (the Times reported "thousands" and WaPo said "several thousand," but both papers acknowledged that the protester turnout was much lower than at a similar event in January). Bottom line: GoErs outnumbered protesters at least three to one. Remember what you just read here and will read at the center-right blogs, because you probably won't see this "turnout rout," which as far as I can tell is unprecedented, reported in the Formerly Mainstream Media. Way to go. Wish I could have joined you folks! Videos here |
| Posted by: Icerigger 2007-03-18 14:07 |
