On Memorial Day, the Vietnam Memorial in D.C. is supposed to look like this: [photo of people paying their respects at the wall.] Instead, for seven long hours, it looked like this: [Several secret service guys standing shoulder to shoulder keeping people away from the wall.] Obama’s Secret Service shut down the memorial for most of the day as families and veterans who had come to pay their respects to fallen loved ones were forced to stay hundreds of feet away. Why? So that the Narcissist-in-Chief could show up for 15-minute speech and photo-op with his carefully selected fans in the audience. [Picture of Obama speaking] In his campaign speech remarks, Obama made sure to mention that: “As long as I’m president, we will make sure you and your loved ones will receive the benefits you’ve earned and the respect you deserve,” Obama said. “ America will be there for you.” Wow. How did our veterans ever get their benefits before the benevolent Obamessiah came to office? Is that his argument for why they should vote for him? Because their benefits are only available “as long as I’m president?” Perhaps he’s hoping they’ll forget that he suspended hazard pay for deployed U.S. troops, terminated 157 Air Force Majors without retirement benefits, and proposed a budget that would cut healthcare benefits for active duty and retired US military while protecting union benefits. [picture of the first lady with the president... both appear to be scowling and clapping their hands.] Brian Trubee left this comment on Weasel Zippers: I just received this e-mail from a brother in arms who I served with as a USAF pararecueman. A link to his e-mail is at the bottom of the message. I deleted the photos because the server rejected them. -Brian Trubee, Redmond, Washington.: I am currently in Washington DC and witnessed the following. I saw this first hand and I bet you won’t hear about this from the Liberal media… Vietnam veterans and the families of Vietnam veterans killed in action whose names are etched on the Wall were denied access to their memorial today, of all days, Memorial Day. The Vietnam Memorial was shutdown, cleared and secured for approximately 5 hours prior to Obama, his cronies and hand picked veterans for a 15 minute appearance by Obama. It’s obvious it was all for show. After all, this is an election year. Hundreds if not thousands of Vietnam veterans and families of Vietnam veterans killed in Vietnam stood in disbelief as Secret Service, Park Police, Washington, DC Police, etc., blocked all access to the Vietnam Memorial and kept everyone approximately 100 yards away from their memorial for the first time in the history of the Memorial so Obama could get some photos of him at the Wall. Veterans in uniforms stood in the heat angered as Obama makes them wait. It was a photo op at their expense and families of those killed in Vietnam. As I stated, I was there and witnessed all of this. Many veterans and others flipped Obama the finger as his motorcade drove past. I didn’t honor him with a finger salute because I was busy holding up my 3′x5′ Don’t Tread on Me Flag as his motorcade drove past. On another note, I was able to dedicate some port-o potties to Jane Fonda. Pictures attached. Maybe Obama should share this honor with Jane Fonda henceforth. - Jim Morris Kristinn at Free Republic confirms the story: So this is how Obozo honors those who served….I just had this passed on from a friend who was at the wall this morning: I normally try to avoid political statements, but this one is a bit different. This was received by Colonel Wayne Morris just a few moments ago, who was refused access to the Vietnam War Memorial, where he has visited his fallen comrades for the last 15 years. Today is Memorial Day and I went to the Vietnam Memorial and something happened there that upset me greatly and I want to pass it on. For over 15 years I had been going with my dear Marine buddy, Larry Cullen. Since he passed away last year and was interned at Arlington Cemetery , I went this year accompanied by my grandson, Cameron. I had my list of Recon Marines, school classmates, and Larry’s fallen buddies to visit but, as we got close to the area of the National Mall where the Wall is located, we saw huge white tents. We also saw barricades all along Constitution Ave and for a couple blocks in each direction from the Wall. They even closed down all of Constitution Av from the Lincoln Memorial all the way to the WW-II Memorial and there was a virtual army of uniformed and plain-clothes security everywhere. The biggest tent was right at the west end of the Wall entrance and there was a covered walkway leading right up to The Wall. It was so close, you couldn’t get to the Wall on that side so, my grandson and I went all the way around to the eastern entrance to the Wall and walked down along the Wall to the first of my names and I began telling my grandson about my buddies and how each one died. In short order, a guy in a dark suit and earpiece in his ear told us we had to leave as it was 0730 and they were closing Memorial until at least 1400 so the President could drop by. I asked if he was serious and he assured me he was. We and all the other veterans and families were forced to leave and it was locked down. The Vietnam Memorial is the most visited site on the entire National Mall. Memorial Day has more visitors to the Vietnam Memorial than almost any other day. Even at the rather early hour Cameron and I were there, there were a lot of veterans and family members down there. In the midst of all that, Obama decides to close it for over seven hours just so he can roll by for 30 minutes in the afternoon for a campaign appearance with Democrats, supporters, and campaign donors? This is an incredulously arrogant, egotistical, and inconsiderate thing to do. What in hell was Obama thinking? Hey President Obama: Since you ran me (and all the other veterans and family members) out of the Memorial before we finished our business there, how about doing me a favor. If you can take a short break from all the grippin’, grinnin’, posin’ and pontificatin’, how about taking a minute or two to stop by and say hello to my fellow Recon Marines and other classmates on the Wall. I suspect you’ll be too busy with photo ops, campaigning, and stroking donors to be troubled with a couple minutes doing what the Memorial was built for but, just in case, here’s a list so you can have your man find them and point them out to you. Hope you have a Meaningful Memorial Day. Joseph J. JONES; 53-W-02 Sherwood David Kreis, 42-W-40 Dale Kagebein, 34-W-50 Jerry Bock, 25-W-95 Larry Daniels, 09-E- 66 Joe Mack Kemp, 09-E-69 Rhonda L. Raglan, 09-E-70 Robert L. Studards, 09-E-71 Jose D. Flores, 09-E-74 Arthur Willie Greene, 14-E-56 Eric Barnes, 17-E-41 Godfried Blankenship, 17-E-48 Michael Ray Smith, 19-E-113 Ervin Lovell, 19-E-120 William D. Martin, 25-E- 87 Michael L. Laporte, 26-E-1 Ronald Frederick Kitzke, 32-E-76 Charles Harris, 34-E-48 Robert Tracy, 34-E-72 Michael G. Murdock, 36-E-57 Maybe it would have been better for everyone if Obama had just gone golfing like last year. Unfortunately, this is what veterans and their families have to suffer when Obama is in full campaign mode. No wonder a recent Gallup poll showed veterans prefer Mitt Romney to Obama, 58% to 34%. H/T Jan Weeks