Pentagon ceremony
Don Quixote on Feb 19 2008 at 6:20 pm | Filed under: Uncategorized
I’m up against a deadline and have no time to blog, but I thought you might find this interesting:
Friday Mornings at the Pentagon
By JOSEPH L. GALLOWAY, McClatchy Newspapers
Over the last 12 months, 1,042 soldiers, Marines, sailors and Air Force personnel have given their
lives in the terrible duty that is war. Thousands more have come home on stretchers, horribly wounded
and facing months or years in military hospitals.
This week, I’m turning my space over to a good friend and former roommate, Army Lt. Col. Robert
Bateman , who recently completed a yearlong tour of duty in Iraq and is now back at the Pentagon.
Here’s Lt. Col. Bateman’s account of a little-known ceremony that fills the halls of the Army corridor
of the Pentagon with cheers, applause and many tears every Friday morning. It first appeared on May 17 on the Weblog of media critic and pundit Eric Alterman at the Media Matters for America Website.
~~~~~
‘It is 110 yards from the ‘E’ ring to the ‘A’ ring of the Pentagon. This section of the Pentagon is
newly renovated; the floors shine, the hallway is broad, and the lighting is bright. At this instant
the entire length of the corridor is packed with officers, a few sergeants and some civilians, all
crammed tightly three and four deep against the walls. There are thousands here.
This hallway, more than any other, is the ‘Army’ hallway. The G3 offices line one side, G2 the other,
G8 is around the corner. All Army. Moderate conversations flow in a low buzz. Friends who may
not have seen each other for a few weeks, or a few years, spot each other, cross the way and renew.
Everyone shifts to ensure an open path remains down the center. The air conditioning system was not
designed for this press of bodies in this area.
The temperature is rising already. Nobody cares. ‘10:36 hours: The clapping starts at the E-Ring.
That is the outermost of the five rings of the Pentagon and it is closest to the entrance to the
building. This clapping is low, sustained, hearty. It is applause with a deep emotion behind it as it
moves forward in a wave down the length of the hallway.
‘A steady roll ing wave of sound it is, moving at the pace of the soldier in the wheelchair who marks the
forward edge with his presence. He is the first. He is missing the greater part of one leg, and some of
his wounds are still suppurating. By his age I expect that he is a private, or perhaps a private
first class.
‘Captains, majors, lieutenant colonels and colonels meet his gaze and nod as they applaud, soldier to
soldier. Three years ago when I described one of these events, those lining the hallways were
somewhat different. The applause a little wilder, perhaps in private guilt for not having shared in
the burden . yet.
‘Now almost everyone lining the hallway is, like the man in the wheelchair, also a combat veteran. This
steadies the applause, but I think deepens the sentiment. We have all been there now. The soldier’s
chair is pushed by, I believe, a full colonel.
‘Behind him, and stretching the length from Rings E t o A, come more of his peers, each private,
corporal, or sergeant assisted as need be by a field grade officer.
‘11:00 hours: Twenty-four minutes of steady applause. My hands hurt, and I laugh to myself at
how stupid that sounds in my own head. My hands hurt. Please! Shut up and clap. For twenty-four
minutes, soldier after soldier has come down this hallway - 20, 25, 30. Fifty-three legs come with
them, and perhaps only 52 hands or arms, but down this hall came 30 solid hearts.
They pass down this corridor of officers and applause, and then meet for a private lunch, at which they are the guests of honor, hosted by the generals. Some are wheeled along. Some insist upon getting out of their chairs, to march as best they can with their chin held up, down this hallway, through this most unique audience. Some are catching handshakes and smiling like a politician at a Fourth of July parade. More than a couple of them seem amazed and are smiling shyly.
‘There are families with them as well: the 18-year-old war-bride pushing her 19-year-old husband’s wheelchair and not quite understanding why her husband is so affected by this, the boy she grew
up with, now a man, who had never shed a tear is crying; the older immigrant Latino parents who have,
perhaps more than their wounded mid-20s son, an appreciation for the emotion given on their son’s
behalf. No man in that hallway, walking or clapping, is ashamed by the silent tears on more than a few
cheeks. An Airborne Ranger wipes his eyes only to better see. A couple of the officers in this crowd
have themselves been a part of this parade in the past.
These are our men, broken in body they may be, but they are our brothers, and we welcome them home. This parade has gone on, every single Friday, all year long, for more than four years.
‘Did you know that?
The media hasn’t yet told the story.,and probably never will.
DQ again. Does anyone have any first hand knowledge of this? I’d never heard of it and don’t even know if it’s true. Inspirational, if it is true.
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DQ again. Does anyone have any first hand knowledge of this? I’d never heard of it and don’t even know if it’s true. Inspirational, if it is true.
I have read the same article from a mil blog.
>>The media hasn’t yet told the story.,and probably never will.>>
http://www.dogpile.com/clickserver/_iceUrlFlag=1?rawURL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mcclatchydc.com%2Fgalloway%2Fstory%2F16478.html&0=&1=0&4=72.53.194.53&5=68.183.39.98&9=569718fdb66d43d98af941979673c801&10=1&11=info.dogpl&13=search&14=239138&15=main-title&17=3&18=7&19=0&20=1&21=2&22=76iAG5hmx%2FY%3D&23=0&40=RowvOICTk5V9gtZViq%2FSwQ%3D%3D&_IceUrl=true
If you follow the link, you’ll see that the publication date is May 23, 2007. If you read the entire article, you find at the end:
“These are our men, broken in body they may be, but they are our brothers, and we welcome them home. This parade has gone on, every single Friday, all year long, for more than four years.”—(Copyright 2007 by Robert Bateman; reprinted here by permission.)”
For more than four years. So you’re right. They probably never will.
Like Y, I’d seen this before as well, and as I recall, it included a part about Donald Rumsfeld. Maybe on Mudville Gazette… but Mudville used to include links to so many sources, that it could have been almost anywhere. If I wanted to find the original, I’d probably start searching Robert Bateman, I suppose.
Just for the heck of it, I did a search. Found a good bit about Bateman, including a Wipipedia entry! However, this article below caught my interest, and DQ, if you’re interested, at the bottom of the article there’s an email address for RBateman…so if you want that “first hand knowledge”, have at it!
http://www.concernedjournalists.org/print/1082
I asked on Blackfive’s comment section, with a link here, DQ.
These are their responses.
http://www.blackfive.net/main/2008/02/on-coming-home.html
I asked on Blackfive’s comment section, with a link here, DQ.
These are their responses.
I forgot that I had posted two links. So the link to Blackfive’s comment section is in the moderated version of my comment.