REPORT FROM THE FRONT
The Vietnam Veterans against Kerry demonstration at the DNC.

July 29, 2004

Wow! This was my first experience of Political Theater since the Vietnam War. There I was in the van holding one side of a huge “Hanoi Jane/Hanoi John” banner shouting HO HO, HO CHI KERRY followed by a couple hundred of my brother Vietnam Vets and their supporters, including my own wife and nine year old daughter Barbara Jeannette.

My wife later excitedly described the excitement she felt chanting along with the guys while carrying a VETERANS AGAINST KERY sign and the pride she felt as our little daughter did the same.

Earlier that afternoon I was working in the office listening, as is my want, to Howie Carr on WRKO. In my mind Howie is a saint in the Pantheon of the Defenders of Liberty along with President Reagan and Rush Limbaugh. I was listening to my brother vets calling in about the evening’s planned demonstration and I knew I had to support them. I called my wife prepared to argue about why I had to go and, to my surprise, she said she wanted to come along and bring our little daughter too.

We marched into that den of insanity known as THE CAGE and things really got hot. Why are anarchists so homely? Any way, I was interviewed on camera by both CNN and the local ABC station. I actually had nine and a half seconds on the eleven o’clock news on channel 5.

The genesis of the CNN interview was kind of amusing. I was arguing with an anarchist agreeing that we needed a lot more parties so more different ideas could be expressed politically when I noticed this cute Asian girl following our debate intently. As any real vet would do, I dropped the anarchist and started to flirt with her. She responded by asking me if I wanted to be interviewed on camera.

After an exhilarating half hour or so we marched back to our assembly point at Bowdoin Square outside the Kerry Campaign headquarters. We must’ve had a million video and still pictures taken of us and I thought we’d be all over the papers.

At our wrap-up the Demonstration Organizer thanked us all warmly and acknowledged my daughter as an official member of our band of brothers. Her little chest swelled with pride. She later allowed as this was the most exciting day of her life. Typical of my family, our next thought was to get some ice cream and we headed off to Charles Street by 7:45 PM.

Listen guys, tonight is THE NIGHT. The brothers will gather again at 5:45 tonight at Bowdoin Square. I invite all veterans and their supporters who read these words to be there. I loved. My wife loved it. My daughter really loved it, and we just might make a difference in this, THE MOST IMPORTANT ELECTION OF OUR LIVES!