America Supports You, Freedom. Walk.

I attempted to write something poetic about the importance of a proper and powerful monument. I was going to write about the simplicity of the Washington monument obelisk, its 2 different styles of stone and the complexity of Civil War. I was going to write about Lincoln’s alabaster eyes, the weight of the Gettysburg words and the reflecting pool. I was going to write about men walking amongst men in the Korean War memorial, or even the pencil rubbings at the Vietnam War memorial. I was going to write about the need for a mourning nation to find a proper way to memorialize its fallen, a way for the living to honor those that have walked before them. I couldn’t seem to find the right words, because it’s just too hard to write poetry when your country is writing a parody.

The “America Supports You Freedom Walk” felt as awkward as it sounds. Having forgotten to register before the 10am cutoff on Friday morning, my friends and I decided not to attempt and join the walk at the Pentagon, where it was rumored you would be removed from the Freedom Walk if you had not registered properly ahead of time. We assumed it would be cool to just join up with the walkers at the National Mall.

After entering through the security at the foot of the Lincoln Memorial, we were quickly ushered into the Public viewing area, nearly 300 yards away from the Clint Black concert. Surrounded by temporary fencing, we tried to make the best of it and enjoy the show (as if, I could enjoy a Clint Black show to begin with), but we really felt like second-class citizens sitting in coach. We briefly considered a scheme to scalp an official “America Supports You Freedom Walk” t-shirt and dog tags in order to join the fray, but instead we decided to call it a day.

Somebody told us we just missed Donald Rumsfeld walking through the crowd. We met a man who was carrying a hundred pound wooden cross on his shoulders around the reflecting pool; security wouldn’t let him bring it inside for the concert. The man told us he had also been walking around Sarasota, FL with the cross on September 11th, 2001 when the planes hit. Bush was in Sarasota, FL that morning, too. It was the only time all day I heard somebody talk about September 11th, 2001 at the Freedom Walk.

The last words Clint Black had to offer the crowd on this solemn day of remembrance was a prerecording of a Jeff Foxworthy joke: “You might be a redneck if you have a complete set of salad bowls and they all say Cool Whip on the side.” I had to laugh to keep from crying.

My words here were contributed to a piece written at the Campus Progress website.