Before we stood our post, Cammie and I were hanging around as the set up team put names on the chairs in front of the stage. Impressive names - Pelosi, Powell, Casey, and many others. Since we were new members of the team, I sensed that they didn't trust us to get the right names on the right chairs, so we ended up doing nothing for a few minutes before somebody directed us to the stage where Brad Paisley was warming up. I don't want you country fans to be jealous, but we were so close to Brad, we could tell you what flavor of chewing gum he was chewing. I knew who Brad is, I have heard his songs, but I think he won me over as a fan just last night. The kid can really sing and he tried to speak to every military person in uniform he saw. After he ran through his set and the cameras figured out how to shoot the stage with a crowd around it, we left the stage to get our event briefing.
Our briefing was long and detailed, but the message was really this - get the right people to the right place and don't accidentally insult any of them or walk in front of a live camera. This was going to be tough duty for me.
Cammie and I were posted under the supervision of our neighbor, Bob. The three of us were positioned at a public exit that doubled as the handicap entrance. The set up for last year's concert was different and I believe that is why the staff correctly assumed some of the wayward VIPs would enter our gate. The guests of the National Symphony Orchestra were supposed to enter there and one of their representatives completed Team Bob. We did a very informal coordination brief with the Capital Police which established that somebody with a gun on their hip would turn away folks who were not supposed to enter and one of Team Bob would escort wayward VIPs to the correct entrance whether it be the NSO gate or the VIP registration. The Capital Police ran a tight ship, but we did see one infiltrator stop and put on a back brace just before entering. That young lady didn't need that back brace unless she had sprained it while sun-bathing on the lawn minutes earlier.
Before we got busy, I checked our water supply at the outside gate and went to the nearest facilities to prepare myself for a long stretch without a bathroom. You would think as long as I have been around that I would know the protocol for every situation, but I found a new one. What is the proper thing to do when the National Anthem plays while you are in a porta potty? I found myself in (dark green) conundrum, so I quickly exited and assumed the appropriately respectful posture for the Star Spangled Banner. Then, halfway through, I lost all confidence that I had zipped my pants and I had to check. I was good and I don't think anybody noticed me.
So, as the concert approached, we began to get a few guests at our gate. Two of the first VIPs who came through our gate were two Gold Star Widows who were there with the TAPS program (http://www.taps.org/). As I walked the two ladies to the proper entrance, I offered to carry the baby that the very young widow was carrying. She declined and said that the little girl behaved a little unpredictably with men because she missed her daddy. Nothing gets your mind right for Memorial Day like a six month old little girl in her mother's arms who will never see her daddy again. Luckily, there was enough sweat around my eyes to camouflage anything else that might have appeared. As the mom prepared to go through the security gate, I couldn't resist reaching out and touching the little girl on the arm and smiling at her. She smiled back and I said a quick prayer that somebody on this earth would watch over her on her father's behalf.
I walked back to my post and was really thankful that we had drawn this gate. We weren't greeting celebrities, but the real VIPs of Memorial day. I had not been back long with a large group of older ladies dressed in white showed up. These were the Gold Star Mothers. What a great group of ladies! I escorted them all the way into the concert area and we arranged to bypass the registration table because several of the Vietnam mothers had a hard time walking, but they never complained. They were the age of my late grandmothers and they were a hoot, just like my grandmothers! The ladies were very excited that they saw Joe Montegna as they entered and let me know that he always visited with them during these concerts. They were huge fans of Joe, as am I, but more so today after learning that he is such a fan and supporter of the Gold Star Moms. If you watched the concert, you may have seen the Gold Star Moms all in white in some of the camera shots. If you know any of these ladies, tell them they are a national treasure!
The next VIPs I escorted in were a Gold Star family. I don't know remember their names, but they were a great bunch of folks, too. As I carried them in to registration, Gary Sinise was standing right by us. I pointed him out to the young daughters of the family. "Who?" they asked. Gary Sinise, you know, LT Dan. "He dances." No, LT Dan, the CSI NY guy. OHHHH, the CSI NY guy. They turned to tell one of the adult ladies that they had just seen the CSI NY guy and she began to interrogate me. She had walked right by him without noticing and was completely beside herself. So, I made one wrong turn on the way to registration to give them the best chance to see him again, but he had already stepped into his trailer. The lady was crestfallen and made me promise to tell Gary Sinise that she "hearts him." Luckily, I think she got to meet him at the reception afterward and I was off the hook. It struck me is that the teenagers had no idea who LT Dan is. Is Forrest Gump ancient history already?
While I was escorting this family in, two more VIPs showed at our gate. Two Medal of Honor recipients entered and Cammie escorted them to the proper gate. I regret that we did not get their names, but I spotted the distinctive medals from a couple hundred meters away and made a straight line to them. In a normal military setting, I would have saluted the men, but since I was not in uniform or on duty, I shook their hands and told them it was an honor to meet them. I was really overcome with gratitude for all these heroes and VIPs I had met. They all made a great effort to thank me and the others for helping them get to the right place - we should have been thanking them -just great people.
Another great guy I saw entering the concert is Dennis Haysbert. I met him briefly in Baghdad and found him to be more impressive in person than on TV. When I first met him, I told him he was my favorite president and in the spirit of Ronald Reagan, I think maybe he should take a run at the White House in real life.
After the concert started, we were relieved from our post and were able to join the crowd. We ended up sitting in front of several of the people we had escorted in and can attest that they all really enjoyed the concert.
While we were watching the concert, we got to see Colin Powell and several other dignitaries at close range. I believe they all did a great job of honoring our fallen comrades and I was deeply moved by the concert/memorial service. All of the celebrities at this event were a cut above the normal Hollywood crowd. I only heard good things about all of the "talent" at this event, including Lionel Richie. Since Cammie and I missed his first performance, we were thankful to see our favorite artist of the night sing America the Beautiful to close the show.
The end of the show was not the end, though. Security stopped me at the end of my row of chairs and had me wait. As I waited, they escorted Speaker Pelosi right by me. She was carrying a really cute little baby and I could have reached out and touched them both. Grandmother Pelosi seems to be a really likable person. I won't be less critical of the Speaker's politics in the future, but I am thankful for the respect she paid to our fallen as the senior representative of our government that night. She did not get the rock star quality reception from the crowd that Colin Powell and Brad Paisley received and I don't think she expected it, but she was there. That is something and I give her credit for that.
If you get a chance to watch the 2010 or future Memorial Day Capital concerts, I encourage you to do so. And, while watching, raise a glass and drink a toast to our fallen comrades and the loved ones they left behind. As we gather with former Geronimos today, we will take time to do that as well.
