Tom Kovach
The whine of hollow opinionism
Garrison Keillor could learn volumes from those that he derided
By Tom Kovach
As an active member of Rolling Thunder, I feel compelled to use this column to speak out on behalf of my brothers that do not have a published outlet somewhere. Rolling Thunder itself was conceived to give voice to people that have no way to get their stories out: the Prisoners of War and the Missing in Action from our American military operations around the world. Recently, syndicated columnist and radio entertainer Garrison Keillor mocked the men and women of Rolling Thunder by writing a column called, "The roar of hollow patriotism." He should've known better. Hopefully, this can set some of the record straight.
First of all, the "patriotic bike rally" to which Mr. Keillor referred was the 21st annual Rolling Thunder rally. It is not merely a rally. It is a protest event. Every year, military members and veterans — along with their families and supporters — ride their motorcycles to Washington, DC, to call our elected officials' attention to the POW-MIA issue by "making some noise" in a very visible and audible way. The collective sound of literally hundreds of thousands of motorcycles cannot be ignored. The original Rolling Thunder ride was such a success that it not only became an annual event, but it also became a nationwide, non-profit organization. The name comes from the Rolling Thunder bombing campaign that eventually brought the North Vietnamese government to the bargaining table, where the release of hundreds of POWs was negotiated. Unfortunately, testimony from those POWs, coupled with satellite intelligence, unsolicited reports from foreign nationals (especially Vietnamese and Laotian), reports from newly-immigrated American citizens (again, mostly from Vietnam and Laos), and even privately-funded excursions have proven that at least some POWs remained in captivity many years after the Vietnam War officially ended. (Some of those reports were of questionable reliability, but others are very reliable.) Even if there were only one American still missing or held captive, all of the efforts of Rolling Thunder and other POW-MIA activists would still be justified.
Keillor's column showed some notable lapses in understanding of very basic information about the POW-MIA issue, Rolling Thunder, and even about the essence of patriotism.
First, the flag (and the issue) is known as "POW-MIA," and not "MIA-POW." For those that can't read, there is even a classic drawing of a Prisoner of War on the flag itself. I would think that, after standing there on a street corner watching hundreds of thousands of such flags go by, Mr. Keillor could've at least learned by repetition the correct name of the flag.
Second, most of Mr. Keillor's patriotic references were stuck in World War Two. He seems blithely ignorant of the fact that every war — including our current wars — produces prisoners of war. America did not stop producing "infantrymen crouched behind piles of rubble steeling themselves for the next push" after the sun went down on V-J Day. If he had bothered to do even a modicum of research before writing his whiny column, Mr. Keillor might have discovered not only that many of Rolling Thunder's members are combat veterans, but also that some are also former Prisoners of War themselves. Our own chapter membership includes a man that was a POW during World War Two!
Keillor even had the audacity to write that, "... you think maybe we could airlift these gentlemen to Baghdad to show their support of the troops in a more tangible way." Hello! Many of our members have already done that. In our chapter alone, not only do we have Operation Iraqi Freedom veterans (from all Service branches), but we also have at least one member serving over there right now. How many times has Garrison Keillor been to Baghdad, or any other combat area, to offer up his support? Some of us have volunteered to go, but are precluded by military regulations that bar disabled veterans from returning to active duty. (I was kind to my local recruiter, and waited until 13 Sep 2001 to call, because I knew that his phone would be too busy on the 12th.) My 40 percent disability rating from a high-speed parachute malfunction precludes me from even being considered for any further military duty. But, if it were possible, I would've gladly signed a waiver. (Living in the Nashville area, I've even volunteered to go over as a "roadie" or a security team member for several country-music stars. They have been to combat areas, Mr. Keillor, and most of them have gone there for free!)
Now, regarding that remark about "fat men with ponytails on Harleys." Yes, some of us have survived to middle age, and have the accompanying spread. Yes, some of our members do have ponytails. Yes, most of our members do ride Harleys. But, now for a few facts. Many of us never thought we'd live to see age 30, much less fifty. Those men with ponytails came back from Vietnam with crew cuts, and were spit upon by "men" with ponytails. Those poor guys are still trying to fit into a society that rejected them for doing the very thing that society asked them to do. And, there is no requirement that a Rolling Thunder member even have a motorcycle, much less that it be a specific brand. Rolling Thunder was started by thousands of Vietnam combat veterans on motorcycles. But, it has grown beyond Vietnam, beyond only veterans, and way beyond motorcycles. Again, only a modicum of research would've revealed those facts to Mr. Keillor, had he bothered. Even though I did not go to Vietnam, I was spit upon in airports twice while serving during that era. Apparently, people like Mr. Keillor are still spitting.
Ironically, Garrison Keillor has made quite a lot of money (much of it from taxpayers, by the way, via National Public Radio) by telling Americana stories about patriotism and the power of an individual taking a stand on principle. Yet, right in front of him, there was a group of people taking time out of their holiday weekend to show their patriotism, make a stand, and thus fulfill the American Dream of making a difference. Instead of celebrating the members of Rolling Thunder, he chose to deride them — and without even properly identifying them.
Even while deriding both their actions and their motives, Mr. Keillor reveals some holes in his own little patriotic boat. After conjuring up images of "long moments of silence" for Memorial Day, Mr. Keillor describes his own Memorial Day activities as having centered on art galleries. I've walked all over the District of Columbia (even when I had to do it with a cane, on day trips during my six-week stay in Walter Reed hospital). Arlington Cemetery is walking distance from some of those art galleries. Did he go there? Did he offer up a "moment of silence" over the dead bodies with which his freedom of speech is paved? Did he stare up in awe at the amazing detail of the Iwo Jima Memorial? Did he read any of the names on the Vietnam Memorial Wall, or on the World War Two Memorial? Nope. He stared at a painting of a couple in a boat. And, it was not a couple of SEALs in a Zodiac boat, either. Even after deriding patriotic Americans for doing patriotic things, which stem from their patriotic military service, Mr. Keillor admits that his own Memorial Day activities revolved around escaping from reality.
Ironically, that is the only common thread between Garrison Keillor and Rolling Thunder. He spent his Memorial Day escaping from the humdrum reality of his pampered life. Members of Rolling Thunder spent their time and money to gather at our nation's capital, in hopes of helping Prisoners of War to someday escape from their reality.
I'll take the roar of our brand of patriotism over the whine of his brand any day.
© Tom Kovach
As an active member of Rolling Thunder, I feel compelled to use this column to speak out on behalf of my brothers that do not have a published outlet somewhere. Rolling Thunder itself was conceived to give voice to people that have no way to get their stories out: the Prisoners of War and the Missing in Action from our American military operations around the world. Recently, syndicated columnist and radio entertainer Garrison Keillor mocked the men and women of Rolling Thunder by writing a column called, "The roar of hollow patriotism." He should've known better. Hopefully, this can set some of the record straight.
First of all, the "patriotic bike rally" to which Mr. Keillor referred was the 21st annual Rolling Thunder rally. It is not merely a rally. It is a protest event. Every year, military members and veterans — along with their families and supporters — ride their motorcycles to Washington, DC, to call our elected officials' attention to the POW-MIA issue by "making some noise" in a very visible and audible way. The collective sound of literally hundreds of thousands of motorcycles cannot be ignored. The original Rolling Thunder ride was such a success that it not only became an annual event, but it also became a nationwide, non-profit organization. The name comes from the Rolling Thunder bombing campaign that eventually brought the North Vietnamese government to the bargaining table, where the release of hundreds of POWs was negotiated. Unfortunately, testimony from those POWs, coupled with satellite intelligence, unsolicited reports from foreign nationals (especially Vietnamese and Laotian), reports from newly-immigrated American citizens (again, mostly from Vietnam and Laos), and even privately-funded excursions have proven that at least some POWs remained in captivity many years after the Vietnam War officially ended. (Some of those reports were of questionable reliability, but others are very reliable.) Even if there were only one American still missing or held captive, all of the efforts of Rolling Thunder and other POW-MIA activists would still be justified.
Keillor's column showed some notable lapses in understanding of very basic information about the POW-MIA issue, Rolling Thunder, and even about the essence of patriotism.
First, the flag (and the issue) is known as "POW-MIA," and not "MIA-POW." For those that can't read, there is even a classic drawing of a Prisoner of War on the flag itself. I would think that, after standing there on a street corner watching hundreds of thousands of such flags go by, Mr. Keillor could've at least learned by repetition the correct name of the flag.
Second, most of Mr. Keillor's patriotic references were stuck in World War Two. He seems blithely ignorant of the fact that every war — including our current wars — produces prisoners of war. America did not stop producing "infantrymen crouched behind piles of rubble steeling themselves for the next push" after the sun went down on V-J Day. If he had bothered to do even a modicum of research before writing his whiny column, Mr. Keillor might have discovered not only that many of Rolling Thunder's members are combat veterans, but also that some are also former Prisoners of War themselves. Our own chapter membership includes a man that was a POW during World War Two!
Keillor even had the audacity to write that, "... you think maybe we could airlift these gentlemen to Baghdad to show their support of the troops in a more tangible way." Hello! Many of our members have already done that. In our chapter alone, not only do we have Operation Iraqi Freedom veterans (from all Service branches), but we also have at least one member serving over there right now. How many times has Garrison Keillor been to Baghdad, or any other combat area, to offer up his support? Some of us have volunteered to go, but are precluded by military regulations that bar disabled veterans from returning to active duty. (I was kind to my local recruiter, and waited until 13 Sep 2001 to call, because I knew that his phone would be too busy on the 12th.) My 40 percent disability rating from a high-speed parachute malfunction precludes me from even being considered for any further military duty. But, if it were possible, I would've gladly signed a waiver. (Living in the Nashville area, I've even volunteered to go over as a "roadie" or a security team member for several country-music stars. They have been to combat areas, Mr. Keillor, and most of them have gone there for free!)
Now, regarding that remark about "fat men with ponytails on Harleys." Yes, some of us have survived to middle age, and have the accompanying spread. Yes, some of our members do have ponytails. Yes, most of our members do ride Harleys. But, now for a few facts. Many of us never thought we'd live to see age 30, much less fifty. Those men with ponytails came back from Vietnam with crew cuts, and were spit upon by "men" with ponytails. Those poor guys are still trying to fit into a society that rejected them for doing the very thing that society asked them to do. And, there is no requirement that a Rolling Thunder member even have a motorcycle, much less that it be a specific brand. Rolling Thunder was started by thousands of Vietnam combat veterans on motorcycles. But, it has grown beyond Vietnam, beyond only veterans, and way beyond motorcycles. Again, only a modicum of research would've revealed those facts to Mr. Keillor, had he bothered. Even though I did not go to Vietnam, I was spit upon in airports twice while serving during that era. Apparently, people like Mr. Keillor are still spitting.
Ironically, Garrison Keillor has made quite a lot of money (much of it from taxpayers, by the way, via National Public Radio) by telling Americana stories about patriotism and the power of an individual taking a stand on principle. Yet, right in front of him, there was a group of people taking time out of their holiday weekend to show their patriotism, make a stand, and thus fulfill the American Dream of making a difference. Instead of celebrating the members of Rolling Thunder, he chose to deride them — and without even properly identifying them.
Even while deriding both their actions and their motives, Mr. Keillor reveals some holes in his own little patriotic boat. After conjuring up images of "long moments of silence" for Memorial Day, Mr. Keillor describes his own Memorial Day activities as having centered on art galleries. I've walked all over the District of Columbia (even when I had to do it with a cane, on day trips during my six-week stay in Walter Reed hospital). Arlington Cemetery is walking distance from some of those art galleries. Did he go there? Did he offer up a "moment of silence" over the dead bodies with which his freedom of speech is paved? Did he stare up in awe at the amazing detail of the Iwo Jima Memorial? Did he read any of the names on the Vietnam Memorial Wall, or on the World War Two Memorial? Nope. He stared at a painting of a couple in a boat. And, it was not a couple of SEALs in a Zodiac boat, either. Even after deriding patriotic Americans for doing patriotic things, which stem from their patriotic military service, Mr. Keillor admits that his own Memorial Day activities revolved around escaping from reality.
Ironically, that is the only common thread between Garrison Keillor and Rolling Thunder. He spent his Memorial Day escaping from the humdrum reality of his pampered life. Members of Rolling Thunder spent their time and money to gather at our nation's capital, in hopes of helping Prisoners of War to someday escape from their reality.
I'll take the roar of our brand of patriotism over the whine of his brand any day.
© Tom Kovach
The views expressed by RenewAmerica columnists are their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of RenewAmerica or its affiliates.
(See RenewAmerica's publishing standards.)
