Pres. Obama Blows Off Memorial Day Wreath-Laying Ceremony for Our Military to Go on Chicago Vacation… Rained Out at Illinois Ceremony
Posted By Vicki McClure Davidson on May 31, 2010
Arlington National Cemetery
As you likely know, the nation’s Commander in Chief went with his family to Chicago, his second vacation in the past month, over the Memorial Day weekend.
Rather than preside over the wreath laying at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (aka Tomb of the Unknowns) Memorial Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, as has been the tradition for the sitting president for decades, Pres. Obama decided to pass that duty off to VP Joe Biden.
Lagniappe: The Tomb of the Unknowns has been perpetually guarded since July 2, 1937 by the US Army. The 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (“The Old Guard”) began guarding the Tomb on April 6, 1948.
The Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery is also known as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Completed and opened to the public in 1932, it stands on top of a hill overlooking Washington, DC.
While he has been criticized for the past week on this by a number of media sources (including a few liberal sources), I’ll take the high road and give the president a tiny pass. He’s not the first to have the VP fill in at Arlington, although in 8 years, I don’t believe George W. Bush missed one wreath-laying ceremony. And the more liberal press tried with desperation to excuse him by reporting that he would preside over another Memorial Day ceremony at Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery in Elwood, about 50 miles from Chicago, while on his vacation.
However, things in Illinois didn’t go exactly as planned, as reported by The Washington Post, Obama’s plan for Memorial Day speech in Illinois wiped out by rain, lightning:
It has been years since President Obama attended a rally like the one that took place Monday night at Andrews Air Force Base: sparsely attended, thrown together at the last minute, involving people who were not expecting to be there.
Yet that’s what happened after a torrential downpour ruined well-laid presidential plans. Chased out of a Memorial Day service in Illinois by a fierce storm, Obama flew home to make remarks that he intended to deliver eight hours earlier. Instead of speaking in front of thousands, he addressed a small crowd of hastily summoned service members in a hangar.
Obama had planned to honor the holiday at Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery in Elwood, about 50 miles south of Chicago. But on a day of small calamities, he stepped onstage at the moment a thunderstorm started. Lightning flashed, and a torrent of heavy rain pelted thousands of visitors standing in an open field.
“Excuse me, everybody, listen up,” Obama said, taking over the microphone. “This may not be safe.” He advised the crowd to disperse, saying, “We don’t want anybody struck by lightning.”
It was not exactly the message Obama had hoped to deliver to military families.
Suddenly, the president — already facing some criticism for skipping the traditional Memorial Day service at Arlington National Cemetery — had no public forum for honoring the nation’s war dead.
Obama waited and waited in an administration building at the cemetery, hoping the rain would subside. Outside, sheets of rain knocked over a wreath he had placed at a cluster of tombstones.
His advisers quickly arranged for him to meet with some service members huddled inside crowded buses — a chance, at least, for him to deliver his thanks in private. He held another private meeting with veterans and their families a short time later at the Hines Fisher houses, a rehabilitation center outside Chicago.
On the way between the events, a sport-utility vehicle carrying White House advisers blew a tire, forcing the motorcade to a halt in the middle of the highway. No one was hurt.
From Chicago Tribune, Obama’s Memorial Day speech rained out:
A violent thunderstorm forced President Barack Obama to cancel his Memorial Day address Monday at Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery in Elwood, where he took to a rain-soaked stage and urged thousands of spectators to seek shelter.
The president, black umbrella in hand, told the crowd he would try to wait out the storm even as the sky darkened and lightning flashed.
“We are a little bit concerned about lightning,” he said. “This may not be safe. I know that all of you are here to commemorate the fallen. … What we’d like to do is, if possible, have people move back to their cars, and if this passes in the next 15 to 20 minutes, I’ll stick around.”
The White House said the president made the decision to halt the event, an assertion supported by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Matthew Burleson, an Illinois National Guardsman who was sitting to Obama’s immediate left in a tent with other dignitaries.
I’m guessing that the rain interfered with his golfing, too.
Earlier last week, Grand Junction Sentinel reported the following: Obamas to spend long holiday weekend in Chicago:
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama plans to spend a long holiday weekend in Chicago.
The White House says Obama and his family will travel to their hometown on Thursday and stay through the weekend. It will be their first trip back home since a visit for Valentine’s Day weekend in February 2009.
On Monday, Obama is scheduled to participate in a Memorial Day ceremony at Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery in Elwood, Ill.
In Obama’s absence, Vice President Joe Biden will participate in the customary wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery outside Washington.
Inquiring minds want to know: Will Obama make it back to DC for the Paul McCartney show at the White House?
From FOX News, Stressed Out or Tone Deaf? Obama Chicago Vacation Raises Eyebrows:
Presidents are never really off the clock, even when they go on vacation. But President Obama’s decision to skip the traditional Memorial Day ceremony in Arlington while on his second vacation since the BP oil spill began has some wondering what the schedule says about his priorities.
Each Memorial Day, gravestones at Arlington National Cemetery are graced by US flags
Additional:
Frugal Café Blog Zone: Best Memorial Day News Story: Sergeant Audie Murphy Club Welcomes New Inductee, Sgt. Holly Burke – Plus, Bio & Videos of Audie Murphy, Most Decorated WWII American Soldier and Memorial Day: God Bless Our Troops, God Bless America, & God Bless Bob Hope (video) and Memorial Day: Remember Our Fallen Military Heroes Who Gave Their Lives for Freedom (video) and “Feel Good” Video of the Week: Troops Returning Home, Surprise Their Loved Ones and CBS’ David Price Visits Troops in Iraq: “Feel Good Story of the Week” Award and Americans, Never Lose Sight of Our Heroes and Our Nation’s Greatness
Rick Richman, American Thinker: ABC Bashes Bush on Memorial Day
The Black Sphere: Obama’s Tribute on Memorial Day
Diary of a Mad Conservative: The meaning of the day and Ronald Reagan at Arlington (1986)
Jack L. Treese, CWO US Army, Retired, Big Government: My Flag Will Be Flying at Half-Staff, Will Yours?
Gateway Pundit: Remembering Those Who Have Served – Memorial Day 2010
On My Watch — Writings of SamHenry: Memorial Day Wish for Peace in the Middle East
Start Thinking Right: Obama To Skip Out On Arlington Memorial Day Ceremony
Just Americans Making Ethical Statements Weblog: Honoring Our Heroes
Robert Davi, Big Hollywood: Burnt Offerings: Teaching Our Children — Pride in Going Red, White and Blue and Burnt Offering: Leo Grillo Defines What Makes America Great
Robert J. Avrech, Big Hollywood: Hollywood Celebrates American Military Resolve – Flashback
Andrew Breitbart, Big Hollywood: I Pledge to Ridicule Celebrities Who Refuse to Recognize We Are At War With People Who Want to Kill Them, Too
Joseph C. Phillips, Big Hollywood: Why Do You Love America?
Nice Deb: Honoring The Honored Dead
Another Black Conservative: Memorial Day: Remember to give thanks
About the author
http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/memorialday.asp
Please keep information in context. Disagreement of someone’s action is different from villification of that action. Please review the included link for historical context.
Alex, did you even bother to actually READ this post? All links to the news stories are supplied and are fully presented in context: FOX News, Chicago Tribune, Washington Post, et cetera. Obama did blow off Arlington to go on vacation – and he was rained out today in Illinois. You’re not reading the news, buttercup. And to suggest these are “out of context” is either ignorant or deceptive on your part.
Geez, now Snopes has liberal trolls to protect Dear Leader? Alex, are you getting paid under the table by the DNC to plunk this erroneous little blurb into conservative blogs? Your link to Snopes has nothing to do with what I wrote.
Please point out the “vilification.” As you OBVIOUSLY did not read this post, please force yourself to scroll down a bit to where I wrote that I was giving the president a “tiny pass” because other VPs had presided over the Arlington wreath-laying ceremony.
Crikey, nothing’s ever good enough for Obama worshipers. Either you drool all over and dote on him, or you’re vilifying him. And trust me, Alex – the man sets himself up to be vilified.
Fact: Pres. Obama has not served in the armed service. It is my opinion that he may acknowledge the the work that our service men and women do BUT, I don’t think that he truly understands the sacrifice that is made on a daily basis. I commend him for thanking service members privately. But if he truly understood the sacrifices that our military have and continue to make he would have made the journey back out in the rain to replace the fallen wreath, rain or not umbrella or drenched. He could have earned some respect by doing that.
Can we please be spared the false outrage over this issue? That conservative icon, Ronald Reagan, skipped the Memorial Day wreath ceremony – not once, but TWICE!
So, if it was good enough for Reagan, why is it such a crime for Obama???? HMMM????
False outrage, LOL. Point out the “false outrage” in the post. Waiting… crickets chirping.
I have no outrage. Being critical is not outrage. In fact, I believe I wrote that I gave Obama a “tiny pass” on Arlington because he was not the first to miss the ceremony, but I’ll bet you didn’t actually read the post, eh, D? C’mon, fess up. You just wrote your angry, liberal-sheep comment and didn’t read the post. I know how much liberals hate to read and they would rather spew whatever the Soros media brainwashes you with, but try reading sometime. You might be surprised that you’ll understand most of the big words.
And statistically, if you’re going to go nuts on this, if Reagan missed 2 ceremonies in 8 years (25%), that’s still better than Obama missing 1 out of 2 (50%). But like I said, I didn’t go down that road, you did, D. So maybe YOU should stop with the false lib outrage at non-existent outrage.
UPDATE, June 3: I researched Reagan’s track record. He actually missed 4 Arlington ceremonies total – one of which occurred while he was recovering from the bullet that nearly killed him in the failed assassination attempt. Two others: He was in Moscow attending a summit meeting and attending a different summit meeting in Virginia. So, out of 8 years as POTUS, he missed ONE Arlington ceremony for “personal fun.”
Summit meetings and assassination recovery trump personal vacation time to Chicago.
As I stated above, you went down this road, D. And now it looks like you’re throwing information around but suspiciously leaving out important facts… like the legitimate reasons a Commander in Chief would miss a wreath-laying ceremony. Shooting hoops and going to a friend’s BBQ in Chicago? Nope, not really a good enough reason for the President of the United States of America in my book. But he has two more years to go – we’ll see what happens then. He may wise up.
Other Presidents that did not lay a wreath in Arlington on Memorial Day: Ronald Reagan: 1981, 1983, 1987, 1988 / George H.W. Bush: all 4 years in office / George W Bush: 2002
Marie, with Reagan, he was recovering from an assassination attempt with one of those missed ceremonies.
For two others he missed, Reagan was in Moscow, Russia attending a summit meeting and in Virginia for another summit meeting. The remaining missed occurrence, he spent on his ranch. So Reagan missed ONE wreath-laying ceremony in 8 years for his own “personal fun.” Reagan’s assassination recovery and attending summit meetings are, I’m sure you’d agree, more valid reasons for the Commander in Chief to miss the Arlington wreath-laying ceremony than Obama choosing to go on a second taxpayer-funded vacation within a month’s period (he had vacationed with just Michelle in NC in April), with the wife, the kids, the family dog, and the mother-in-law (and the press corps, natch) in tow.
Bush Junior missed only 1 Arlington ceremony for “personal fun” in 8 years, like Reagan.
Not sure why Bush Senior never went to Arlington – shame on him. And thumbs up to Clinton, who despite his sexual indiscretions and slick-oil salesman approach to the presidency, attended all Arlington ceremonies during his terms in office.
Obama’s track record to date is dismal… perhaps he’ll take heed and improve on it next year, since his approval rating, as bad as it currently is, can indeed get worse. He needs to stop that bloated “voting Present” mentality he demonstrated while in the state and US Senate now that he’s POTUS.