PREFACE: This about MY experience! It is about what I personally witnessed, NOT what was on TV. It is not about the speeches. I left the rally BEFORE Trump spoke I have NOT watched the speeches online. I did NOT go to the Capital so I was NOT a witness to those events. Nor am I watching the news. I watched the beginning of the debate in Congress but I turned that off to make it to my train.
People will be unpacking and processing 1/6/21 for years to come. I am glad to have witnessed and experienced it. But what I experienced is different than what most Americans saw on TV. And I certainly did not go to Washington to support any violence! In fact everything that I witnessed was entirely peaceful and patriotic.
Before I write about my experience in Washington DC let me reiterate why I write this blog in the first place.
Writing is a way to collect and organize one's thoughts. It is a means to help one think. Writing is a thought process. Much has been said about the benefits of journaling!
Another reason that I blog is to share thoughts. In this respect, my writing is a gift. I don't expect people to agree with me. But I do hope to provide an understanding which bridges misunderstanding. I write to promote empathy. I write to help people who disagree find something in common.
There is so much more that I want to say about why I blog. But now . . . about the 6th.
I can approach the subject of 1/6/21 from several perspectives and a multitude of directions. But this is a blog post, not a book. Suffice to say that "January 6, 2021" could easily be the title of a book. Like December 7, 1941, there is way more to that infamous date.
On 1/6/21 the Capital was breached and Congress saw the enemy. The enemy is us. You, me. Right, Left. Black, white. NY, Alabama. Backhoe operator, accountant. The enemy is what is dividing us.
At 0630 hours on January 6th I reported to Airforce Colonel Jerry and his sister Julie in the lobby of the Mayflower Hotel. I met Jerry and Julie the day before at this hotel where we both were staying. They were gracious people who welcomed me to join them for dinner the night before. We agreed to walk over to the protest rally together.
Jerry chose retirement over an offer to rise to the rank of Brigadier General. Jerry organized medical operations on his half dozen plus deployments to the Middle East and elsewhere. He had knowledge and understanding that few people have. The Pentagon and his soldiers/medics prized him for that.
Jerry's sister Julie was an intriguing and spiritual person. Little did I know that Julie was the reason the Spirit sent me to Washington D.C. Neither of us knew that Julie had something to give me. I just didn't realize it until I was on the train ride back and I listened to it.
It was still dark, about 35 degrees and very breezy out when we embarked from the Mayflower to begin about a 20 minute walk to the Ellipse Park.
As the Colonel, Julie and I set off for the Ellipse we became part of a stream that feed into a river and ended up in a sea.
There were all walks of people. We had so many differences and yet here we were together. It is a phenomenal feeling. So much to witness. So much to learn.
One man I witnessed was Kevin, a fascinating fellow from NY/NJ who you see in this picture. His ethical kind nature was a great attraction. If one can create a bond in ~15 minutes I felt that with him. He gave me a subject to explore.
I spoke to a fellow from Vietnam who expressed his fear of the Communism he knew there coming to the USA. Hundreds or perhaps thousands of Chinese held signs. They seemed desperate for Americans to understand.
I met people from Missouri, the "show me state" who were at the protest for the same reason we all were - truth.
I talked to a small group who drove all the way from Albuquerque New Mexico. One man was clearly their fearless leader. They reminded me of what a tiny band of Civil war militia might have been like showing up to join forces with the army.
There were people I didn't like too, such as two men from Kentucky. They had only hate in their hearts. I walked away.
I met more kind people from across the country, including Michigan, Texas, Chicago and elsewhere. The restroom lines were long and orderly with no pushing or budding.
There was enormous energy in the air. Standing up on the hill by the Washington Monument, the winds were waving everyone's flag. Personally, I was mostly trying to keep warm.
As my train pulled out of Union Station I felt relieved. It was also when I had my first chance to let people know I was on longer in Washington D.C.