Donna Brown

The Restoring Honor Rally on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. was not going to be a Tea Party Event. We who traveled to a Tea Party rally in D.C. last September 12 had carried signs denouncing higher taxes and obscene deficit spending as we chanted to our elected officials, “Can you hear us yet?” We knew Glenn Beck’s Restoring Honor rally would have no signs to show overt disappointment with our government. No, it would transcend partisan politics by honoring our fallen warriors and embracing Faith, Hope and Charity as tenets to restore our country to its reputable roots.
The preparation for the rally began two days earlier in the Capitol KOA campground. One by one, college guys in old pickup trucks, senior citizens in huge motor homes, and families in vans pulling trailers arrived throughout the day. As they set up camp, each silently placed either an American flag or a Don’t Tread On Me banner at their site.
Friday evening there was a camp meet and greet to get directions to the Lincoln Memorial. The excitement grew as people shared stories; many were veterans, some had come from as far away as California and Utah. There was a couple from Galloway Township, Tim Hassel, a fighter pilot, his wife Wendy and their two young sons, Jared and Zachary.
Another couple who had become American citizens 15 years ago had met Glenn Beck during his rehearsal that morning. A gray-haired woman suggested we sing “God Bless America,” and a retired minister closed with a prayer for the troops, our country and safe travel to the rally.
The next morning more than 200 campers boarded four buses to Union Station where we would have to take the Metro train or walk 2.5 miles to the Lincoln Memorial. By 7:45 a.m. the metro lines were long and the streets were already crowded with people all heading in the same direction. Some in wheelchairs, young couples with strollers, people of all ages and races. They were dressed in patriotic shirts, some supporting the Constitution and the Founding Fathers. There were no signs and no negative shirts criticizing our government leaders.
By 8:30 a.m. the reflecting pool area was filled, and the crowds were spilling over into the fields on both sides, and continued back to the Washington Monument. Reminiscent of a church picnic, the crowd spread out blankets and settled in to watch the rally on huge screens mounted throughout the area. The sky was clear, and the temperature reached 90 degrees; staff distributed thousands of free water bottles.
The program began with a boy scout leading the pledge of allegiance. Beck said a few welcoming words including, “Something that is beyond man is happening. America today begins to turn back to God. For too long, this country has wandered in darkness.” Beck insisted that we turn back to the values and principles that made our country great.
He then went on to explain that the rally was raising funds for the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, an organization that funds the college education of the children of fallen special operations military personnel. Next, Beck introduced Sarah Palin, who spoke not one word of politics, but instead spoke as the mother of a deployed soldier. She then said, “I’d like to tell you three stories of such Americans – three patriots – who stand with us today.”
The first was Marcus Luttrell, a Navy SEAL, who on a mission in 2005 to hunt down a high-level Taliban leader was attacked by more than a hundred Taliban force, and his rescue helicopter was shot down. Nineteen brave men were lost that day, and Marcus was the sole survivor. Badly wounded, he crawled for miles and finally got him back safely to our forces.
The second man was Eddie Wright, a United States Marine, who while serving in Iraq was ambushed in Fallujah. He was knocked out when a rocket-propelled grenade hit his Humvee. When he came to, both his hands were gone and his leg was badly wounded.
The third man was Tom Kirk, an Air Force squadron commander and a combat pilot who had flown more than 150 missions in Korea and Vietnam. His plane was shot down over Hanoi, and he spent two years in solitary confinement. The next three and a half years he was in a cell with 45 other American prisoners including John McCain.
Palin ended with, “My fellow Americans, each one of these men here today faced terrible sufferings, overwhelming set-backs, and impossible odds. And they endured! And their stories are America’s story. We will always come through. We will never give up, and we shall endure because we live by that moral strength that we call grace. Because though we’ve often skirted a precipice, a providential hand has always guided us to a better future.”
Beck reminded the crowd, “To restore America, we must restore ourselves. The way to do that is through faith, hope, and charity.” In addition to the military, three individuals were awarded with merit badges. The recipient of the “Faith” award was Pastor C. L. Jackson, who has worked diligently in his community to spread God’s Word and exemplify the teachings of the Bible.
St. Louis Cardinals’ manager Tony LaRussa, presented the award of “Hope” to St. Louis Cardinals’ first baseman Albert Pujols, who has helped to restore the hope of many through his charitable foundation in the Dominican Republic. Pujols said, “I want to thank God, for giving me this platform, as a baseball player. My job, as a believer, is to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ.” The award for “Charity” was given to John Huntsman, a philanthropist and self-made billionaire who has donated more than $9 billion to charity and vows to donate all of his wealth to worthy causes before he dies.
Another speaker was Martin Luther King’s niece, Alveda King, an anti-abortion activist who defied her family’s wishes by attending the rally. She asked the crowd to think of who we are as a nation and for each individual to reflect on character, both our character as a nation and our character as individuals. Her emotional speech included, “I too have a dream, that one day soon God’s agape love will transcend skin color and economic status and cause us to turn from moral turpitude.”
After music that included bagpipes playing “Amazing Grace,” Beck came out to give his final message and said, “We are at a crossroads, today. We must decide who we are. What is it we believe? Will we advance our Republic or allow it to perish? I choose advance!” He continued, “Do we no longer believe in the individual, and the power of one individual? One person can change the world….That individual is you!”
Beck instructed the crowd to look to God, accept responsibility and pledge their sacred honor to always tell the truth. “The truth will make you miserable first, but then will set you free.” He continued, “Go to your churches, synagogues, and mosques! Yesterday is gone, tomorrow may never come, but we have today to make a difference.” He also pleaded that “what we gaze on we become”; so we must pray on our knees with our door open so our children will see us and learn by our example. He added that America is only what we choose her to be. We must be good so she can be great.
Beck then asked for 240 ministers, rabbis, imams and priests to join him on stage, and he explained that all the men and women don’t agree on fundamentals; they don’t agree on everything that every church teaches. What they do agree on is that “God is the answer.”
Dave Reever, a Vietnam veteran gave the closing prayer. Reever had a phosphorous grenade go off in his hand causing most of his body and face to be badly burned. The prayer included, “May we move the heart of God to protect our troops who have protected us this very day to celebrate the freedom they have fought for us. God bless this nation. We thank you for our President. We thank you for our Congress. Thank you for our land, but God we thank you that you rule in the hearts of these people, and all things work together for good to them that love God and are called according to his purpose on 8 and 28 of the book of Romans and this glorious day.”
As the fields slowly cleared to the performances of country stars JoDee Messina and John Rich, not one piece of trash was left on the ground, not one harsh word had been spoken. This was not a Tea Party rally; it was not a political rally. It was a revival meeting of thousands of people. None of the speakers were paid, and none spoke of taxes or political aspirations. However, $5.5 million was raised for the Special Operations Warrior Foundation. Hundreds of thousands of people left with a feeling of renewed optimism and with the knowledge that as each of us strives to become a better person, our country will be blessed and restored to its founding principles.


Donna Brown is a former Hammonton Middle School Librarian and a columnist for The Gazette. To reach Donna Brown, send an e-mail to wescoat@comcast.net.