WASHINGTON — A group of veterans didn’t let the federal government shutdown stop them from seeing the World War II Memorial on Tuesday.
The government had closed the memorial due to the partial shutdown of the government, which went into effect Tuesday morning. But with the assistance of lawmakers, a group of Honor Flight World War II veterans knocked over the barriers to see the site.
The Honor Flight program pays for veterans to travel to D.C. to the memorials.
The veterans’ decision to ignore the closings quickly got the attention of Capitol Hill lawmakers.
“I know that today we have Honor Flight veterans flying into Washington to come and enjoy the memorials here,” House majority leader Eric Cantor said at a press conference Tuesday. “I’m told that they are at the World War II memorial site, regardless of the barriers.”
Cantor said those veterans — as “people who have served this country” — should “have the ability to enjoy that site.”
The veterans appear to be from Iowa. Earlier on Tuesday, Fox 5 in DC reported that 150 World War II and Korean War veterans risking arrest at the memorial. One journalist at the site reported that Iowa Rep. Steve King, a Republican, played a role in helping the the veterans break into the memorial.
That report, Leo Shane III of Stars and Stripes, chronicled the scene on Twitter on Tuesday in a series of tweets:
Honor flight vets just knocked over the barriers at the WWII memorial to get inside, #shutdown or no. pic.twitter.com/T4bx8kvFYj
— Leo Shane III (@LeoShane) October 1, 2013
Credit where due — I watched Rep Steve King distract a park police officer while vets and staffers knocked down the fences here. #shutdown
— Leo Shane III (@LeoShane) October 1, 2013
No attempt to stop any WWII visitors right now. Maybe after the congressmen leave … #shutdown pic.twitter.com/SZmxBfh2cr
— Leo Shane III (@LeoShane) October 1, 2013