Washington (CNSNews.com) -- The Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., the current home of hundreds of wounded veterans from the war in Iraq, has been the target of weekly anti-war demonstrations since March. The protesters hold signs that read "Maimed for Lies" and "Enlist here and die for Halliburton."
The anti-war demonstrators, who obtain their protest permits from the Washington, D.C., police department, position themselves directly in front of the main entrance to the Army Medical Center, which is located in northwest D.C., about five miles from the White House.
Among the props used by the protesters are mock caskets, lined up on the sidewalk to represent the death toll in Iraq.
Code Pink Women for Peace, one of the groups backing anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan's vigil outside President Bush's ranch in Crawford Texas, organizes the protests at Walter Reed as well.
Some conservative supporters of the war call the protests, which have been ignored by the establishment media, "shameless" and have taken to conducting counter-demonstrations at Walter Reed. "[The anti-war protesters] should not be demonstrating at a hospital. A hospital is not a suitable location for an anti-war demonstration," said Bill Floyd of the D.C. chapter of FreeRepublic.com, who stood across the street from the anti-war demonstrators on Aug. 19.
"I believe they are tormenting our wounded soldiers and they should just leave them alone," Floyd added.
...Kevin Pannell, who was recently treated at Walter Reed and had both legs amputated after an ambush grenade attack near Baghdad in 2004, considers the presence of the anti-war protesters in front of the hospital "distasteful."
When he was a patient at the hospital, Pannell said he initially tried to ignore the anti-war activists camped out in front of Walter Reed, until witnessing something that enraged him.
"We went by there one day and I drove by and [the anti-war protesters] had a bunch of flag-draped coffins laid out on the sidewalk. That, I thought, was probably the most distasteful thing I had ever seen. Ever," Pannell, a member of the Army's First Cavalry Division, told Cybercast News Service.
"You know that 95 percent of the guys in the hospital bed lost guys whenever they got hurt and survivors' guilt is the worst thing you can deal with," Pannell said, adding that other veterans recovering from wounds at Walter Reed share his resentment for the anti-war protesters.
"We don't like them and we don't like the fact that they can hang their signs and stuff on the fence at Walter Reed," he said. "[The wounded veterans] are there to recuperate. Once they get out in the real world, then they can start seeing that stuff (anti-war protests). I mean Walter Reed is a sheltered environment and it needs to stay that way."
Read more of Marc Morano's article.
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Code Pink is a group of radical extremists. They claim to support the troops.
THAT'S A LIE!
If Code Pink is so concerned about the troops, why do they have a "Mothers don't let your children grow up to be killers" campaign on their website?
How can they claim to be supporting our injured military men and women when they refer to them as killers?
They aren't holding vigils outside of Walter Reed, as Code Pink co-founder Medea Benjamin claims. Outside the hospital, the activists chant, "George Bush kills American soldiers." That's hardly a prayerful, peaceful gathering.
She says they support the soldiers, but not the war. Sure.
Medea Benjamin protests at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
Sorry, Medea. You are misrepresenting Code Pink's activities. Calling soldiers "killers" is not showing support.
Just as in Crawford, Code Pink doesn't hesitate to exploit the deaths and injuries suffered by our troops to further their Leftist agenda.
Certainly, at Walter Reed, the anti-war, anti-Bush activists are showing no concern for the injured military men and women and their family members. They are in enough pain as it is. Why would Code Pink members be so callous as to add to their suffering?
They are behaving selfishly.
THEY DO NOT SUPPORT THE TROOPS!
Mothers, I implore you, don't let your children grow up to be members of Code Pink.
