I wonder 190801

      The 2 pictures below show what the army did to root out the unarmed World War One veterans during the great depression when veteran's families were starving and all they wanted was to be paid the war bonus the government had promised. The vets protested by moving into camps near the capital and across the Anacostia river.

      Sometimes when I think about what might happen in our country, the following comes to mind. Suppose some serious event came to pass and there was a rebellion by American patriots and the president (whomever he or she might be) wants to send army troops in to quell the fray. Will the soldiers shoot and kill American patriots? Will they side with the patriots? Will they refuse to take sides in the conflict? I hope the scenario never happens, but who can possibly know?
      These things have happened in other countries with mixed results. We had a civil war that was a bloody mess, both armies were thinking they were on the right side. During the great depression on July 28th of 1932 president Hoover ordered Douglas MacArthur to clear the camps of the veterans of WW-1 called the bonus army. The bonus army just wanted payment of the bonus promised for service in WW-1 so they could feed their families. The regular army was staged to attack at 4:45 pm. Hoover twice ordered MacArthur not to cross the Anacostia bridge that night. MacArthur ignored both orders
      At 9:00 pm MacArthur ordered his 12th infantry regiment and George Patton's 3rd cavalry (supported by 6 light tanks) to clear one of the camps. Patton's cavalry charged unarmed veterans and families, followed by MacArthur's 12th infantry regiment with bayonets fixed and tear gas to clear out the veterans. I repeat, those bonus army veterans were unarmed. So this has happened before and I just wonder if it could happen again.
      
      
      
      
      
Copyright Bill Weber 2006-2019 and beyond.