Hate America Rallies?

Featured photo, left to right: Mike Felker (facing sideways), Gene Cleaver (with American flag), David Tepper (in yellow), Frank Corcoran (next to Gene), the author (in white shirt), Cherie Eichholz (dark glasses and pink hat), Art Sharon (at other end of banner). Photo: John Grant

Prior to the October 18th NO KINGS rallies that took place in over 2500 locations all across the United States, assorted allegedly responsible Republican politicians and their supporters went to great lengths repeatedly to disparage those who would dare to take to the streets to protest against the destruction of American democracy, the flagrant disregard for our constitution and the constitutional republic for which it stands, and the rise of an administration that increasingly behaves with royal arrogance and unbridled hubris.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that the marchers are all “Hamas terrorists, illegal immigrants, and violent criminals.” House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN) characterized participants as “terrorist.” Representative Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY) asserted that anyone who showed up was aligning themselves with “the communist party.” Senator Roger Marshall (R-KS) claimed demonstrators were “paid protesters.” Representative Pat Harrigan (R-NC) called the whole undertaking a “blue hair, anthropomorphic experiment” (whatever the heck he meant by that; your guess is as good as mine).

But my favorite was the Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, who claimed we were all “Marxists, socialists, anarchists, antifa.” He also said, “The more accurate description [of the rallies would be] the Hate America Rallies. I’m not sure anybody can refute that.”

Well, Mr. Speaker, I for one can and will refute it. Above is a photograph taken at the march in Philadelphia on October 18. And here is who these people are:

Mike Felker enlisted in the US Navy in 1968, and was trained as a hospital corpsman. Because the Marine Corps does not have its own medical personnel, navy corpsmen are assigned to Marine units. Felker went to Vietnam in December 1969, where he was assigned to a Marine infantry platoon, serving in combat along with the “grunts” it was his job to try to save. After his honorable discharge, he worked for a number of years at San Francisco State University as a veterans’ representative assisting student-veterans before spending another thirty years administering graduate programs at the University of Pennsylvania.

Gene Cleaver enlisted in the US Marine Corps after graduating from college, was commissioned as a lieutenant, and trained as an infantry officer. He arrived in Vietnam in the summer of 1965. While on a combat operation in March 1966, he was severely wounded in the chest and arm, spent over a year in hospitals, but suffered permanent damage to his right hand and was therefore medically retired from the Corps. He subsequently spent 40 years as a physical therapist, including running his own office for 25 years with his younger brother (also a Marine Corps veteran of the Vietnam War).

David Tepper participated in Reserve Officers Training Corps in college, and was commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant after graduation in 1964. However, he was granted delayed entry in order to earn a doctorate in mathematics and did not go on active duty until 1969, eventually earning the rank of captain. Though trained in artillery, he was assigned duty as a Survivors Assistance Officer doing in-person notifications to the families of soldiers killed in action and following through with proper military burial arrangements. After his service, he had a long career as a college professor at City University of New York.

Frank Corcoran enlisted in the US Marine Corps in March 1968, and was trained as an infantry rifleman. Less than two months after he arrived in Vietnam, he was severely wounded in action and spent many months in hospitals, but because his injuries were so severe, he was honorably discharged at what was called the “convenience of the government.” After working for a utility company for five years, he returned to college and earned a teaching degree, then spent 20 years teaching in public elementary schools. Now retired, he does volunteer work for multiple social service organizations.

Bill Ehrhart, which would be me: I enlisted in the US Marine Corps in 1966 at age 17, serving in Vietnam with 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment in 1967 and 1968. I was wounded in the fighting for Hue City during the Tet Offensive, received a division commander’s commendation, earned the rank of sergeant in 21 months at age 19&1/2, and was honorably discharged in 1969. I have since earned Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral degrees, spent many years teaching high school English and history, and have had a modestly successful career as a writer and poet.

Cherie Eichholz enlisted in the US Army in 2003. After basic training, she was training as a combat medic—“they called us ‘medical specialists,’” she says—but developed medical complications of her own, and received a discharge under honorable conditions. After working for several nonprofit organizations, she returned to school, earning a Masters degree and then a Doctorate in social work, and is currently a social worker in a primary care setting.

Arthur Sharon enlisted in the US Air Force in August 1968, and was trained as a specialist in electronics and morse code. Given a Top Secret clearance because he would be “intercepting (read ‘spying’) on other countries for the NSA” [his words], he spent over three years in the Philippines, Crete, Greece, Turkey, and Germany. After earning Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees, he spent 40 years teaching, 31 of them in public high schools, and nine more in community college.

John Grant, who is not in the photograph because he was the photographer, enlisted in the army seven days after graduating from high school. Trained as a radio-direction-finder, he was assigned to the 4th Infantry Division near the Cambodian border. For helping to track down and destroy a dug-in North Vietnamese brigade headquarters, he was awarded an Army Commendation Medal. After his military service, he became a writer and self-taught photographer, and in this capacity as a journalist has traveled extensively, including multiple trips to Central America and Iraq.

These are the people with whom I attended the October 18th NO KINGS March in Philadelphia. Each of us served in uniform, and each of us received an Honorable Discharge. Each of us has had a productive life since our military service. Not one of us is a Hamas terrorist (or a terrorist of any other stripe), or an illegal immigrant, or a violent criminal. None of us was paid to attend the march. I’m certain that none of us is a member of or even aligned with the communist party. We are all anti-fascist, but none of us is “antifa.”

I’m also pretty sure that none of us is a “blue hair, anthropomorphic experiment.” (What on earth did he even mean by that? And this guy’s a member of the United States House of Representatives?)

And that brings me back to Mike (Have you no shame? No, I do not) Johnson, who says we protesters “hate America,” and claiming he’s “not sure anybody can refute that.”

I just did.