Thomas P. Evans, in the New York Post:

Mention Jane Fonda to any 10 Vietnam veterans, and at least seven of them will have some sort of conniption right on the spot. Spread the rumor that Hanoi Jane will be leading the anti-war protest march from the Vietnam Memorial Wall to the Pentagon on Saturday, and a battalion of 60-year-old Vietnam veterans is ready to do battle again.

That would be the Gathering of Eagles.

We tend to remember only dates that were significant to us – the battles, the first impressions, the funny moments. All the other dates blend together. So it’s hard to say exactly where we were or what my platoon was doing on March 17, 1967. Perhaps we were out on patrol in a rice paddy or a jungle – “beating the bush,” as we called it. Perhaps we were on one of the firebases near the DMZ, a respite from the constant patrols – cleaning gear, getting a hot meal or a haircut or writing a letter home.

Not many Vietnam veterans were around for that march on the Pentagon 40 years ago. We were in a different world, a world few anti-war protesters could even imagine. Maybe because we missed all that four decades ago, we want to be there this time.

If you go, keep an eye out for black-clad kids wielding spray paint cans.

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