The Biden Administration’s Department of Defense has formally rejected a permit to continue a special annual event in Washington D.C., making it significantly more difficult for a veterans’ group to hold their memorial parade through the city, as reported by Breitbart.
American veterans’ group AMVETS has hosted its annual “Rolling to Remember” motorcycle parade in D.C. every year to honor all Prisoner-of-War (POW) and Missing-in-Action (MIA) veterans. The group had previously already “received approval from the Department of Transportation, the Department of Interior, and multiple other state and local authorities,” according to Congressman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.).
The Pentagon had previously granted AMVETS their permit back in March, before suddenly revoking the permit and cancelling the event with no explanation or justification.
Joe Chenelly, the national executive director of AMVETS, explained what this permit revocation means for the parade, saying that “there are no options with as much space and convenient routes to the memorials, meaning it will be more difficult, disruptive, and expensive than if the Pentagon parking lots were available.”
“The administration included AMVETS in this new group as a ‘trusted voice in communities across the United States,’” Chenelly added. “But the Pentagon wouldn’t have a conversation with us to share their concerns and give us the chance to address them before deciding to refuse our application.”
The Rolling to Remember ride, also known as “Rolling Thunder,” had often used the Pentagon’s parking lot as their staging area, where the riders would arrive and set up before rolling out, riding from the Pentagon to the various war memorials located along the National Mall. The Department of Defense’s rejection makes it much more difficult for them to get started in a space that is large and safe enough for them to gather before beginning the procession.
Congressman Issa released a statement declaring that “the Biden Administration is making a terrible mistake by blocking a veteran’s charity from the use of the Pentagon parking lot for the Rolling to Remember POW/MIA remembrance motorcycle ride. This last-minute rejection, a first of its kind in more than 30 years, leaves patriotic veterans without a safe alternative.”