Steve King Helps Veterans Visit Their Memorial

Steve King

Pol Light Moment #65 is when Steve King helped Veterans visit the World War II Memorial on October 1, 2013. Steve King is a member of the US House of Representatives who has represented Iowa's 5th District from 2003-2013 and because of redistricting has represented Iowa's 4th District since 2013.

The World War II Memorial along with other open air memorials in Washington DC had been closed and barricaded on October 1, 2013, by the Obama Administration due to the federal government shutdown. Stephen King and other Congressional Representatives helped take down the barricades for veterans to visit the site of the World War II Memorial.

World War II honor vets from Iowa and a delegation from Mississippi arrived for their scheduled visit to the World War II Memorial on October 1, 2013. They were not able to get in because the government put up barricades around the open air memorial. Rep. Steve King reportedly distracted the police, while the barriers were removed (WWII Vets Storm Shut Down Memorial as GOP Congressman Reportedly Distracts Cops). Below is a new story on this moment in political history.

The following tweet on Twitter was an eye witness account of Rep. King's actions at the memorial.

Credit where due -- I watched Rep Steve King distract a park police officer while vets and staffers knocked down the fences here. #shutdown
— Leo Shane III (@LeoShane) October 1, 2013

Rep. Steve King told CNN that he was disappointed that intervention was necessary at all. "We don't have guards around them at any other time," King said (Veterans Break Past World War II Memorial, CNN Blog).

Pol Light does not endorse political candidates. We present a brighter side to politics when they are found on either side of the aisle. We don't have to agree with all of a person's politics to recognize these bright moments.


The photo of Stephen King is in the Public Domain.