Several thousand U.S. Veterans and their admiring supporters descended on Washington D.C.'s WWII Memorial to protest the punitive treatment of Veterans by the Obama Administration during the ongoing government shutdown.

People drove through the night or flew in the day before from as far away as Florida, Louisiana, and California. One active-duty soldier flew in from Germany just to participate in the two-hour rally, and rushed off to fly back so he wouldn't be AWOL on Monday. 

Vets and active military have been the focus of the administration's contempt, suffering one indignity after another.

Many elderly attendees desperately searched in vain for men's and women's rooms nearby, but all the lavatories within walking distance of the War Memorials had been locked days earlier by the U.S. Park Service.

Vets who arrived early took down the barricades blocking access to the WWII Memorial, some saying "Mr. Obama, tear down this wall."

(Photo: Neil Pfieffer)

The crowd roared for Sarah Palin, who was briefly trapped in the crush of an adoring crowd as she approached the WWII Memorial to speak.

 Republican Senators Mike Lee and Ted Cruz were also met with thunderous applause and cheers.

(Photo: Neil Pfieffer) 

While this was billed as a rally as a Veterans rally, Vets weren't the only ones who showed up.

When a convoy of truckers came rumbling down 17th Street (which runs between the WWII Memorial and Washington Monument grounds), ralliers ran out into the street to greet them.

Between the blaring of the truckers' horns and the thunderous revving of the Harley Davidsons on 17th Street, as well as the frequent roars of the large crowd, one vet quipped, "I hope the Obamas weren't planning on sleeping in this morning."

This sign captured the spirit of the rally.

(Photo: Neil Pfieffer)

The rally then moved west to the Lincoln Memorial, where vets again tore down barricades.

(Photo: Neil Pfieffer)

They then carried the barricades several blocks north and piled them up in front of the White House. First, mounted police showed up.

(Photo: Neil Pfieffer)

 Then U.S. Police to break up the crowd.

 (Photo: Neil Pfieffer)

Then police in riot gear arrived.

(Photo: Neil Pfieffer)

And, in case the unruly mob of wheelchair-bound octagenarians and their supporters got completely out of hand and stormed the White House, a sniper appeared atop the roof.

(Photo: Neil Pfieffer)

During the "Occupy Washington" protests two years ago, never was there such a show of force against a relatively small number of protestors. Evidently our wonderful military vets are more dangerous than "Occupy" anarchists. 

While the White House may want to forget about our four brave patriots murdered in Benghazi, the veterans have not and will not.

George Washington, shedding a tear, as he likely would if he were alive to witness the Washington Aristocracy's tyrannical treatment of the country class, and in particular, to our veterans and active-duty military.

Doug Mainwaring is a cofounder of National Capital Tea Party Patriots.