Well, now here’s something. And it was apparently posted last week.

Obama will attend ‘Salute to Heroes’ event afterall

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Yesterday, I posted an article from the American Legion to the Inaugural Committee and signed by the leadership of the major veterans service organizations. The letter was in response to an initial letter of regret from the Inaugural Committee that Obama would not be attending an event hosted by the Legion in honor of surviving Medal of Honor recipients. The letter is attached below. This morning, More.. the American Legion was notified that the Obamas would be attending the event after all, keeping alive a tradition held each Inauguration Night over the past 55 years. I don’t have detailed information about how the initial letter of regret was generated, who made the decision or if it was in error. Nor do I know the exact process by which the decision was made. What’s important is that our Medal of Honor recipients will receive their due recognition from their new Commander in Chief.

Dear President-Elect Obama:
On Inauguration Night, January 20th, nearly 50 recipients of the Medal of Honor will be gathered together in a Washington hotel banquet room awaiting the high honor of a much-deserved personal greeting from their new Commander-in-Chief.

We have learned, however, that these men, whose courage and dedication to our nation and its freedoms is boundless, may not receive this precious gift. If this is so, it will be the first and only time attendees of our Salute to Heroes will have been so neglected.

The Salute to Heroes is an Inaugural event staged by a coalition of veterans and military service organizations and hosted by The American Legion that dates back to the day General Dwight D. Eisenhower was sworn into office as President of the United States in 1953. The Salute to Heroes has often been the very first stop a new President has made during his festive evening of political fetes and celebrity receptions.

A President’s failure to appear at the Salute to Heroes would be a wounding disappointment not only to the Medal of Honor recipients on whose behalf this event is dedicated, but to every attending veteran and member of the military; each of whom has offered to give his or her life on behalf of our country and its President.

Although we appreciate fully the many political and social obligations that demand your time and attendance on Inauguration Night, we hope sincerely that you, on this signal evening in American history, will spare just a few minutes to honor a band of true and humble heroes. It would reinforce and even amplify the noble work already performed by Mrs. Obama, whose heartfelt interest in and concern for our military families has not gone unnoticed.

The Salute to Heroes venue is in the Renaissance Washington Hotel, located within a few hundred yards of the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, where many, if not most, of the “official” Inaugural events are being held. Therefore, logistics should not pose a problem.

It is with great enthusiasm that we anticipate meeting you Tuesday evening.

Curiouser and curiouser.