BY BOBBY HALTON
One of America’s most admired presidents, Ronald Reagan, once quipped, “The most terrifying words in the English language are, ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help.’ “
Today, we are seeing more and more involvement in the fire service by the federal government—most of it extremely helpful, some less so. What is the right mix, and is firefighting/fire protection a local issue, a federal issue, or a combination? The answers depend on what aspect of firefighting you are looking at.
Firefighters place tremendous trust in our federal government, often because of the iconic nature of some of our federal leaders. We trust them to always have the best interests of the country and fire service in mind and to never be self-motivated or ideological. We hope they would not be unduly influenced by political action groups, special interest groups, money, or power. But history paints a very different picture.
It was March 23, 1918, when Colonel George Patton along with his aide PFC Joseph Angelo was driving the newest tanks into the battle of Saint Mihiel, one of the most vicious battles of World War 1 (WWI). The battle was made worse by a thick fog and relentless assault from enemy machine guns. On this day, Patton would begin his reputation as a fearless soldier.
The advance of Patton’s tanks was halted by the machine guns, and Patton suddenly found himself an infantry commander. At that moment, he grabbed one man and PFC Angelo and began a direct assault on an enemy machine gun position. Instantly, the third man was cut down, but Patton and Angelo pressed on. Then a bullet ripped through Patton’s upper thigh. Angelo pulled Patton to cover and rendered medical care for the next three hours under intense enemy fire. Angelo refused to leave Patton’s side.
The battle was won, and Joseph Angelo was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for saving Patton’s life. Angelo and Patton remained in contact. Angelo even sent a telegram to Patton on Christmas Eve, 1923, congratulating him on the birth of his son.
In 1924, Congress passed the Adjusted Compensation Act, which authorized the payment to all American WWI veterans of a bonus of an extra $1.25 for every day they served in Europe. What was weird, though, was that if you were owed $50, you got it right away; if you were owed more, you had to wait 20 years—until 1945—for your bonus!
As the Great Depression set in, many veterans suddenly found themselves homeless and wanted the government to pay them the money owed them then instead of in 1945. In the summer of 1932, some 20,000 WW1 veterans created the Bonus Expeditionary Force and marched on Washington, bonus certificates in hand, looking for relief. They set up a camp, many with their families. They named the shantytown Hooverville, in honor of Republican President Hoover, who had refused to authorize their payment.
General Douglas MacArthur was ordered to remove the Bonus Army from the District of Columbia. He directed his two aides, Patton and Dwight D. Eisenhower, to get it done. Patton was told to take the lead. Patton told his soldiers, “If you must fire, do a good job. A few casualties become martyrs; a large number of casualties, an object lesson. When a mob starts to move,” Patton continued, “it is on the run; use a bayonet to encourage them. If they are running, a few good wounds in the buttocks will encourage them. If they resist, they must be killed.”
On July 28, 1932, the Army and police attacked Hooverville and set it on fire; two veterans and an eight-year-old girl were killed. As Patton sat on his horse watching the action, a Bonus Army soldier, PFC Joseph Angelo, called out, “Sir, you know me. It’s Private Angelo.” Patton ignored his calls, denied knowing the man who saved his life, and ordered him to be taken away. Hoover’s eviction of the Bonus Army cost him reelection. The Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected. He, too, refused to pay the Great War bonus money early.
This year is a national election, and we will have all kinds of promises being made. We have seen it before during elections. We are told this is our guy, and we firefighters line up with the flavor of the day for photos. It really doesn’t matter who he is or to what party he belongs, Democrat, Republican, or Independent. All that is wanted is a bunch of T-shirts with “Firefighters for Whomever” on them behind the candidate. After the election is over, the firefighters are left behind. It is important to have federal support for sure, bipartisan support for funding urban search and rescue and state urban search and rescue, National Institute of Standards and Technology research fire studies, and the FIRE Act/Staffing for Adequate Fire & Emergency Response (SAFER) grant programs.
We have local elections this year, too. Most of what we do is local. The famed politician Rep. Thomas (Tip) O’Neill (D-MA) said, “All politics is local.” Be sure to vet the locals thoroughly yourself; don’t let anyone tell you for whom to vote or how to think. Get involved locally and regionally. It is where we can be most effective. Our primary funding is local, and our mission first is local—to protect our communities and their citizens and property.
This November, firefighters would do well to remember the Bonus Army heroes who fought bravely and were fawned over by all types of politicians for photos and endorsements, promised money and support, and then ignored—no, worse, dismissed—by both sides. So give your support grudgingly; stand by a candidate for his principles, not empty promises.
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