Written by Rocky Saxbe, 2021

The attack and occupation of the Capitol on January 6, 2021, by a mob incited by President Donald Trump, was a sad and shameful day for our country. As our center of government, Washington regularly hosts Americans rightfully gathering to demonstrate on matters of importance to the nation. Suffragettes, veterans, poor people, opponents of war, women, and men have come in large numbers to express their particular opinions. But never in our long history have we experienced seditious violence encouraged by a President.

Watching the chaos at the Capitol, I was reminded of Suzy and my experience on July 4, 1970, when anarchy also briefly reigned in Washington.

“Honor America Day” was the brainchild of President Richard M. Nixon, an all-day celebration of America’s birthday with prayer, patriotism, and fireworks on the Capitol Mall. Championed by Vice President Spiro Agnew, Evangelist Billy Graham, and Comedian Bob Hope, the 1970 event was intended to honor the President and his policies under attack as the economy sagged and the war in Viet Nam continued with no end in sight. The “silent majority” of voters were to be the beneficiaries of the grand event. Nixon hoped the day would demonstrate that the country was united and supportive under his leadership.

Others had different ideas. A marijuana smoke-in on July 4th was announced by anarchist Yippies intending to challenge and flaunt draconian drug laws being used to arrest and lock up chiefly Blacks and young people using the herb.

Antiwar activists also planned to show up, demonstrate, and disrupt the President’s celebration. The recent tragedies at Kent State and Jackson State, where protesting students had been shot and killed by government troops, elevated an already volatile situation, assuring a collision of politics and culture. At the time, I was stationed in North Carolina, training to be an air observer to hasten my departure for Vietnam. Upon hearing about the planned and competing celebrations, I called Suzy in Columbus and invited her to meet me in DC for the birthday experience. Already a veteran of other anti-war protests and demonstrations, she was game.

We arrived late on a hot and steamy morning as the flag and prayer program at the Lincoln Memorial was concluding, and Billy Graham had already spoken and blessed the crowd.

Popular but aging vocalist Kate Smith, made famous by her rendition of “God Bless America,” was the morning’s finale. As she began to sing, hundreds of young people, hippies, and yippies waded into the reflecting pool, marching through the water toward the Memorial chanting antiwar slogans, waving Viet Cong and North Vietnamese flags, and shouting obscenities at the performers. “One, two, three, four we don’t want your fucking war” and “fuck Bob Hope” drowned out Smith’s singing and quickly brought the prayer proceedings to an end. The formal program participants rushed to escape the developing craziness, and the demonstrators took possession of the reflecting pool and the parkland bordering it. The smoke-in was on!

Longhaired occupiers lounged in the grass under the Memorial’s trees and along the walking paths, smoking, drinking, eating, and throwing frisbees, enjoying having won the moment. But soon, more militant groups began trashing the area, even pushing into the reflecting pool several huge trailered spotlights intended for the evening show and festivities. Suzy and I watched it all, relaxing with newly made friends who generously shared their wineskin and contraband, regaling us with their revolutionary stories, more fantasy than reality.

Although we were having a great time, the rampant anarchism and destruction eventually convinced us to make our getaway before the cops came. As we headed to our car, the wind rose, blowing dust and swirling debris, the sky ominously darkened, and a cold heavy rain began to fall. Picking up our pace, we hurried through the storm when suddenly, out of the gloom, appeared a cavalry of Capitol Park Police scattering the panicked crowd. We ran as the cops galloped their mounts like cossacks through the fleeing protestors, striking down anyone unfortunate enough to be in their path. Unharmed, wet, cold, and astonished by an experience we never could have imagined would be happening in the United States, we escaped the chaos.

Dried out and refreshed, Suzy and I returned to the Capitol Mall for the night’s fireworks show at the Washington Monument. We had VIP passes close to the stage where artists’ performances acceptable to the President were in progress. Instead, we elected to stay in the larger crowd for a good reason. The militant antiwar activists had occupied ground approximately 50 yards from the rear of the seated VIP section. Fireworks, burning debris, and bottles were thrown toward the stage as the show progressed. Unable to dislodge the protestors, police and security personnel used shields, folding chairs, and other means to block the garbage and explosives raining down on the favored guests. Unimpeded, the demonstrators kept up their assault until their ammunition supply ran out and the real fireworks show began.

It was a scene that personified the turmoil gripping the country. It seemed as if a revolution was already underway. Fortunately, it was not, and the madness of that day has been eclipsed by the angry horde that stormed the Capitol in 2021.

Suzy and I ended that memorable Fourth of July exhausted and exhilarated by what was one of the more raucous and riotous revolutionary birthdays in the nation’s history. Fifty-one years later, the country thwarted a dangerous President and his mob’s attempt to overturn an election and overthrow the government. On January 20, 2021, Joe Biden became our 46th President. That day for me now is the real “Honor America Day.”