{"id":27094,"date":"2018-02-17T17:00:00","date_gmt":"2018-02-17T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/02\/17\/lawmakers-ask-park-service-to-stop-harassing-vets-visiting-war-memorials\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T02:12:20","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T02:12:20","slug":"lawmakers-ask-park-service-to-stop-harassing-vets-visiting-war-memorials","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/veterans\/2018\/02\/17\/lawmakers-ask-park-service-to-stop-harassing-vets-visiting-war-memorials\/","title":{"rendered":"Lawmakers ask Park Service to stop harassing vets visiting war memorials"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WASHINGTON \u2014 Lawmakers want promises from the National Park Service that veterans can take pictures at war memorials<\/a> without getting harassed over permit issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a letter to service officials this week, a pair of House Veterans\u2019 Affairs Committee members \u2014 Rep. Elizabeth Esty, D-Conn., and Mike Bost, R-Ill. \u2014 asked for clarification of parks rules and handling of past complaints from veterans groups over conflicts with parks personnel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe both agree that no veteran deserves to be treated with disrespect while visiting a memorial dedicated to the memory of the men and women who gave their lives for our country,\u201d the letter states. \u201cThese veterans are simply trying to pay their respects to our fallen heroes, their comrades, and to feel that their own service to our nation is appreciated.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The complaints stem from last fall, during a legislative hearing before the committee\u2019s memorial affairs panel, which Bost chairs. Veterans of Foreign Wars said they have received several reports of large groups of Honor Flight veterans<\/a> being asked for event permits by national parks personnel when they gather for tours of the war monuments along the National Mall.<\/p>\n\n\n\t