Anacostia Flats

There was a time in our countrys history when America stood on the brink of Armed Revolution. The time was not 1776 or 1860 it was 1932. Over three months during an explosivly hot summer driven to desperation by years of unemployment tens of thousands of battle-hardened American veterans and thier families descended on Washington DC and refused to leave. Commanderd by Walter W. Waters an enigmatic man who rose from obscurity to the status of a national hero this veterans army could have opened the door to communist or fascist forces overpowering the nations government. One night on the steps of the Capitol building it nearly happened. Determined to teach the veterans a lesson and to demonstrate the need for a strong armed force Chief of the Army Douglas MacArthur and his top aides mid-career officers Dwight Eisenhower and George Parron made secret plans to drive the veterans from Washington by force.