Exclusive firsthand account: Inside the fateful rally

Last Saturday, my wife, her high school friend, my brother, and I drove from Alliance, Ohio, to the Trump rally in Pennsylvania. I thought it would be a great opportunity to talk to people about Article V of the Constitution and how it could help people find common ground and reduce the vitriol in our society.

As we approached the rally site, one could sense a contained excitement building. As we entered the grounds, volunteers cheerfully were helping with the parking. We then started our long walk to the gates of the venue, passing many vendors selling Trump items. There was a carnival atmosphere despite the high temperatures and humidity beating down on us.

We entered the grounds after passing security and moved to an elevated area approximately two hundred and fifty yards from the grandstand, affording us a good view of the viewing screens. At this point, I would like to thank the volunteer EMS and fire departments for their very professional and courteous actions in helping those who had succumbed to the heat. They were quite busy taking care of everyone and passing out water to whoever wanted some. As volunteers, they didn’t have to be there but chose to spend their Saturday doing their civic duty.

As the day wore on and the sun continued to beat down on us I noticed people gathering outside of the fence to my left underneath the shade of some trees. Lucky them, I thought, but it then crossed my mind this area would have given me grave concerns if I was involved with security. In front of me, arrived secret service personnel shortly before Mr. Trump started to speak. As Mr. Trump began to speak, a lady from my left approached the Secret Service and stated that people were warning that there was a gunman nearby. They started to respond to the information as the shots rang out.

People started to duck or run for cover. As for me, I continued to sit, not frozen by fear but disgusted by the government’s inability to do anything with competence. After the assassination attempt, we were instructed to leave the area. In a very orderly fashion, we headed for our cars. There was a profound sense of sadness that what had been such an uplifting civic event could end in the murder of a volunteer fireman. The sobering rage that someone would try to kill the president was nearly too much to bear. One vendor wished that the shooter had succeeded and was promptly decked by a passerby as the crowd left.

As Eric Prince has mentioned, the only thing not making this a greater tragedy is that the shooter didn’t account for the wind changing the bullet’s trajectory by about two inches. But a tragedy it was. The country lost a retired fire chief. We are told that he was a hero that day. I would submit to you that volunteer firemen, EMS, National Guard, and police auxiliaries are heroes every day. We should always show them the respect and thanks they deserve. As a sign of respect, I would urge all of us to contribute to the Chief Comperatore fund.

In conclusion, I believe Article V is our best hope for bringing the country together. The problems that beset our country are solvable as long as we explain how Article V can help improve people’s lives and lessen the divide that has been imposed on us.