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From left, Lodge 7 Third Vice President Fernando Flores, Second Vice President Dan Gorman, President John Catanzara and Recording Secretary Rob Noceda show some support at a rally in Pennsylvania where the National FOP presented its endorsement for President Trump.
A VISIT TO GREAT AMERICA
Lodge 7 joins National FOP at rally to endorse President Trump and feels the power of a MAGA moment
n BY MITCHELL KRUGEL
Chicago Lodge 7 leaders stripped off their jackets and ties to slip into attire that felt like body armor. President John Cat- anzara, Second Vice President Dan Gorman, Third Vice Presi- dent Fernando Flores and Recording Secretary Rob Noceda had come to this Sept. 26 rally for Donald Trump at Harrisburg Re- gional Airport in Pennsylvania to join the National FOP in pre- senting its endorsement for the president dressed to thrill.
But they dumped the Armani for white T-shirts emblazoned with “Fraternal Order of Police for Trump” in bold, blue letters. They mustered with the rest of the National FOP to become an extraordinary special forces unit and began a 250-member march toward the runway turned into a stadium setting where another vaunted Trump campaign rally was staged.
As the procession to the venue proceeded, they found thou- sands of Trump supporters who cheered their presence. Shouts of “back the blue” and “we love you” reverberated through a glo- rious fall Saturday afternoon. The president would not arrive for another four hours, but many of these fans had been here since 7 p.m. Friday.
“It’s like being at a rock concert,” Gorman maintained. “The motivation of the people and the enthusiasm. We definitely don’t see this back home in Chicago.”
Here was the power of Make America Great Again, and the Lodge 7 contingent was feeling how law enforcement is viewed as a vital part of the MAGA mission. It was the appropriate set- ting for the National FOP to formally present its endorsement. And it was a magnificent festival that offered the president a vote of confidence and emphasized how Trump is the best man for the job, especially for law enforcement.
“A lot of optimism, a lot of good will, a lot of cheer,” Noceda observed as perhaps a wish list for what would help to make
36 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ OCTOBER 2020
National FOP President Pat Yoes joins President Trump on the podium to officially announce the union’s endorsement.
Chicago great again. “The crowd, you can tell, they are just very happy to be Americans and they’re very patriotic. It’s extremely humbling and just a beautiful experience to come here and see the president speak on behalf of the entire Fraternal Order of Police.”
Anticipation
A month earlier, Catanzara accompanied another Lodge 7 co- alition to the White House when President Trump addressed the Republican National Convention. Though that was a high point of unique proportion, the adventure to Pennsylvania packed a different type of historical significance and anticipation.
“More raucous. And a little more fun,” the Lodge 7 president