(MSC News)--The current government shutdown has left highly visited attractions closed.  

That includes the National World War II Memorial in Washington DC, blocked by barricades indicating its closure. 

That didn't stop Kansas veterans, including those from Leavenworth, from being able to view the sight, greeted by Kansas Republican leaders. 

Senator Jerry Moran and Congreswoman Lynn Jenkins both welcomed the visitors who flew aboard the Heartland Honor Flight Wednesday to visit the memorial. 

The barricades were ignored, with no confrontation, and the veterans were able to gain an up close look at the tribute to their service. 

Following the visit, Moran took to the Senate floor, citing lessons to be learned from the veterans in reaching an agreement to end the shutdown. 

“The battles we engage in need to be a lot less about Republicans and Democrats, and much more about what’s good for the country. We ought to use the veterans that we met with this morning, and those who are memorialized on the National Mall, to remind ourselves that there is a higher calling to what we do in our nation’s capital. There is something more important than the political skirmishes.”

The shutdown, which took effect in the early morning hours of Tuesday, is referred to by some political observers as the Washington Monument Syndrome, a tactic used to create alarm for a certain political outcome. It's accomplished by closing the most popular government services, or attractions, while leaving more essential government operations intact.