When the US federal government partially shut down on Tuesday, national parks and monuments were among the places to close.

Tourists visiting Washington DC found the Smithsonian museums and other key sites locked up or blocked by barriers.

A group of military veterans who flew in from the US state of Mississippi as part of an arranged tour headed down to the WWII Memorial down on the National Mall.

The BBC's Franz Strasser joined them as they tried to persuade the park rangers to let them in.