I can't believe this day has come - and gone. Wow! Our last day in Washington D.C. The only thing on today's agenda was Arlington National Cemetery. But there were many sights, within the cemetery, to be visited. Considering the size of Arlington, the Tourmobile worked well for us. The first of three stops was at the Kennedy grave sites. After learning much about President John F. Kennedy, it seemed so surreal to stand together and watch the eternal flame move in the subtle wind that blew.
Our second stop was at The Tomb of The Unknown Soldier. Having studied so much about the particulars of the soldiers who stand guard, and of the tomb itself, nothing invokes the feelings of pride and amazement, or the emotions of sincere patriotic gratitude, than standing on the steps of the Memorial Amphitheater as a live witness to the truly breathtaking Changing of the Guard ceremony. This is something I could have watched all day long.
From the Tomb, we walked across the street to Section 46 to see the grave of the most decorated American soldier of World War II - Audie Murphy.
Then we walked along the pathway to Section 7A. This is where the remains of Captain Michael J. Smith, pilot of the Space Shuttle Challenger, are buried. Jack spotted the grave of Capt. Smith before the rest of us and ran ahead with excitement to confirm it was that of his hero. For his 3rd grade science project, Jack wrote a letter to Capt. Smith that touched us all. He had requested to bring it with him to Washington D.C. and leave it at Capt. Smith's grave. And that he did. The last line of Jack's letter read, "Mr. Smith, I want to be a pilot just like you, go to space, and be the first human to step foot on Mars. When I go to heaven, I can’t wait to shake your hand." That was one of the highlights of Jack's trip, for sure.
Back on the Tourmobile, our last stop was Arlington House - the home Robert E. Lee. The view of Washington D.C. from this mansion is what prompted President Kennedy to say, "I could stay here forever" just two weeks prior to his assassination. Buried just outside the front doors, overlooking the city, is the tomb of Frenchman Pierre Charles L'Enfant, friend of George Washington and the architect of Washington D.C. As we walked up the staircase to the second floor, I gazed out the same front window that General Lee once did. Unlike his view, mine was riddled with hundreds of white headstones.
We concluded our tour of Arlington by walking passed the historic McClellan Gate and the graves of the victims of the 1984 terrorist attacks on the Beirut Barracks. Eventually we came upon Section 60 - the final resting place of the veterans of military action in Iraq and Afghanistan. Also buried in Section 60 is my friend and mentor Tom Wall. A retired Marine, Tom flew more than 1,000 combat missions in Vietnam. As a professional and public motivator, he attended the first few Memorial Day programs that I coordinated. Tom Wall was a great example of class and dignity; my mentor. He died of cancer just five years ago. We visited quietly at his grave, trying to explain him to Jack. Sadly he couldn't remember.
For the final event of our journey, we road on an Old Town Trolley for a night time tour. With a live narrator, Monuments By Moonlight is a 2 1/2 hour tour covers many of the sites throughout the greater mall area. We made three stops at the Jefferson Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, and the Marine Corps Memorial. The stop at the Jefferson was our first opportunity to visit the tribute to the great Thomas Jefferson. Indeed, quite a monument; and quite a view across the Tidal Basin of the Washington Monument - at sunset! Having visited the Lincoln Memorial at night, this time we walked over to The Wall to experience the ominous black scar at night. We were so grateful to return to this granite list of names and, once again, look up our selected names. Definitely a highlight of the trip. And the last stop was the Marine Corps Memorial. Seeing the larger than life bronzed hands and faces of Harlon Block, John Bradley, Franklin Sousley, Ira Hayes, Rene Gagnon, and Mike Strank raising the American flag on Iwo Jima was, perhaps the perfect ending to our journey.
We didn't make it back to our hotel room until after 11:00 pm. After we finished packing and staging our gear, in military fashion, it was after 1:00 am. Tomorrow's flight departs at 6:25 am - which means the alarm is going off in about 2 1/2 hours. Good night!
Semper Fi!
.
I could've stayed at the Changing of the Guard all day, too! That was so incredibly moving to me... and as a mom, I couldn't help but think how much that must mean to "someone's" mother.
ReplyDeleteWe LOVED our tour guide for the Monuments by Moonlight tour. He was so good with all that history and made us want to go home and look up more information.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for sharing your trip with us. It was so good to "go with you"!!! Would you have changed any of your plans or done anything differently?? I know it will forever be a wonderful memory for your family.