Our Nation's Most Sacred Shrine

We went to Arlington National Cemetery on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. There were a lot of people, but there was also a lot of ground to cover.



It is hard to imagine that each of these headstones represents a fallen hero or a family member.



I was fortunate enough to catch a Tomb of the Unknowns changing of the guard. Here is the sentinel by himself, right before the change. Continuous patrolling since the 1930s has caused discoloration on the ground where they walk.



This is in the middle of the guard change. It is a very elaborate ceremony. The guard asks that everyone stand up and remain standing during the ceremony. They say so at the beginning. So imagine this woman's embarassment when they stopped the ceremony to call her out for sitting back down!

The face of the Tomb has lettering, carved into White Yule marble entirely from Colorado. The inscription is almost impossible to see in this photo. It says

HERE RESTS IN
HONORED GLORY
AN AMERICAN
SOLDIER
KNOWN BUT TO GOD

Check out the FAQ page at the Society of the Honor Guard website. It answers many questions about the Tomb guard and the rituals. There have only been three female sentinels, because they have to be between 5'11" and 6'4". Wow!



Here is the Memorial Amphitheater. My Dad is in the picture... see if you can spot where.



Audie Murphy, the American legend, is so famous that his grave is on the map as a point of interest.



Here are the Space Shuttle disaster memorials.



This is the memorial for the rescue attempt to save the Iranian hostages. I did a paper on the attempt for a military history class. Those poor people were doomed from the beginning, thanks to a few crucial mistakes.



Theodore Roosevelt commanded the Rough Riders in the Cuba campaign. In case you hadn't guessed it... Theodore Roosevelt is my favorite president!



The brightness makes it hard to see, but this is Robert F. Kennedy's grave. It is on a small hill all by itself. I wonder if they will bury Ted next to him.



Here are the graves of President Kennedy and Jackie O, in front of the eternal flame. They also had a couple of infants who died, and are buried with them. Another thing I did not know!



Last but not least... the view from the Kennedys' gravesite. It is quite lovely.

Museum of American History

After a long renovation, the Museum of American History is finally open again! That was at the top of my list for museums to visit.



Everyone loves Dumbo! Elephants are one of my favorites, too. Of course there was no way to sit on him, but that's probably a good thing.



Here are Grandmaster Flash's turntable and Fab Five Freddy's boombox. These are symbolic of the birth of hip-hop. Grandmaster Flash is credited as the first person to use a turntable as a musical instrument. I didn't know that he was from Barbados.



This character needs no introduction! I think we all wish that we had a door so readily available to slam when we don't want to be around other people anymore!



A smorgasbord of presidential street signs. I would have liked for them to specify which Roosevelt was being honored...



...because I know which one I would prefer! Theodore Roosevelt was one of our greatest presidents. It has become fashionable to call him a socialist. I don't think much of those comments.



The Declaration of Independence. The real one at the National Archives is a bit more faded, but this one is easier to read!



Today is Holocaust Remembrance Day. It would seem appropriate that I post this! This is a huge reproduction of the front page of the Stars and Stripes, the newspaper serving the armed forces, on the "unofficial" V-E Day.



An old Army Jeep... hanging from the ceiling!



Here is a Huey helicopter. It was impossible to get the rotors; they hung out over the other exhibits by quite a bit. This is a representation of the soldiers in Vietnam.



This is twisted metal from the 70th floor of the World Trade Center. I'm not sure which tower. Needless to say, this entire exhibit was fascinating in a somber sort of way.



Our nation's highest military honor. It had its own small exhibit. In the Pentagon, they have a whole corridor devoted to Douglas MacArthur, who was part of the only father/son team to win the Medal of Honor. They have the actual medal on display.

The Lincoln Memorial & Vietnam Wall

It's time to play catch-up from the last few weeks. Here are a few scenes from the class trip to the Lincoln Memorial.



Could there be a more iconic pose of Lincoln than this?



Here is the Gettysburg Address. It is easy to appreciate how short it was when you see how easily it fits on this wall in giant letters.



On the facing wall, there is the Second Inaugural Speech from 1865.



I also got to visit the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, only steps away from the Lincoln Memorial. I suppose I was paying a visit to Maj Robert M. Gilchrist, who is on my POW/MIA bracelet. It has been almost 43 years since he was shot down over North Vietnam. I hope wherever he is, he is resting in peace.