Last night was a pretty late night (4 am anyone?), so while we were up early we sure weren’t moving quickly. We left the apartment shortly before noon, heading out to Arlington. We stopped at Ebeneezer's for coffee drinks for Jen and Jess and a water for me. Their blueberry muffins were fresh and delicious, and apparently the coffee drinks were good as well. We ended up wandering around Arlington for over three hours; partially because it is vast and there is lots to see, and partially because we were (slightly) lost. Arlington includes General Lee’s mansion, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the graves of the Kennedy family, and of course, the graves of uncountable (at least for me) American soldiers and some of their family members. The park also includes a memorial dedicated to women in the armed forces.
Arlington was beautiful, but is hard to walk through. Everywhere you turn there are rows upon rows of matching white headstones (with the exception of some areas, where grander headstones have been used). Most headstones included the name, rank, date of birth (in some cases) and death, branch of service and wars fought in. Some of the older ones list multiple wars. In all areas you find young soldiers, fifteen, eighteen, twenty years old. I tried to think of who I was at fifteen (six years or so ago), and I can’t imagine fighting a war at that age. Hell, I can’t imagine fighting one at twenty-one.
John F. Kennedy is buried with his wife Jackie and two children under a pattern of granite slabs. Over top burns the eternal flame. The burial site is surrounded with quoted inscriptions from President Kennedy. My personal favorite:
Let every nation know
Whether it wishes us well or ill
That we shall pay any price - bear any burden
Meet any hardship - support any friend
Oppose any foe to assure the survival
And the success of liberty
Nearby also lies a white cross, marking the grave of Robert Kennedy.
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is a somber scene. Inside the tomb lie the remains of a soldier from World War I, World War II and Korea (the Unknown Soldier from Vietnam was disinterred and identified and the tomb is currently vacant). A good deal of work goes into making sure the bodies inside the tomb are indeed unknown American soldiers from the intended conflict. Since their identities are “known but to God,” they could technically be any soldier whose body did not return.
Eventually, we made our way out of the Cemetery and crossed the street to the bells given to the US by the Netherlands.
Finally we reached the Marine Corps Memorial, which is sculpted after the famous photo of the flag-raising at Iwo Jima during World War II.
We ended up having to walk back through Arlington to get to the Metro and head back downtown.
Jess had twisted her ankle at some point during the walk through Arlington, so we were trying to limit our walking. We stopped for a late lunch in the Old Post Office Pavilion. Jen headed back to her apartment and Jess and I headed up the old clock tower for the second best view of the city. Jess couldn’t really walk by this point, so we headed back to Jen’s for the rest of the afternoon. Around eight or so Jess and I headed out to the Capitol Mall again; this time to see the Vietnam Memorial at night. We started talking to another park ranger and listened to him tell us about the Wall. The names of each of the 58,267 (current) Americans, including 8 women killed in the Vietnam Conflict are inscribed on the Wall in chronological and alphabetical order, based on the day of their death. Also included on the Wall are the names of those that are still MIA or were prisoners and have never been accounted for. The architect wanted the names of those who died to become the monument. In the case of those who die (d) later as a direct result of injuries sustained during Vietnam, space is left in the margins for their names to be written in as close as possible to the day they sustained the fatal injuries. According to the ranger, six more names were added this year. You can hardly tell. Next to each of the names (on the side away from the center of the Wall) is either a diamond (indicating that the person has been confirmed dead), a cross (indicating that a person is unaccounted for. If a person’s remains are discovered, the cross can be turned into a diamond. If a person is found to be alive, a circle (the circle of life) will be inscribed around the cross. As of yet, that has not happened.
The park ranger was also telling us about the mementos that people have left behind at the wall. Notable mementos included a fully restored Harley Davidson motorcycle and numerous (numbering in the five digits) Purple Hearts, one of which had been left today that he showed us. Another Purple Heart was left in its case, with a message written on the fabric “you will never be forgotten.” I was way past tearing up at this point. He told us that the hardest letters to read were those left on Father’s Day, he said that he wasn’t able to read them anymore. For a man who originally said that he didn’t have any stories to tell us about the Wall, he made tonight one of the most meaningful I have had. He left us with a small American flag that had been left at the Wall today.
It was a mess making our way back to the Metro, but we made it home safe and sound. We didn’t make it to many sights today, so Jess and I have a lot of catching up to do tomorrow.
And again, I'm having technological difficulties, so pictures will be added as soon as said issues can be resolved.
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