A couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity for the first time to actually spend time in the Washington, D.C. area outside of the airport terminals. I was sent for a week of job-related training, of which I did quite a bit and still somewhat having blurred vision as an aftereffect. However, the night life was something to behold from what I had heard. I was expecting to drink tequila from the navel of a blonde 19-year-old college coed who needed money to join a sorority. Since a few nights of illicit debauchery was a foretold promised prophecy by some of my friends from San Francisco, I wanted to get a little bit of sightseeing out the way my first night there.

I managed to snag one of my more conservative friends who also attended to run downtown after the first day of training to check out the sites. Getting around the downtown area can be a little tricky so my friend and I signed up for a “Twilight Tour of D.C.” at the TourMobile stand at Union Station. You got to see the Washington, Jefferson, FDR, and Lincoln Memorials, in addition to the war memorials located on the Mall (Korean, Viet Nam, and WWII). Hey, for $20.00, it was one of the best three hour tours I have ever taken.

Before I describe this memorial marathon, I have always been a fervent student of our great nation’s history. Had the occupation of historian paid well, I would have chosen American History as my major in college. My interest in history grew when I had the great fortune to be a student of Father Aaron Pembleton’s history class at Quincy College for two semesters. Many times I stayed after class just to hear him lecture on his vast knowledge of the past 200 years of our history. His first instruction at the beginning of every semester for every class was to copy a quote from the Spanish historian George Santayana in the front of our history notebooks, a quote which many of you have already heard in one form or another. “Those who ignore or fail to know history are condemned to repeat it.”

Our tour began by driving past our nationÂ’s capital and down the Mall towards the Washington Memorial. Due to security upgrades, the Washington Memorial was closed and is expected to remain close for approximately another few months. The tour then pressed on to the Thomas Jefferson Memorial that sits on the edge of the tidal basin of the Potomac River. The monument itself is impressive as are the quotes that have been attributed to this great President. President JFK once told a group of visiting Nobel Prize winners that they were the greatest assemblage of talent in the White House since President Jefferson dined there alone. As a quick history lesson, here is a link to better help you understand what a great man President Jefferson had been.

While impressed, I wasnÂ’t actually emotionally moved like I thought I would be. We loaded back onto the trolley and headed across the tidal basin to see one of the newest memorials, the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, our nationÂ’s 32^nd President. Covering just over eight acres, this memorial is a must for a calm nighttime stroll. It covers over 12 years of our nationÂ’s history, from the Great Depression and his truly wonderful and inspiring fireside chats until his death in 1945. He was truly a great President who brought a nation in despair and decline to a new height of greatness. Many great quotes have also been attributed to this man.

Onward our tour continued to the enormous Lincoln Memorial. Our tour guide mentioned that this is the only national memorial built in the form of a temple to one man. Walking up the many steps, I could easily understand as it reminded me of the Parthenon in Athens, Greece. So immense is the statue of Abraham Lincoln, one can only feel humility to be in its presence.

The next three monuments, our nation’s war memorials on the Mall, invoked some pretty intense emotions. The Korean War Memorial has often been described as our capital city’s “Walking Dead”. The statues, 19 of them which when reflected at night in the black granite wall, are counted as 38 (the front line was the 38^th Parallel), are of a patrol, all with various faces of different races. The Korean War, in which my uncle fought, has also been commonly known as the United Nations War because every single country in the United Nations was involved.

Next was the National World War II Memorial honoring the 400,000 U.S. service men and women who died. Although the exact figure isnÂ’t known, it is estimated that over 60 million people worldwide died as a result of the war, either fighting or as civilian casualties. The immense size of the monument itself is our nationÂ’s tribute to those fallen heroes.

Finally, we visited the Viet Nam Memorial.

To visit this memorial at night can have quite an effect on even the most hardened of hearts. Talking could be heard at the other war memorials but not here, not at this sacred place. The silence was only broken by the sound of traffic passing on Constitution Avenue and the occasional sniffle from other viewers. I have a lot of feelings on the Viet Nam War, some from reading history and some from my father who served two tours there, and I could do nothing but stand there, tears streaming down my face, with nothing but the names of 58,245 names etched into the black granite staring back at me. While the other memorials gave you a feeling of pride, duty, and honor, this memorial also gave that and one more feelingÂ…that of great sorrow. A great sorrow in having fought a war in which no one understood what they were supposed to do under a misguided U.S. policy and having a nation back home hate them for it.

With that, the tour had been concluded and we all rode back to Union Station.

I consider myself a patriot of this great nation, for better or for worse, and this tour around our nation’s monuments is much like an affirmation of my faith in our country. To be inspired by the words of our past leaders and to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our way of life is almost beyond comprehension. In the words of the President John Adams, “If it be the pleasure of Heaven that my country shall require the poor offering of my life, the victim shall be ready at the appointed hour of sacrifice, come when that hour may. But while I do live, let me have a country, and that a free country!”

Father Aaron would be proud of me.

Take care out there this week,

Rob


P.S.
I must apologize for the poor pics. I left my 35mm camera at home and opted for my digital one instead. Big mistake for night photos.

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Dang Rob! It is (almost) a shame that you aren't a good looking female, we seem to have a lot in common.
I have a great love for history as well (even though history is written by the winners) with particular interests in FDR, Calvin Coolidge, and Teddy Roosevelt as far as presidents go, as well as the Vietnam Conflict and the Revolutionary War.

Nice one, I was very impressed with DC , I went about a month after 9/11/01 to hook up with some guys from my clan and because everyone was afraid to fly( I try to make it a point to be flying on or around 9/11). My eyes watered alot just looking at these monuments especially the Lincoln Memorial, that was just awsome and quiet.
I also took some pix of the Pentagon and got chased after till we jumped the freeway , it was a cool but sad looking at the damage that was done to it. Only thing I didn't like was the traffic !! OMFG THE HORRORS !!!! Just like back home !!!!

I've been to DC a few times, quite a city. I would go crazy if I had to live there, but its great to visit. My favorite thing to see is the Smithsonian museums of air and space, science, natural and american history. Those just plain own any museum you've ever seen. I could spend months exploring them.

I was there just before Y2k, so there was all sorts of beefed up security in case of...I dunno, what were they expecting, mass hysteria and riots? There were riot control vehicles set up (looked like an armored winnebago) and snipers on top of the white house roof and cops everywhere. Pretty crazy!

Possibly the most odd thing I saw there was a big sign in front of the line you stood in to tour the white house (can you still tour it?). This sign detailed all the items you could not bring into the white house, such as guns, grenades, flamethrowers and nunchucks(sp?). I busted out laughing at that one. Could just imagine some dork trying to walk into the white house with a set of nunchuks. And you know theres some people out there that really are that stupid or have attempted it before, hence the sign.

Excellent Rob! I envy you, you're experience. It is one of my greatest wishes to vist these memorials and pay my respects. I've heard that the new WWII memorial is quite beautiful.

Thanks for the kudos, guys.

Godfoot - American history is one of my greatest loves behind books, that is. As I've always said, President Harry S Truman has always been an idol to me, with President FDR a close second. However, history revisionist are having quite a hay-day with President Truman saying that he dropped the bomb to show old "Uncle Joe" how serious we were. President Truman dropped the bomb twice as an alternative to invading mainland Japan in order to prevent the deaths of millions of people.

NoSlak - Thanks but I never try to fly period. Yes, there is the arguement that the extra security is necessary; however, the extra proper security is necessary. A while back the GSA came out with a report stating that TSA has been no more effective at intercepting contraband than the private screeners were. It's just that you hear about more incidents now after 9/11 than you did before (and the TSA has a better press office). That's why I'll drive anywhere I can to avoid the hassle of flying.

Slider - The WWII Memorial is something to behold. Our tour guide said that when he stands in the middle next to the fountain, he gets a sense that when the world was in great need, all the states in the union and our territories all came together to make a stand for what was right...sorta like they were gathering around a table of a war council. Through that strength, we were able to defeat the Axis powers.

Rob

Quote: Originally Posted by Rob Thanks for the kudos, guys. Godfoot - American history is one of my greatest loves behind books, that is. As I've always said, President Harry S Truman has always been an idol to me, with President FDR a close second. However, history revisionist are having quite a hay-day with President Truman saying that he dropped the bomb to show old "Uncle Joe" how serious we were. President Truman dropped the bomb twice as an alternative to invading mainland Japan in order to prevent the deaths of millions of people. NoSlak - Thanks but I never try to fly period. Yes, there is the arguement that the extra security is necessary; however, the extra proper security is necessary. A while back the GSA came out with a report stating that TSA has been no more effective at intercepting contraband than the private screeners were. It's just that you hear about more incidents now after 9/11 than you did before (and the TSA has a better press office). That's why I'll drive anywhere I can to avoid the hassle of flying. Slider - The WWII Memorial is something to behold. Our tour guide said that when he stands in the middle next to the fountain, he gets a sense that when the world was in great need, all the states in the union and our territories all came together to make a stand for what was right...sorta like they were gathering around a table of a war council. Through that strength, we were able to defeat the Axis powers. Rob

Truman was great, nuff said from me. Speaking of which , and I am in no way bringing him down or nothing like that but, I was watchin the History channel . On was a special on Armistice Day however I cannot quote nor say verbatim how this letter went that was being read I can give you the gist of it ; "My Dear So and So, I';m writing to you on this last day of the war blablabla, I only wish we could keep on fighting right into Germany and rape and pillage it blablabla, AND cut off the hand off of every German child so that this does not happen again blalbabla."
The rape and pillage part I came up with but the other part was true, it was signed by Harry S. Truman , boot lieutenant of an arty battery at the time.
Just thought it was interesting.

You might have gotten mixed up there because on Armistice Day (November 11, 1918), President Truman was a captain at the time. I've never heard of the letter, but that doesn't mean that it doesn't exists. The only letter in which he stirred major (not minor..he did that all the time) was to a music critic who wrote a bad review about his daughter's singing.....here's a cut-n-paste of that.

Quote: In response to Washington Post Music Critic Paul Hume's December 6, 1950, review of Margaret Truman's singing performance at Constitution Hall, stating, "Miss Truman is a unique American phenomenon with a pleasant voice of little size and fair quality … (she) cannot sing very well … is flat a good deal of the time—more last night than at any time we have heard her in past years … has not improved in the years we have heard her … (and) still cannot sing with anything approaching professional finish." President Truman responded with the following letter to Hume: THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON Dec. 6, 1950 Mr. Hume: I've just read your lousy review of Margaret's concert. I've come to the conclusion that you are an "eight ulcer man on four ulcer pay." It seems to me that you are a frustrated old man who wishes he could have been successful. When you write such poppy-**** as was in the back section of the paper you work for it shows conclusively that you're off the beam and at least four of your ulcers are at work. Some day I hope to meet you. When that happens you'll need a new nose, a lot of beefsteak for black eyes, and perhaps a supporter below! Pegler, a gutter snipe, is a gentleman alongside you. I hope you'll accept that statement as a worse insult than a reflection on your ancestry. H.S.T.

If you can find any info on that letter, send me a PM. Thanks.

Rob

Quote: Originally Posted by Slider Excellent Rob! I envy you, you're experience. It is one of my greatest wishes to vist these memorials and pay my respects. I've heard that the new WWII memorial is quite beautiful.

You and me both..I would very much like to see DC once before I die....

but do co-eds in need of sorority cash really exist?
-MF

Quote: Originally Posted by Monsignor Funkibut but do co-eds in need of sorority cash really exist? -MF

Hey, you've got your fantasies, I've got mine.

Rob