Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Washington, D.C.

The last time I was in Washington, D.C., I had gone alone. I was there to visit my niece, who -- I will shamelessly braggity tell you -- was a CAPTAIN in the Air Force, and she and her husband were stationed there. (*high five, girl) D.C. was very cool, but I saw it with different eyes then; tourist show-me-some-thrills eyes.

Two weeks ago, when my husband and I took our two youngest children to D.C., being there with my family made me feel as if I had never been there. There was so much to do and only one week's time; we had to choose what we felt was important for our kids to come away seeing.  What this meant was sitting down and without realizing it, laying out our values. Discussing what being in our nation's capitol meant.

Our starting point was The Smithsonian. The Smithsonian is actually 17 museums, 2 specialty museums, and one National Zoo. There is no admission fee to any of these sites. They are free. That price was right for my frugal husband's budget. He is still whispering Smithsonian in his sleep. Boom. Our week right there. We would spend our time visiting 2 museums a day, and save the last day for the National Zoo. Done and discussed and settled.

And then our oldest son called, he wasn't with us. He asked what day we'd be going to see the memorials: the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial, the WWII Memorial, the Vietnam Memorial, the Korean War Memorial. Arlington National Cemetery, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. We told him we didn't have the time with all the museums to see. I felt my face turn red with shame when he said, "I can't believe it. You're in D.C. and you're not going to any memorials, mom?" The way he sounded, his disappointment, made me turn to my husband and tell him there was a change in plans. We'd be going to Arlington.

The Smithsonian Museums were all wonderful, of the ones we were able to visit. The memorials were the moment of pause that gave weight to our trip. But the sight of Arlington National Cemetery, the first glimpse of rows and rows of white crosses of service members that knew nothing else than to sacrifice for their country, I can't even begin to explain the emotions we felt.

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All those lives stretched out in markers before us.

No one grew restless, no one complained, no one asked when we would be going home.

About ten burials a day take place at Arlington, each of them by horse drawn casket. The day we were there, we witnessed one service and one procession. There are signs every 100 feet or so requesting silence, making the steady clip-clop of the horses' hooves even more solemn. That stillness, together with the sight of soldiers in their respectful ceremonial dress dutifully marching behind, following the flag draped casket, did both my husband and me in. Our children knew not to ask why we were wiping our eyes.

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At the end of our day there, we climbed to the top of Arlington's hills to see the Tomb of the Unknowns.

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Since July 2, 1937, a guard has been posted there 24 hours a day, 7 days a week -- no matter how cold, how hot, how heavy the rain or snow, the watch has never ceased. During 9/11, the guard never left.

The monument is dedicated to American service members who have died without their remains ever being identified. Without anyone on earth ever knowing who they were.

On the western panel, centered and inscribed, are the words:

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


We had found the most important thing to see in Washington, D.C.
______________________________________________________

38 comments:

  1. Wow. I had no idea. Ten a day? A beautiful post and tribute Alex.
    Dana

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  2. Pretty sure I would have cried, too.

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  3. Tears blur the screen right now...this was lovely.

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  4. mmm true that...arlington is def stirring...love me some DC and the museums are awesome...natural history is my fav...the holocaust museum crushed me....arlington silences me

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  5. Good morning, everyone: Yes, Arlington. Thank goodness my son called and let us know what we needed to do.

    The experience, of seeing hill after hill of grave markers, is one I can't put to words.

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  6. Having seen Arlington myself, I know how hard it is to put into words. I got chills just looking at your pictures.

    We took our kids to DC last summer. We focused on checking out the monuments, but we'd like to go back for the museums and Arlington. There is just so much there!

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  7. Yeah, you made me all verklempt too.

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  8. I have been there. Just reading this gave me chills again. Good post. I am sure your kids will always remember this trip.

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  9. Beautifully written. It is amazing how your values come through in the most unexpected ways.

    I love your family.

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  10. It has been years, but I remember all of it so well. Like you, as much as I LOVED the museums; Arlington punched me in the gut, then gave me a warm hug. Looking at these pictures even makes me cry.

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  11. Wow. What a trip. And this just impresses me more with the need to get myself to Washington DC.

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  12. Look at you, leaving me speechless.
    m.

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  13. Thank you all for your wonderful comments. Yes, Washington D.C. was more than I ever remember it being.

    Is it my age? Is it the way I saw my children seeing it? Is it the way I heard myself telling my children why it was important that they were seeing what they were seeing..
    It was all of the above.

    Really, we all need to go there.

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  14. My sister and I buried our Army Colonel father at Arlington and marched behind his caisson, sat through the 21 gun salute and had the flag presented to us. They hand you the flag and say "On behalf of a grateful nation" and we just lost it.

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    1. Suzy...I can't even make it through your comment without my eyes filling with tears....how would I have made it through the presentation of the flag?

      Incredible.

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  15. I agree. What a moving experience you were able to share with your family. Just the thought brings tears to my eyes.

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  16. We spend almost an entire day there. It was the one place both my husband and I really wanted to visit. We hope to bury his father there someday (family isn't ready to bury his ashes yet), he was a Green Beret in Korea and Vietnam.

    I remember wandering for about an hour trying to find John Bailone's grave, which was not on their map. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Basilone

    Seeing all the Medal of Honor markers was mind-blowing.

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  17. I haven't been to DC in a long time but I am anxiously awaiting the boys to be old enough for a family trip. I love the history, the monuments, the story of our country. Plus I want to hear about their grandfather (my dad..a Vietnam vet), my sister (a National Guard vet) and know they come from a long line of soldiers.


    This was such a gorgeous post, so glad you enjoyed your stay in our nation's capital!

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  18. I haven't been to DC in a long time but I am anxiously awaiting the boys to be old enough for a family trip. I love the history, the monuments, the story of our country. Plus I want to hear about their grandfather (my dad..a Vietnam vet), my sister (a National Guard vet) and know they come from a long line of soldiers.


    This was such a gorgeous post, so glad you enjoyed your stay in our nation's capital!

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  19. I haven't been to DC in a long time but I am anxiously awaiting the boys to be old enough for a family trip. I love the history, the monuments, the story of our country. Plus I want to hear about their grandfather (my dad..a Vietnam vet), my sister (a National Guard vet) and know they come from a long line of soldiers.


    This was such a gorgeous post, so glad you enjoyed your stay in our nation's capital!

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  20. I haven't been to DC in a long time but I am anxiously awaiting the boys to be old enough for a family trip. I love the history, the monuments, the story of our country. Plus I want to hear about their grandfather (my dad..a Vietnam vet), my sister (a National Guard vet) and know they come from a long line of soldiers.


    This was such a gorgeous post, so glad you enjoyed your stay in our nation's capital!

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  21. That is so incredibly powerful (both your writing and Arlington). The Tomb of the Unknowns makes me cry every time.

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  22. Straight to tears. What an aMAZing post. Thank you Alexandra! To read about the Greg Smith resignation from Goldmann Sachs and now this in one afternoon. It gives me such hope! Maybe all is not lost with this whole horrible slide of our country into instant gratification and rampant greed.

    We've got a true democracy! We can find blogs that rings true and vote with the click of a mouse. People of integrity who have strong feelings and the courage to express them and act on them can make a difference, people like you.

    You inspire me (and evidently, many many thousands of others) with your amazingly open heart, your honesty and your depth. You really are the Empress.

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    1. Meeting people like you, Anne, those that get the authenticity of life, gratitude, appreciation...those who never lose the wonder of why we are here: why blogging has blessed me every day since I first began.

      How wonderful it is to know you.

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  23. When I was a kid we endured a few DC vacations is August; it's the reason I love museums and architecture and American history.

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  24. God bless those men and women.
    Our family is an army family. My grandpas...uncles...my brothers...they sacrifice so much for us and our country. They really do deserve our respect.

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  25. Dammit, you posted this ON PURPOSE to make me cry AGAIN, didn't you? Beautiful post. Thank you. I will be sharing this with my son.

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  26. *sniff* We're planning a trip there soon. We'll have to make time for this too.

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  27. Very moving post, Alexandra. And timely, as we continue to lose so many young men and women to battle. So many don't have families to come back to anymore, if they even come back. DC is such a special place to bring our kids. I totally agree with you that when you bring your family you see it with different eyes. I spent a summer there as a college intern, and went back when our son was 6. Not much had changed, except that whereas we used to be able to walk right up to the White House "fence," we're now several layers of barricades back. Sadly our children in some ways were born into a scarier time than we were.

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  28. A truly beautiful tribute, Empress. Truly.

    When I first started running, I spent a lot of time in & around Arlington, for training. I'd run to the cemetery every morning for sunrise -- partly to remind myself that there is so much more than what's going on in my little world.

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  29. All those sons...and now I'm sobbing.

    (yes, and some daughters)

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  30. I've visited this site as well, and it's impossible to convey the swell of emotion that accompanies it.

    Beautiful post, Alexandra.

    XO

    A.

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  31. Seeing Arlington, the Vietnam memorial and Holocaust Museum in one trip came back to me like pounding waves when I read this post. I bet your sons will tell their kids about this trip when they take their families.

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  32. That monument is amazing. We go there every time and my kids barely understand but they know that people have dies for what we have and they know this is serious. This city is filled with so much emotion it takes my breath away.

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  33. I just got goosebumps reading this post. I have never been to Arlington but this post makes me think I should plan a visit soon.

    Thanks for this.

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  34. Wow, this has me tearing up. The American cemetery in Normandy touched me for the same reasons, and the soldiers so far from home. My grandfather was buried with military honor.

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