April 15, 2012
Today is Sunday, and the conference finally wrapped up. It went the same as every other conference. The day it starts, it seems like it will take forever, and then suddenly you wake up saying, “my goodness, today is already the last day!”
I can now tell you that everything went well. Not perfect – there were a few glitches along the way, but nothing serious, and everyone was happy with how it went.
So – after the conference ended at noon, we (my co-worker, Staci, and I) tore down and everything was packed, ready for Fed Ex, and we were out the door by 2:00. After grabbing some lunch, I hopped on the Metro and rode to Arlington National Cemetery. Arlington is an amazing area, covering . . . I have no idea how much space – that holds 400,000 graves and is growing steadily. They hold about 27 funerals each day. There are also memorials set up for various things, such as the Challenger and Columbia crews, the crew of the Maine (exploded in Havana Harbor in 1898), and more. Arlington National Cemetery also is the final resting place of John, Robert and Edward Kennedy.
Things that I saw include the Kennedy gravesites, the above mentioned memorials, the Audie Murphy gravesite (Murphy was one of the most (if not the most) decorated soldier of WWII – and also has the distinction of starring in his autobiographical movie, called “To Hell and Back” which recounts his days in the war). Of course I also saw The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and the changing of the guard. I shot some video of it, and hope to get it posted soon (I will post the address when it's ready). It was overwhelming to see the number of gravestones – thousands in every direction you turned, but to be honest, I wasn’t as moved as I thought I would be. I think part of the reason is because they frown upon you walking among the grave markers – which of course, begs the question, “why do they give out the info of where relatives can be found if they don’t want you walking on the grass?” Maybe you can walk to specific graves, but not wander among them – I don’t know. I didn’t ask, because I didn’t have any specific ones that I wanted to see. Actually – there were a couple, but I would’ve had to go back to the guest center, find the exact grave number, and then walk all the way back to the grave (I knew the section they were in, and it was a LONG way from the guest center).
One thing that I found really neat was the Women in Military Service for America Memorial. I had no idea it was there. I thought it was closed when I first saw it, but gave a tug on the door anyway. To my surprise, the exhibit was open. It was one of the best surprises in all of DC. It was wonderfully done, including large, flat panel TV’s showing various History Channel videos with interview from women who had served in various capacities. I thought the best was the Nurses of Vietnam video, hosted by Dana Delaney. It was a gripping film with the nurses talking about their roles and lives while stationed in Vietnam. I really enjoyed it.
After finishing at Arlington, I took the Metro to the next stop to see the Pentagon. As with many of the government buildings in the area, security is very tight, including posted signs forbidding photography. I managed to find my way to the Pentagon’s September 11th Memorial. You have to walk all the way to the other side of the Pentagon. When I finally reached it, I looked, and thought, “Huh? I don’t get it.” A passerby looked at me and said, “you look perplexed.” He should’ve said, “you look like a clueless dolt.” That would’ve been equally accurate. He has spent a lot of time at the memorial, as well as being on hand for the dedication – so knows all about it. After he explained it (twice, because I still didn’t get it the first time) – it made a lot of sense, and was actually pretty neat and well thought out. He was even able to tell me where the plane impacted the ground and hit the building. I have a photo of me sitting in the exact spot the plane crashed (photos are permitted in the memorial area).
After leaving the Pentagon Memorial, I rode the Metro back to my hotel, so I could get some supper/dinner and Skype home to my 2 favorite girls (which I have done every day – it’s been great).
One last thought about the Pentagon – and if you think it foolish, sorry - it’s just how my brain works. The Pentagon is named such, simply because that is the shape of the building. Was this the best anyone could come up with? What if the building were round, would it be called “The Circle”? Just a thought.
Anyway – that’s all for Day #6. Tomorrow is a free day before heading home.
Talk to you later!
JBD
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