Memorial Day

Today we went to Arlington National Cemetery. We missed President Bush's speech at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier by less than an hour. The procrastinator strikes again. We took the Metro to get around town. The city is so complicated and so crowded it's impossible to get around.

The cemetery was an amazing place. We started in the Women's Memorial where there was a tribute to those killed in Iraq. Each soldier was memorialized in a portrait. There were so many. They were arranged by date of death. We found a local girl's portrait and I took a picture of it.



I've read most articles written about her and I've seen the HBO special that her family was in. I feel like I know her, although superficially. I can't imagine the pain of such a loss.

We left the Women's Memorial and headed to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier followed by John F. Kennedy's grave and the eternal flame. We toured the place feeling a sense of enormous loss. Seeing the magnitude of the many rows and rows of tombstones gave me a heavy heart.


We ended our day at the Marine Memorial, the statue of Iwo Jima. It was stunning and impressive and larger than life.


The end of the day was spent at the Kennedy Center. We got a special tour and it was inspiring and more interesting than expected. The history of how the center was started and the events that led up to where it is now captivated us. President Kennedy's death brought the center many gifts from foreign countries. From the Italian tile, the Waterford crystal chandeliers from Ireland, the silk curtains from China, and the many, many other generous gifts, the Kennedy Center has become a place of world friendship and cooperation. It's too bad it had to take such tragedy to make this all happen.