OOH RAH! To some its not even a word but thats what comes to mind when I think about today!
We started the day out with breakfast provided by the hotel. Pretty delicious although about 2 hours earlier than I would have preferred. We headed for the bus for what promised to be a much less stressful and less emotional day. We took the drive out to Quantico and the USMC Museum. This is one of the things that I most wanted to see and I wasn't disappointed!
This particular sight is a little more personal to me. Mom & Dad played a small part (along with thousands of others)in helping to see this sight built and preserved. They donated money to the museum every year that Bubba was in the service. They also donated in memory of the son of friends of theirs who was killed in the war in Iraq. They purchased a brick in his honor. A little red brick with a name....sounds simple enough, but what a sight to behold!
From the moment the bus pulled into the parking lot, I was completely dumbstruck! The structure itself symbolically resembles the Marine Memorial. Its shape is based on the figure of the flag raising at Iwo Jima (which I learned so much more about today from a man at the museum who was there).
When we unloaded the bus, we were greeted by the soulful sound of the bagpipes being played by a Marine. He was there to play for a retirement ceremony that was being held inside, but stepped out to serenade us when he saw us arrive.
Our tour guide greeted us and immediately led us to the first exhibit. I personally payed very little attention to what he was saying. I was way to involved in the retirement ceremony going on just a few yards away from us. It was quite impressive watching this deserving man being honored for his years in the service.
After the ceremony ended, I admid I kind of strayed from the group a bit. I was a little behind the others because I couldn't stop reading and absorbing every piece of available information. It was all fascinating! After a few minutes, I noticed one of my veterans was not far behind me. He had obvious tears in his eyes and was taking in every inch of the museum. He is a US Marine. We were at the beginning of the WWII exhibit of the museum when I started walking with him and listening to his stories. He pointed at weapons displayed and explained their uses. He looked at pictures and defined for me what was actually happening in each one. He stopped and stared at a displayed uniform. It bore the same patches that he had earned. I took his picture by it. He told me that they had thrown away his uniform years before because the moths had gotten to it. I am currently trying to find on the internet a replica of some sort of that badge. I will find it and give it to him.
This gentleman was at Okinawa when it all began. He played a big part on an amphibious assault team. This is something I had never even heard of, but have since vowed to do a lot of research on. He says that once he walked over 11 miles over the island in search of the brother of a friend of his who he thought was also there. He found him. He smiled when he told me that. As well he should. I mean, the guy walked 11 miles just to say "hello" to his buddy's brother. :)
He taught me about tanks, planes, and flame throwers. He explained to me in great detail the size of hole each different bullet or bomb would leave in a person or object. I tried to take every second of this in. It was amazing.
Later in the exhibit, I ran into our only female veteran. She is a tiny and wonderful woman. She was alone looked kind of lost. She didn't say much about her time in the service. She talked to me instead, of what it was like coming home. We were looking at the infamous picture of the homecoming where the sailor is kissing a girl. She said that when they all came home, they pushed their war memories aside. She said how greatful she was to have this chance to bring these memories back now. She told me that when they came home, people didn't talk about what happened. They just got on with their lives. They worked, they married, they raised families. They didn't have their hands out complaining. They didn't feel that they had anything coming to them. They thought they had done what they were supposed to do and now it was over.
We had a good lunch in the "Messhall" and hit the giftshop before we went back to the bus. We tried to hit a couple of other museums. The Smithsonian Air & Space & Native American museums which are side by side in the National Mall. WAY to many tourists!!! The Air & Space was filled to the gills with students. Very young, very hyper, very disrespectful students. We couldn't even get close enough to any of the exhibits to make them interesting.
After a few minutes, Mom & I headed outside with our crew. We had every intention of heading towards the Native American Museum but we ran into one of our vets and our busdriver (an awesome guy) They were sitting outside the bus in the shade. Just shootin the breeze and watching all the people go by. For the next hour, we had the best time! The stories were great and so many people stopped to chat with and show their gratitude to our boys. It was awesome!
We left and headed to JR's for a prime rib dinner. We were a little early getting there, so we got to go back to the hotel a little early for some much needed relaxation. We got together in our breakfast room for what should have been a quick meeting. Thats where the hard stuff began. The previous day, it was arranged so that a flag was flown at the capitol. One honoring each of our veterans. We got these flags and a nice certificate to give to them.
The guys were pretty touched and we got to hand them out individually to the guys in our teams. It was a very emotional hour. The guys shared a lot of stories from past and present. There wasn't a dry eye in the room. We lightened the mood by having a drink in honor of another veteran who had recently passed. There may have been one or two extra drinks had :) Oops.
Overall, another awesome day. I can't stop writing this stuff. Its so much to take in and I want to remember all of it. What an experience!
Monday, May 18, 2009
Thursday, May 14, 2009
5-14-2009
Emotional. There are hundreds of words that I could use to describe the wide range of what we all experienced today, but after a couple of hours of relaxing (finally), a whole lot of reflecting, and a few Bud Lights (good beer is hard to come by, can't find a Busch Light anywhere!), emotional is the word that springs to mind.
After an exhausting day yesterday and very little sleep last night, we jumped right into it this morning. We loaded our 30 veterans onto the bus and headed into town to visit the sights we came to see.
We spent only a few minutes at the Marine Corps Memorial (a wonderful sight to see), after which we headed to the WWII Memorial. Our true reason for making this trip.
What a breathtaking sight!!! When we finally got unloaded (our youngest veteran is in his 80's so getting on & off the bus & unloading all of the necessary wheelchairs tends to take awhile), we started our tour of the memorial. The actual structure is both beautiful and heartbreaking. The place was filled with tourists of all ages and from the moment we arrived, there were strangers clapping, saluting, and thanking our veterans (who are quite recognizeable in their matching "WWII Veteran" hats & jackets). These people made way for our crew as we walked around learning the details of the memorial.
Many of the veterans broke into tears. Many of them stared in awe. Many of them simply retreated into themselves as they reflected upon the past.
It was a very emotional couple of hours for everybody involved. So very many people were coming up to the veterans to shake their hands and tell them thank you. So many people would approach to show their gratitude and tell us a story of their father, uncle, brother, friend, who served in the war. There were very few who did so with a dry eye. I heard teachers telling their field trips full of elementary students that they need to show as much respect as possible to the men & women in our group because they are the reason that the kids are free today. I truly wish that I felt more of those kids understood. I dont even know that I completely understood until this.
After a rather interesting lunch at McDonalds (laugh all you want, but you try taking food orders from 30 people in their 80's & 90's), we headed back out to see the Korean War Memorial & the Vietnam Wall. They are both beautiful monuments in their own rights, but the Wall is what hit me the hardest. Watching a grown man with tears in his eyes rub pencil to paper over the etched name of a loved one who was killed in the war........DAMN! Just like everybody else, I know the little details of the Vietnam war. I have heard (on extremely rare occassion) my own dad talk about it. I know all about the number of names and why they are there, who made it, how much it cost, why its there. But until I saw it. Until I touched it. Until I read the a note left under the very first row of names. I didn't GET it. As I pushed one of our veterans along in his wheelchair, stopping occassionally to read a note or take a picture, I listened to him tell the story of his nephew who was killed in Vietnam. Thats when I started to think about Dad & what he must have experienced. It all hit me at that moment. All of these names, weren't just names. These were lives lost. These were sacrifices made.
Being fairly well known for my lack of tears, the ability to "not cry" has always been a strong point of mine. Today, I looked at the thousands of names on that wall and I cried. I cried for the families who lost their loved ones. I cried for the veterans who watched their brothers killed. I cried for the girl who left the note expressing her pride for her grandfather who served in the war. I cried for my Dad, who will forever have the visions and memories of that horrible time. I cried for Bubba, back from the war in Iraq, experiencing so many of the same awful acts of violence. And then I cried for myself and the guilt I was feeling. I look at these thousands of names on this unbelievable list, and the first thought in my selfish head is "Thank goodess nobody in my family is on there. Thank goodness my baby brother's name wont be getting added to a future memorial."
Daddy doesn't talk about the war much so when he does, we always listen intently. One of my most cherished moments with my father was had while he talked to me about a war memory. It was almost ten years ago, that we had this conversation, but to this day, I remember every single word and after today, I believe I will always remember that few minutes with him.
After the Wall, we took a little ride over Arlington. What a beautiful, peaceful, sad place. Acres upon acres of perfectly aligned stones marked with the names of those who served our country. One could not ask for a better resting place. Even with all of the people walking around & riding the tour trollies, it was a peaceful and serene place. We couldn't have asked for a better tour guide. Damion knew when to talk and tell a story and when to stay silent and let everybody just get lost in their own thoughts. We were fortunate enough to be able to see the changing of the guards at the Tomb of the Unknown. When we got to the top of the hill to watch (a task in itself) there wasnt a spot available for us to view the ceremony. Thats when a guard noticed our veterans and made some young students move over making way for us. He opened up a chained off area closest to the Tomb and let us in to watch. The vets were shocked at the amount of respect they were being shown everywhere we went and they were very thankful to be able to get that close to the ceremony. The precision of the soldiers involved is astounding! We watched in complete silence as they went through their process without flaw. As we were standing with our hands over our hearts, I felt somebody behind me grab my arm. It was one of my veterans and he was sobbing. He could barely stand up for all his tears and he just kept whispering his thanks to me for all that we had allowed them to come see. I can't get over these people thanking me! I haven't done ANYTHING compared to what they have done for us! This is the very least that we can do for them to show our gratitude.
After Arlington, we hit the American Buffet for dinner and made our way back to the hotel. Everybody is completely beat! It was a long and emotional day, that combined with walking what seemed like miles, has left everybody pretty well drained. Most people headed straight for their rooms and to bed. Tomorrow promises to be another busy day.
After an exhausting day yesterday and very little sleep last night, we jumped right into it this morning. We loaded our 30 veterans onto the bus and headed into town to visit the sights we came to see.
We spent only a few minutes at the Marine Corps Memorial (a wonderful sight to see), after which we headed to the WWII Memorial. Our true reason for making this trip.
What a breathtaking sight!!! When we finally got unloaded (our youngest veteran is in his 80's so getting on & off the bus & unloading all of the necessary wheelchairs tends to take awhile), we started our tour of the memorial. The actual structure is both beautiful and heartbreaking. The place was filled with tourists of all ages and from the moment we arrived, there were strangers clapping, saluting, and thanking our veterans (who are quite recognizeable in their matching "WWII Veteran" hats & jackets). These people made way for our crew as we walked around learning the details of the memorial.
Many of the veterans broke into tears. Many of them stared in awe. Many of them simply retreated into themselves as they reflected upon the past.
It was a very emotional couple of hours for everybody involved. So very many people were coming up to the veterans to shake their hands and tell them thank you. So many people would approach to show their gratitude and tell us a story of their father, uncle, brother, friend, who served in the war. There were very few who did so with a dry eye. I heard teachers telling their field trips full of elementary students that they need to show as much respect as possible to the men & women in our group because they are the reason that the kids are free today. I truly wish that I felt more of those kids understood. I dont even know that I completely understood until this.
After a rather interesting lunch at McDonalds (laugh all you want, but you try taking food orders from 30 people in their 80's & 90's), we headed back out to see the Korean War Memorial & the Vietnam Wall. They are both beautiful monuments in their own rights, but the Wall is what hit me the hardest. Watching a grown man with tears in his eyes rub pencil to paper over the etched name of a loved one who was killed in the war........DAMN! Just like everybody else, I know the little details of the Vietnam war. I have heard (on extremely rare occassion) my own dad talk about it. I know all about the number of names and why they are there, who made it, how much it cost, why its there. But until I saw it. Until I touched it. Until I read the a note left under the very first row of names. I didn't GET it. As I pushed one of our veterans along in his wheelchair, stopping occassionally to read a note or take a picture, I listened to him tell the story of his nephew who was killed in Vietnam. Thats when I started to think about Dad & what he must have experienced. It all hit me at that moment. All of these names, weren't just names. These were lives lost. These were sacrifices made.
Being fairly well known for my lack of tears, the ability to "not cry" has always been a strong point of mine. Today, I looked at the thousands of names on that wall and I cried. I cried for the families who lost their loved ones. I cried for the veterans who watched their brothers killed. I cried for the girl who left the note expressing her pride for her grandfather who served in the war. I cried for my Dad, who will forever have the visions and memories of that horrible time. I cried for Bubba, back from the war in Iraq, experiencing so many of the same awful acts of violence. And then I cried for myself and the guilt I was feeling. I look at these thousands of names on this unbelievable list, and the first thought in my selfish head is "Thank goodess nobody in my family is on there. Thank goodness my baby brother's name wont be getting added to a future memorial."
Daddy doesn't talk about the war much so when he does, we always listen intently. One of my most cherished moments with my father was had while he talked to me about a war memory. It was almost ten years ago, that we had this conversation, but to this day, I remember every single word and after today, I believe I will always remember that few minutes with him.
After the Wall, we took a little ride over Arlington. What a beautiful, peaceful, sad place. Acres upon acres of perfectly aligned stones marked with the names of those who served our country. One could not ask for a better resting place. Even with all of the people walking around & riding the tour trollies, it was a peaceful and serene place. We couldn't have asked for a better tour guide. Damion knew when to talk and tell a story and when to stay silent and let everybody just get lost in their own thoughts. We were fortunate enough to be able to see the changing of the guards at the Tomb of the Unknown. When we got to the top of the hill to watch (a task in itself) there wasnt a spot available for us to view the ceremony. Thats when a guard noticed our veterans and made some young students move over making way for us. He opened up a chained off area closest to the Tomb and let us in to watch. The vets were shocked at the amount of respect they were being shown everywhere we went and they were very thankful to be able to get that close to the ceremony. The precision of the soldiers involved is astounding! We watched in complete silence as they went through their process without flaw. As we were standing with our hands over our hearts, I felt somebody behind me grab my arm. It was one of my veterans and he was sobbing. He could barely stand up for all his tears and he just kept whispering his thanks to me for all that we had allowed them to come see. I can't get over these people thanking me! I haven't done ANYTHING compared to what they have done for us! This is the very least that we can do for them to show our gratitude.
After Arlington, we hit the American Buffet for dinner and made our way back to the hotel. Everybody is completely beat! It was a long and emotional day, that combined with walking what seemed like miles, has left everybody pretty well drained. Most people headed straight for their rooms and to bed. Tomorrow promises to be another busy day.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
5-12-2009
Intimidating. If I was asked to pick one word to describe the itinerary that they have mapped out for us, that would be it! I am excited to leave tomorrow morning (although not real thrilled with the 5am wake-up call that Im expecting), but its almost scary to look at this itinerary and know that the next few days will be lived off of those overly-filled pieces of paper! Im not what you might call.....well, good at following schedules so this promises to be interesting!
I have crammed what I consider to be the bare minimum of what I can live with into a very small suitcase. I tend to over-pack and constantly prepare for the worse possible situations when traveling. Trying to fit 5 days into a carry-on bag.......not easy for me!
I have been assigned my 5 veterans (and one veteran's wife) all of whom I will be meeting tomorrow morning. It is weird for me to think that I am supposed to be "in charge" of these people who are my elders by more than a few decades. I am not anticipating any problems, but who know what could happen!
We all have our fingers crossed for good weather through-out the duration of the trip. They are already calling for rain on the day that we are supposed to see the WWII Memorial. Hoping that changes.
I left Lily with my brother and his wife a few hours ago and I already feel a little lost without her. This will be a long time for me to go without her. Maybe I can convince somebody on the trip to sing the itsy bitsy spider and talk back to me occassionally just to help me through :)
She couldn't wait for me to leave. All but pushed me out the door telling me that she'll see me tomorrow. She thinks I am going to work. I tried to explain that I would be gone for 5 days, but she either didn't get it or didnt care. Im hoping she didn't get it.
Seeing as how I only have about 4 hours till my much dreaded wake-up call, I should probably try for sleep. Way to much of a night person to be going on this trip!
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