This is a long post, so bear with me. Or just skip over the words and peak at the pictures.
Washington D.C. is only 67 square miles big. With all the walking we did last week, I'm glad it's not any bigger than that. The memorials are all quite impressive, and each memorial is unique. It was a gift just to be able to experience each one of them (Blessing #858), although we could have spent a lot more time at each one. Next time.
Thomas Jefferson's memorial was built to resemble his home in Monticello and the Pantheon of Rome. The bronze statue of Jefferson, our 3rd president, is 19 feet tall. The sidewalk goes right up to the edge of the water in the Tidal Basin, and there is NO railing at all to keep people from taking a plunge. And it's a big dropoff! As I watched our kids hanging around the edge, I was just waiting for someone to fall in. Luckily, that didn't happen. (#859)
The Franklin D Roosevelt Memorial was built over 7 acres of land and consists of 4 different galleries or rooms, which respresents each of his 4 terms as president. It was made mostly of red granite from South Dakota. FDR had many famous quotes, which are carved in stone throughout his memorial. Our tour guide had one of the kids read each quote as we went from place to place along the FDR Memorial.
The sculpture of Eleanor Roosevelt in room 4 of the FDR Memorial is 1 of only 3 statues of women in D.C. It's also the only memorial in D.C. where the wife is honored by a sculpture.
The Martin Luther King, Jr Memorial is also impressive. It's centered around a line from his "I Have A Dream" speech: "Out of a mountain of despair, a stone of hope." His statue is 30 feet high, and stands in front of two other pieces of granite that depict the "mountain of despair." Behind the granite structures is a 450-fteet long inscription wall engraved with many of King's sermons and speeches.
While we were exploring at the Lincoln Memorial, a bus load of "Honor Flight" veterans (in white caps and red shirts) were also wondering around. I happened to glance out past the giant columns and noticed a group of our kids (in blue shirts) visiting with them. (#860) Each time I walked past one of these veterans, I told them "thank you for your service," and was surprised at how emotional I became as I pondered the sacrifices each of them made for our country. For me.
The Lincoln Memorial was also a perfect place to turn around and let the Washington Monument be the backdrop for a photo with Jenica. The Washington Monument took over 35 years to build because they had to take a hiatus during the Civil War and wait until they raised enough funds again.
The Korean Memorial was one of my favorites too. There are 19 statues, representing the various military divisions as well as the different ethnic groups across America. They are standing in Juniper bushes, symbolic of the rough terrain encountered in Korea. Three of the figures are in the trees, and if you are at the flagpole, looking through the troops, you can't tell how many there are, and could be legions emerging from the woods.
The mural wall next to the statues has over 15,000 photographs from the Korean war etched into the black granite. The reflections of the war statues in the granite make it look like there are 38 soldiers total, symbolic of the 38th parallel and the 38 months of war.
The Vietnam Memorial was a favorite stop for everyone. The tour leader from our school, Mrs. Daffer, had a classmate killed in the Vietnam war, and she found his name on the wall and is here pointing it out to everyone. It made the Wall more personal to us, even if we didn't know her friend. We noticed loved ones taking etchings of the names on the wall, as well as leaving mementos along the base of the panel with their friend's name. All of the personal items, photos, and letters left are collected nightly, numbered and marked according to which panel it was left in front of, and stored in a safe place.
The Vietnam Women's Memorial is at the east end of The Wall, and shows 3 women caring for a soldier. As a mother, I could see how important this sculpture would be for the women who lost their sons in the war. The nurses were most likely the last person their sons saw or talked to before they died.
The Iwo Jima Marine Corps Memorial makes me think of Jacob. He's always dreamed of being a Marine, but his heart condition keeps that dream from becoming a reality. Some people may think that would be a relief for me. But actually it makes me sad. I can see the passion in his eyes when he talks about the Marines and watches movies about them. I can see the hurt he holds, not being able to go in that direction. And it makes my heart ache for him and his dream that's not meant to be. However, I know that God has other plans for him. And whatever God has planned for Jacob, I know it will be even better than being a Marine would have been for him ,because God can see all of time at one glance, and He knows the exact role Jacob was created for. (#861)
The 911 Pentagon Memorial really struck the kids on our trip. They were alive and saw the September 11th tragedy. They remember exactly where they were the moment the first plane hit the World Trade Center. This memorial depicts the 184 lives that were lost when American Airlines flight 77 hit the Pentagon. Each bench depicts a life lost, starting from the youngest person killed to the oldest. Water lies under each bench, and the name of each person is inscribed on the edge of each bench. It was pretty impressive and has a lot of symbolism.
The Air Force Memorial honors all of the men and women in the U.S. Air Force. The design features 3 stainless steal spires that soar skyward over 250 ft.
The WWII Memorial was a perfect place to sit down and enjoy the beautiful day for a few moments. This memorial honors the 16 million who served in the armed forces during the war and the 400,000 Americans that died in war. We walked around and found the "Nebraska" pillar.
The Einsteen Memorial Sculpture was a fun stop for the kids to get out of the bus and climb on Albert for a picture.
Okay . . . well, there you have it . . . the Memorials we visited while in D.C. in a nutshell. We did a lot of walking even though our motorcoach dropped us off as close as she could. The next time I visit D.C., I want to bike it.
They have a "Capital Bikeshare" program where you join with a debit or credit card, which allows you to wirelessly check out one of their red bikes at any of their 165 locations for as long as you want. There are bike trails all over the D.C. area. Sounds like fun to me!!
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