When I hear those two words, a singular vision comes to mind - simple white headstones on a rolling green lawn landscape, stretching as far as the eye can see. But it turned out to be much more than that. I think Jared's blog describes my perspective of it quite well (go ahead and read it now, if you want... I'll wait, hehe) but there are always things that stand out to the individual and that's mostly what I'll be covering here.

For one, the landscape is more varied than I had imagined. There is lots of lawn, yes, but there is a stunning array of tree species, and lots of them, quantity-wise. Struck me as quite the habitat for birds and other animals. 650 acres, and not near full.

Another striking thing to me was that not everyone in the cemetery was a soldier, or even killed in battle. Had you served honorably in the Armed Forces, you were eligible. But the list goes on. I've provided the official link here, for your reading pleasure: http://www.arlingtoncemetery.org/funeral_information/guide.interment.html
There were spouses, children, parents, politicians - the presence of so many people that were related to this calling reminded me of how many people are affected by those who choose to serve. It astounds.

We visited the grave site of JFK, and Jackie was buried next to him. The eternal flame there inspired a quiet respect in those that visited, as did the signs instructing, "Silence and Respect." They had two (very) young children buried right next to them, a son only two days old, and the other, known only as "Daughter." Jared told me that was probably because of the Catholic tradition of not naming your child until Baptism. This trip is an endlessly educational experience for me in so many ways. Kennedy's words were engraved in walls around the site, and I am moved once again by the honor this simple treatment does the principals of a person. In effect, it says that these words are so important that they should be preserved in one of nature's most long-lasting mediums, or at least I feel that was the intent. Surprisingly, one of the walls with words had begun to fade into illegibility and that reminded me that nothing material is permanent. It is more important that we pass these principals down through our stories, memories and beliefs - that is where the true immortality is kept. But there's nothing like seeing a quote that has moved so many to do so much good written in stone. Yay for those that chose to do it that way as well.

Other highlights: seeing the memorials dedicated to the astronauts of both the Columbia and the Challenger, that of a crew that died at sea on the USS Maine in 1898, with the original mast preserved, a walk around the beautiful architectural structure where hundreds could gather for burial ceremonies, and last but not least, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. I had no idea what I was in for when we got there. Again, Jared's blog on this is a beautiful and detailed description, but it moved me so much that I must comment on it as well. Certainly, a book could be written on the hour or so that we visited this one aspect of the cemetery.

Throughout our walk, the realization of the respect and comradery by those who have served and are now serving was striking, but no more so than when we witnessed the ceremony and ritual of the soldiers who guarded the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. If you are unfamiliar, this tomb exists to honor those who were killed in battle in such a way that they could not be identified, or MIA soldiers. The inscription on the tomb reads, "Here rests in honored glory an American Soldier known but to God." This is a tradition that many, many countries practice, and one I again hope will not be needed in the future. Let us remember, but not repeat. History repeats itself... until it does not. Let that be our stand. In the meantime, this ceremony is an extraordinary demonstration of our appreciation to those who served, and there was no other area in Arlington that felt as sacred as this place for those who had no one name.

The ritual has been observed 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, no matter the weather, since 1938. That alone boggles my mind. The day we visited, it was a beautiful, warm high-70s day. The soldier walking the space in front of the tomb wore an impeccable, 100% wool uniform, as did every soldier on duty, no matter the time of year. Their preparation for the ritual, which might last as little as 30 minutes or as long as two hours, was consistent and took SIX HOURS. The training for this position is one of the most difficult and rare honors that a soldier can achieve in the armed forces. Any branch is eligible. Few that apply eventually qualify, and it is one of the most honored positions one can receive. We learned much of this while watching the ritual, through the amazing technology of Jared's Knowledge Box... aka the iPhone. Google "tomb of the unknown soldier" and prepare to be amazed.

I must spare the details (remember that book I promised it would take to describe it all?) but needless to say there is an amazingly exact precision to the repeated movements, and more amazing is the symbolism behind those movements. 21 steps across the path in front of the tomb. 21 seconds between certain routines. On one side of the mat they walk, a fist precedes the transfer of the gun to the shoulder always facing you as they walk down the path. The list goes on. And on. As the cemetery was closing, a changing of the guards took place. A commander brought out a soldier to replace the one who had been walking while we had watched, mesmerized. It took 10 minutes. A new language was presented. One where the word, "Attention" had only one syllable. One where you might be able to figure out what was being said if the actions were repeated a few times and context helped you place it. The words by the commander at the beginning of this ceremony had power. We were told to stand and be silent, and not a person in the crowd hesitated to do so. It made me think not only of the respect that this inspired, but also the unconditional obedience that it created. This is partially what makes military units worldwide successful. But that is fodder for another essay.

In short, I was once again moved. This time, unexpectedly. A welcome event. Certainly, one of the reasons I have chosen this road trip. Thanks, Arlington National Cemetery.

We left Arlington, and headed for the Jefferson Monument. The sun had set, and we knew that another vital (vital!) aspect of the memorial/monument series was seeing them lit up at night. Because of its placement in relation to The Mall, we had bypassed Jefferson that morning. Parking at the lot set aside for visitors to the monument turned out to provide quite the nice walk around the lake that the monument backs up to. So beautiful. Jared saying, "Good Evening" to those we walked by returned a surprising number of "Hello"s. People are nice all over. I just knew it. :)

The monument itself was similar in magnificence to Lincoln's... the open air architecture, with Doric columns (yes, a reminder crash course in the three common styles of Roman columns in DC, everywhere you go! Doric, Corinthian and Ionic! Yay for trivial yet historical information!) and a massive sculpture of a great (if not perfect) man with his words inscribed in stone. (Pardon the broken record of "words recorded in stone." Hey, if it's not broke, why fix it? Effective is, as effective does.) Inspiration is exhausting and inspirational.

Having built up a mighty and inspiring appetite, we went for dinner. After a bit of a detour that took us through a few neighborhoods in DC (got as far as DePont Traffic Circle, and boy, are there a lot of traffic circles in DC!) we ended up having dinner at our friend Boo's restaurant where he worked. Fantastic food, and great ambiance. If you are ever in McLean, VA (just across the bridge from DC) check out J. Gilbert's. Yum yum. Their crab bisque was fantastic.

After that, it was "home" again, for more sleep. Thanks to Boo for sacrificing his bed and making us feel so at home. Praise for him only starts here. There is much more coming as a result of Sunday, my Day Two Experience. But as it is currently Day Six of my trip, and I am just now through with the telling of Day One... hang in there, folks. More is on the way. It may take a little while, but this story must be told. In the meanwhile, there is always Jared's blog to keep you up to date. :)

written by  Justine Smith on September 20, 2008 from Washington, United States
from the travel blog: The Great American Roadtrip 2.0
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Another fascinatingly moving tribute to the architects and designers of our capital as well as to the soldier guards at Arlington Nat'l Monument. I give you a hearty Huzzah.

written by  JRad's mom on September 28, 2008

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so what happened to the reporting after day 2?????

written by  jrad's mom on October 9, 2008

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