We had gone on a twilight tour of Washington. When we arrived at the Lincoln Memorial, my husband and niece stayed on the bus. It was the 5th time we had been to the Lincoln Memorial, so it was understandable that they would not want to walk up there again. I, however, decided to stroll along the Korean War Memorial and the Vietnam Veterans War Memorial. If you have not been to the Wall, it is a moving experience. As I began my stroll along the dimly lit sidewalk that follows the ever growing black granite wall, I eavesdrop on the conversations taking place. I never stopped walking and would hear only pieces of conversation, but the pieces that made their way to my ears were unbelievable. One woman in a wheelchair crying and explaining to the person with her that he should be here with her. A man with his son or grandson who was up against the wall with tracing paper and a pencil tracing a name off the wall. Another person stating that it was unfair that their brother had lost his life. A man explaining to the ones that were with him what the war was about. Someone else placing some article along the wall as a remembrance of their visit. I was moved by all of these people. As I concluded my walk I found myself standing and looking at the illuminated Washington Monument with tears in my eyes and thought of all of those who have lost and will lose their lives. It was a very sobering experience to me and one I will not soon forget.Wednesday, April 12, 2006
Washington, DC
I went to Washington, DC a couple of weeks ago for spring break. First time in the “Nations Capitol”. It is beautiful, especially with all the cherry blossoms. I am not a big history buff, but I was very moved by all the war memorials and impressed by all the monuments. I wanted to share one experience.
We had gone on a twilight tour of Washington. When we arrived at the Lincoln Memorial, my husband and niece stayed on the bus. It was the 5th time we had been to the Lincoln Memorial, so it was understandable that they would not want to walk up there again. I, however, decided to stroll along the Korean War Memorial and the Vietnam Veterans War Memorial. If you have not been to the Wall, it is a moving experience. As I began my stroll along the dimly lit sidewalk that follows the ever growing black granite wall, I eavesdrop on the conversations taking place. I never stopped walking and would hear only pieces of conversation, but the pieces that made their way to my ears were unbelievable. One woman in a wheelchair crying and explaining to the person with her that he should be here with her. A man with his son or grandson who was up against the wall with tracing paper and a pencil tracing a name off the wall. Another person stating that it was unfair that their brother had lost his life. A man explaining to the ones that were with him what the war was about. Someone else placing some article along the wall as a remembrance of their visit. I was moved by all of these people. As I concluded my walk I found myself standing and looking at the illuminated Washington Monument with tears in my eyes and thought of all of those who have lost and will lose their lives. It was a very sobering experience to me and one I will not soon forget.
We had gone on a twilight tour of Washington. When we arrived at the Lincoln Memorial, my husband and niece stayed on the bus. It was the 5th time we had been to the Lincoln Memorial, so it was understandable that they would not want to walk up there again. I, however, decided to stroll along the Korean War Memorial and the Vietnam Veterans War Memorial. If you have not been to the Wall, it is a moving experience. As I began my stroll along the dimly lit sidewalk that follows the ever growing black granite wall, I eavesdrop on the conversations taking place. I never stopped walking and would hear only pieces of conversation, but the pieces that made their way to my ears were unbelievable. One woman in a wheelchair crying and explaining to the person with her that he should be here with her. A man with his son or grandson who was up against the wall with tracing paper and a pencil tracing a name off the wall. Another person stating that it was unfair that their brother had lost his life. A man explaining to the ones that were with him what the war was about. Someone else placing some article along the wall as a remembrance of their visit. I was moved by all of these people. As I concluded my walk I found myself standing and looking at the illuminated Washington Monument with tears in my eyes and thought of all of those who have lost and will lose their lives. It was a very sobering experience to me and one I will not soon forget.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
I was missing your "blogs" Now I know why-traveling AGAIN! That's why you haven't called.
You are so right. To visit Washington is a great experience but to visit the war memorials is very sobering and moving. Everyone should visit and they would suport and appreciaate our troops everywhere. Have a great day
Post a Comment