District of Columbia Thanksgiving

[AZVAJKU]

My work takes me to the ‘Swamp’ and it’s usually a pain, however there are some cool aspects about the city so every so often we visit for pleasure. The history is unparalleled and therefore there is an incredible amount of things to see and do in the ‘District’.

We decided to spend Thanksgiving in the District and also do some sightseeing. Today we started with Arlington National Cemetery. If you have never been here you should definitely visit. It reminds you of the human price that is paid for our self-determination.

Entrance is free. You will pay for parking and if you want to take the ‘Hop on, Hop off Shuttle’ there is a fee for that. I highly recommend you download the ANC App for your phone and do some Map Recon before you go. The App will show you all the highlights and allow you to search and find individual grave sites.




The rows of standard issue markers is awe inspiring. There are over 450,000 gravestones!










At some point someone decided that the families could purchase non-standard grave markers. That has since been changed once they realized how much space that took up.













Desert One.


There are also group burials.

 

[wayoflife]

Awesome and sobering

 

[AZVAJKU]

This was near the Space Shuttle markers



The USS Maine









At some point in the ‘woke’ insanity someone decided that the Confederate Monument needed to be pulled down.


The base of the monument still stands as well as the individual soldier’s markers. I am not sure what was done with the monument but it needs to be returned. History is history.






Notice that the markers for the Confederate Soldiers have a pointed top as opposed to a rounded top.

 

[JT@623]

That perspective on what freedom costs

 

[AZVAJKU]

The Rough Riders










The Buffalo Soldiers



The last great battle in the European Theater of WW2.



The tank is named after him.

 

[AZVAJKU]

The Spanish American War.







The black cannons were actually used during the war.

 

[kevman65]

Enjoy yourselves and stay safe.

I have been to Arlington, high school trip to D.C., I can say I was still too young to understand, but was humbled by the place.

Dad had the opportunity to be buried there, but Mom wanted to keep him close, so he was interred in the Korea section at Marion, In. National Cemetery.

 

[AZVAJKU]

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

You definitely need to see this as well as read up on the history of the site and the requirements for the soldiers who perform this duty. A friend of mine served as a tomb guardian and he stated that it forever changed his life.


The front side amphitheater



The tomb is behind the amphitheater

Standing guard



The Sergeant of the Guard has arrived for the changing.



Sergeant of the Guard inspection of the relief.






Moving to assume duty.



Relief and assumption of duty. At this point the guard being relieved delivers instructions to their relief. Basically it’s ‘Do not leave your post until relieved’.



Saluting the tomb




Relieved guardian moving out with Sergeant of the Guard.



Inscription on the tomb.

 

[AZVAJKU]

Some of the places we stopped along the way.




Yes, that Lee Marvin. It’s said he did not think much of his Hollywood time but really loved his Military Brothers.



For an individual that was such a pivotal figure in the Pacific Theater he had a humble standard issue marker.



A tragic but important event is US Naval Submarine history



The rotary wing aircraft was a very important component of the war in Vietnam.



The forerunner to the current Army Special Forces and CIA.



A couple of pictures of DC from the high ground.




The dome between the Capital Building and the Jefferson Monument is the Library of Congress.

 

[AZVAJKU]

The Kennedy gravesite.






I really do not know much about this guy but maybe I should! He definitely did some work!




















This is another amazing person from our Nation’s history. He designed the overall layout of the District of Columbia.

 

[semicolon]

Awesome! Thanks for sharing!

 

[AZVAJKU]

Stopped to see an old friend, mentor, and boss.




Cemetery map. It’s an easy walk to see the majority of the cemetery, although riding the shuttle around for a lap can provide an helpful overview.



After all that site-seeing it’s time for some hydration!



Our hotel is directly adjacent to the treasury building and on the other side of that is the White House. Rumor has it there is a new tenant coming in.



The Lincoln Memorial in the distance

 

[Jsouder53]

Thanks for sharing this! It’s been years since I’ve been to the National Cemetery. I will never forget the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the discipline of the guards.

 

[Mike Pierson]

Yeah, thanks, Clay, thanks for posting these pics.

 

[Bullwinckle]

The amount of history there is amazing! I would love to visit someday. Thanks for sharing!

 

[2007 JKU CANADA]

Thanks for sharing all these pictures

 

[JWasko]

Thank you Sir for sharing. A needed and humble reminder of the cost for freedom. It most certainly isn't free.

 

[jeeeep]

We lived in Maryland, stepdad worked for the military in DC when I was a kid, those pics bring back a lot of memories.

Thanks for the tour and memories.

 

[Traciehue]

A few more pictures from Arlington.

 

[AZVAJKU]

Today was a day of gluttony at the Willard Hotel Thanksgiving buffet. It was awesome and I’m still stuffed!




I hit the seafood first.








Then I feasted on turkey, ham, and prime rib. A tiny bit of stuffing too.



I finished with desert.