When my boyfriend, Mark, suggested a small vacation trip to Washington D.C. after Thanksgiving, my first thought was, "Congress isn't in session... what will we do there?" (I hope you chuckled at the foolishness of that thought too.)The first time I was in D.C., I was there on business but make a side trip to tour Congress and meet some of the hard-working people in Congresswoman Northup's office on the Hill. I was able to sit in the gallery for a bit and watch our representatives debate a national forest bill. It was quite educational and interesting. I left D.C. the first time pleased and proud of the way we run our Republic.
This time, it was all about sight-seeing. I guess I've had to work a bit of sight-seeing into business trips for so long that it felt a bit odd to be free to be wherever I wanted to be the whole time. There is so much to see in our nation's capitol that it would overwhelm any mere mortal who might wish to try to take it all in on one short trip. Fortunately, we mortals knew our limitations and focused mostly on the National Mall memorials and two museums.
The National Mall is a living tribute to the history of this nation and its conflicts. The moments in which our nation was tried and found worthy are remembered in amazings works of bronze, marble, stone, and water. The stylings of each monument and memorial make it very clear where this nation has triumphed and where we have stumbled in our efforts. The World War II Memorial is relatively new (built in 2001 or after, I believe) and is absolutely breathtaking. People stroll in and around this huge circular tribute reading engraved quotes, admiring the beautiful fountain in the middle, and finding their state's wreath on the tall columns that surround it all.
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial, by contrast, is very subdued and simple. People quietly shuffle along the wall looking at the tributes that have been left for someone named on a panel. Some walk by very quickly, never pausing, never reflecting. Those who knew one or more of the men behind the names on the wall stop and stand quietly for a while with their fingers on the name. Some simply don't make it to the wall at all. We watched from a distance as one man paged through the directory of names while wiping tears from his eyes. He paged through that directory for quite some time. I never saw him walk down to the wall while we were there. I wonder if he was finally able to touch the names of his fallen comrades with those tear-stained fingers...
All this made me wonder how we will honor those men and women who have fallen in combat during our current war against Islamofascists. Will we remember them in a grand fashion with lots of marble, engravings, and large fountains or will we simply resign their names quietly to a wall? It is my dearest hope that, regardless of politics, they will find their efforts honored in a grand fashion as befits anyone who sacrifices all for this great nation.
We toured the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History and the International Spy Museum. So much of the Museum of Natural History has appeared in novels, magazines, movies, and photographs that it all seems familiar even if you've never set foot inside. Impressive and highly educational, it's a must-see for anyone with any curiosity about the natural world around us.
The International Spy Museum is relatively new and it's a whole lot of fun! We had a blast there thanks to the number of artifacts, hands-on exhibits, and extenstive use of multimedia presentations that tie it all together from beginning to end. There are no current tools of the trade on display. The most current items on exhibit are from 1990. So, don't worry... there are no classified tools on display for the New York Times to give away.
As we toured Arlington National Cemetary we were surrounded by many foreign tourists, all of whom treated the history and the grounds with the respect and dignity we feel as Americans toward these hallowed grounds. It was gratifying to see the large numbers of foreign visitors. If, as some assert, the United States is not respected by other countries, our history and our sacrifices are clearly respected by some of the citizens of other countries. They snapped picture after picture and read each plaque. There must be at least 100 pictures taken a day by foreign tourists at the gravesites of the Kennedys alone.
At the Tomb of the Unknowns, you could hear a pin drop as visitors sat quietly on the marble steps watching the soldier standing guard at the tomb. We all stood in silence and watched the changing of the guard at noon. There were a good number of children present and it was impressive to see the proper respect being paid by these youngsters who don't even yet fully understand the concepts of sacrifice and honor. They were certainly a credit to their parents and hold great promise for the dignity of this nation.
I know I should have come away from this sight-seeing trip with an awe and wonder at the grand history of this great nation. To some degree, that's true. I'm proud that we honor our ancestors and our patriots in such a grand and dignified manner. They deserve to be remembered in these ways. It does make me proud to be an American. I was very surprised to find, however, that I came away from this trip with the sense that our federal government has absolutely grown too darned big.
I was absolutely amazed at the number of city blocks -- and, it must be noted that in DC those city blocks are at least twice the size of a regular downtown city block -- by huge federal buildings like the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Transportation. These are not sprawling single-level buildings either, folks; these are sprawling behemoths of architecture that comprise many stories. How many people can it possibly take at the federal level to run "oversight" on these areas of our nation? How much real estate must we maintain with our federal tax dollars to provide them all with cubicle space? It boggles the mind!
The federal budget could probably be trimmed quite quickly and nicely with a simple review of which government organizations are integral to the operation of our federal government and which are no longer necessary or could be modernized and downsized. With modern technology trimming the time it takes to gather information and produce analysis and to correspond with people at the state and local levels of government, I found myself a tad befuddled that so much manpower and real estate is necessary. I'm sure I'm simplifying this a bit but it needs to be said: our nation's capitol seems consumed by large spaces for governmental organizations that produce something, I suppose, while most taxpayers couldn't even tell you what it is we pay them to do and what its value is to this country.
Don't get me wrong. Washington D.C. is quite awe-inspiring and should be toured by every American. The architecture is gorgeous, the huge buildings are grand, and our history on display in words, monuments, and artifacts is impressive. We have built ourselves quite a beautiful captiol steeped in history remembered in brass and marble and surrounded by fringes of natural beauty.
"What will we do there?" was a question easily answered: We'll simply behold, be awed, and be made to think about our future.
Comments
It sounds like you had the most precious time a person could afford in DC. Your descriptions were moving, especially your description of the Vietnam Memorial. I don't know why, but for some reason that long wall with the names of the fallen and/or MIA soldiers brings tears to my eyes. Maybe it is because I know boys (then) that fought in Nam. Maybe because of that, when I see the names on that wall I see real people, real boys, real boys that were fighting a war - dying in a war - that Pres. Johnson even admitted (to RFK) we (USA) could never win militarily. In fact, Johnson agreed with Bobby Kennedy that Nam would not be won through the military but had to have concurrent political discussions. Yet, Johnson never went to the table???? I often wonder what Johnson meant by that agreement yet never following through. I can speculate and only he knows what was going on in his mind when he agreed with Bobby Kennedy that, "I would think that that war will never be won militarily. That where it's going to be won, really, is a political war. Military action obviously will have to be taken but, unless the political action is taken concurrently, in my judgment, I just don't think it can be successful." Does that make sense to anyone? Why would Johnson agree with Bobby in 1965 but simply continue to send our boys to get slaughtered? That wall, and each and every name on that wall has such a profound affect on me.
I agree with you that every American should visit and take time, like you & your boyfriend did, to look with awe at the memories from this Country's inception. I would also like to suggest that every American visit the site of where the twin towers stood in New York. That, too, is absolutely breathtaking. I visited NYC one year after 9/11 holocaust. When I walked up the steps from the subway and viewed the sky line there was an eerie void in the sky line. Even though I knew what that void was, my mind was still processing the void in wonder. As I approached the site, with the wall of pictures and letters to the loved ones that perished in the nightmare - I got goose bumps all over. There was a woman from Germany with her 2 children walking the parameter and looking at the photos & letters. She was explaining, in German, to her children what had happened and she was crying. She was not speaking English, only German. That was moving to me that a woman from Germany (clearly not an American) was crying, actually shedding tears for our lost civilians. If you haven't already made it to the twin towers I highly suggest you take the trip. It certainly makes a person proud to be an American.
I have been in NYC since the twin towers fell in 2001. I wasn't able to make the time to get down to Ground Zero but I certainly saw the gaping void in the skyline while at the Rainbow Room one evening. It's eerie and unsettling. I will have to go back soon before a memorial is built. I think the most fitting memorial is to leave all the fliers and tributes in place, actually. I'd like to see them before they're gone. How deeply moving it must have been to watch that German woman explain all of that to her children! How does anyone find the words to explain such a heinous deed?
It was absolutely moving for me to watch the mother describe the event, with tears, in her native language of German to her children. I was never so happy to understand the German language as I was that day.
I too am totally disappointed with the entire Johnson legacy. Something about him never did sit well with me. I feel equally as shamed with the Nixon administration which continued the war after Johnson for 2-1/2 terms longer ... (Nixon campaigned on ending the war in his first & second run for office)... Ford got us out FINALLY!!!!
That makes me think of this current mess we are in with Iraq. Back in Nam the govt kept telling us that we could not just up and leave Nam or all hell would break loose ... ok. Yet, Ford got in to office and we left Nam.
Now, we are being told the same thing, if we up and leave Iraq all hell would break loose (as if it already isn't hell for the people there). I wonder ... Could it be that if someone just pulled our guys out it would have the same effect as what happened in Nam. Remember, that country pulled itself together - wouldn't Iraqis do the same? Even though Nam went communist, the war stopped and our US soldiers did not die for a war that was NOT to protect OUR freedom. Just wondering, that's all.
Seriously though, what a great experience to have had at the Wall. There is magic to be felt in ordinary things and oh so much more in art devoted to remembrance. We should all feel that warmth every day.