One of the most moving moments from our Patriots of America Tour last month came for me on Friday morning. We drove around Washington DC looking at monuments but we stopped at the war memorials.
The World War II monument was large, opulent, and impressive. All the states and territories are represented - and all 48 states (at the time) and 6 territories (including Alaska and Hawaii) sent troops. Arches with Atlantic and Pacific on them remind visitors that we fought on both sides of the world. It truly was a sight to see.
The Vietnam Memorial was quiet and solemn. The long, low, black wall covered with names.
The bronze statue of the female soldiers tending the wounded.
The statue of the men that was added later. Made you really wonder why it took so long to come to reality. There should never had been a delay to honor any of our fallen.
But the most moving to me was the Korean War Memorial. Let's face it, if not for the television show M*A*S*H most in my generation might not even know about it. I honestly don't remember learning much about it in school, if anything. It is called the Forgotten War. Yet the memorial is literally life sized and incredibly symbolic. There are 19 statues of soldiers in the space.
They reflect off a marble wall. That reflection causes you to see 38 "people" which is to remind us that we helped stop the spread of Communism at the 38Th parallel. The marble wall has not only names but faces etched in it. Real people who died for the bigger world view. It really almost brought me to tears.
I've posted the video below that I took. I tried to do videos at a lot of the stops just so I could capture all that our guides were telling us without having to rely on my over-40 memory, which isn't what it used to be. If you watch it, be kind. Remember that I wasn't trying to narrate a documentary, nor did I use my most professional, devoid of Southerness stage voice. It's just me talking.
This was my favorite memorial as well - I agree- I think it was because of the faces....it made me realized people's grandfathers, dads, sons, brothers (and of course the women who were nurses at the time) died to stop the spread of communism for us
ReplyDeleteInteresting D.... I've never been to these Memorials, so I am impressed with all the life-sized statues and the Walls with the names of all the men & women who gave their lives.... Very Impressive... Thank You- For sharing your experience with all the rest of us.... A>G
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