Hundreds of thousands have given their lives for our freedom in our history of 230+ years. Americans have spilled blood all over the world, some of it to maintain our freedom, some to help others attain theirs. This is not a commentary on the current war or Vietnam. How we feel about either of them is a personal choice, and for this day, I am certainly not going to argue with anyone the merits of war. Memorial Day reminds me that those who served, served honorably and that we must honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice.
I live 12 miles from Washington, DC and yet I have never visited Arlington National Cemetery or The Wall. I think this weekend I just might make it. I feel I must.
posted by exedir
But it's not an easy visit, nor should it be.
I would say, you might want to do it alone, taking someone along could be difficult because its not a shared experience. I don't mean that one couldn't and probably will, but, what you will experience, if you let happen, is something that isn't shared, its very direct and can be very personal.
Arlington is many things; Custis-Lee Mansion, The Tomb of the Unknowns, The Iwo Jima Marine Corp Memorial, the fields of stone and the Kennedy graves to mention a few.
Then there is the view of Washington across the Potomac from Arlington and the Capitol Mall and the other monuments up to the Capitol Building. And there is the sound, how quiet it can be with the sound of the wind of the rustling of leaves. And finally the color at the Cemetery. At this time of the year, green and the dabs of white, lots of white.
Across the Potomac on the Mall, it hard to know where to begin. Now every war has a monument. And strangely the latest to be put on the Mall was the greatest war yet, World War II.
The Viet Nam Memorial is strangely placed off the north of the Lincoln Memorial in a group of trees. In the sunlight I think the Memorial is less striking. Its at dusk at twilight the Memorial comes alive, The path is marked with sidewalk lights and the wall of the Wall is washed with spot lights. And you go down into the earth on one side and back to the ground level on the other, you are literally absorb by the process.
Its is quite simple, the Monument. A black wall with names marked on it. That's all. Well, not all, there is a curb between the walk and the wall, and at places there are things, like photographs and papers are placed, and left. There might be a person or persons just standing in front of the wall you have to go around. And then you leave, back on the ground level where, if you look south toward the Jefferson Memorial, there are some figures in the trees; statutes of three soldiers on patrol and another set of statutes of a woman nurse and a soldier she is holding.
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posted by briansbabe
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