I really enjoyed our trip to DC today, despite the rain. Although I had seen the Lincoln Memorial a few times before, I reflected upon it more today than I ever have before. Today, I was again overwhelmed by the size and the detail of the Lincoln statue; he is massive. The detail of his hair and face made him seem so much more real as I was standing there. Also, I really took the time to read the inscriptions on the sides of the memorial and above Lincoln, which I had never really done before. I found the Gettysburg Address probably most intriguing because I had just studied it for my presentation and research paper. The Battle of Gettysburg was the most important battle of the Civil War and Lincoln spoke the Gettysburg Address at the dedication ceremony of the Soldiers National Cemetery. The part of the address that moved me the most: "We have come to dedicate a portion of that field as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that the nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this. But in a larger sense we cannot dedicate-we can not consecrate-we can not hallow this ground. The brave men living and dead who struggled here have consecrated it far above our poor power to add or detract."As I read this, I thought about the reactions of the audience of the address that I have read about, some of applause and some of silence. I thought it was interesting that the other inscription on the other side of the memorial was Lincoln's second inauguration speech, not his first, signifying the importance of his second term.
The Vietnam Memorial was my other favorite part of the day. As I walked along the wall, I felt a sense of respect and honor for the sacrifice that each soldier on the wall made. As I touched multiple names on the wall, I thought about the lives that each of those men lived, before engaging in the Vietnam War. I thought about their backgrounds, their families, and what they would be doing today if still alive. There were multiple crosses and letters placed at the wall, which looked like a class project of some students that had previously visited. Each cross was personally decorated, the one I found most interesting had "LOVE" written across it. Each envelope was also decorated. However, I found it interesting that some of the letters only had the name of the soldier on it, or were addressed to the family of the soldier. It made me wonder if any of those family members will get a chance to go the memorial, find their soldier's name, and read the letter that was written for them. I also thought the rain made the memorial so much more powerful, as thousands of raindrops dripped down the wall, giving a new texture to the wall as I touched it. Also, I noticed some of the reactions at the wall. There was a group of three people searching the wall for a family member's name. There was a group of girls also searching for a name. There was what I am assuming to be a husband and wife, comforting each other under an umbrella, the wife crying. Although I don't have any family members that fought in the Vietnam War, I really felt for this husband and wife as my reaction would be the same if I did.
The part of the World War II Memorial that I enjoyed the most was the wall of stars, each of the 4,048 stars representing 100 military deaths as a result of World War II. The inscription, "Here We Mark The Price of Freedom" was very moving as I again realized that freedom comes at a high price: the lives of our own. As we walked through the Arlington National Cemetery, I noticed that almost each grave was the same shape and size, organized into numbered sections. As I once mentioned in class, I think the Arlington National Cemetery symbolizes unity of war, but I think it definitely takes away from individuality which may detract some families from wanting lost family members to be buried there. The changing of the guards was so cool. I felt very solemn, and I really enjoyed how the guards saluted the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers and ask the audience to place their hand over their heart during the presenting of arms during the wreathing ceremonies, showing respect and honor.
As we were walking to the Martin Luther King Memorial, there was a group of war veterans about to go visit the war memorials. Some of them had hats on identifying them as a Korean War Veteran, Vietnam War Veteran or World War II Veteran. I can't imagine what it is like for someone who actually fought in these wars to be able to go to the memorials that were built in honor of them and the wars they fought. How do they feel when they visit? Overall, I thought the trip was great and I was thankful for the opportunity to return to some of these memorials or go to them for the first time, as it was my first time visiting the Arlington National Cemetery and the Iwo Jima Memorial. At the end of the trip, I was very wet and tired but it was so worth it.
-Mary Carson Irvine
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