By Bob Tagert

This month’s Road Trip is different from the normal overnight drive. We decided to stay at home and tour our own Washington D.C. concentrating on the military memorials in celebration of Memorial Day this month.

I have been living in the Oxon Hill and Alexandria area since I was five years old. I have spent 72 years watching our Nation’s Capital change and grow. In fact, there were still a few electric street cars running in the city when I was young. They were removed to make way for buses in the early 1960’s. A few years later construction on the city’s Metro Rail system began and the Metro opened in 1972.

I have seen civil rights demonstrations and watched F Street burn during some of those protests. I have attended presidential inaugurations as well as listened to the Beach Boys play on the Ellipse on July 4th. I rode my motorcycle in D.C. in the late 60’s because the countryside was too cold. It was this period of time that I discovered Georgetown.

Washington, D.C. has always been the capital of the free world. Unfortunately, that appears to be being challenged today through our own government as well as a few leaders of authoritarian countries around the world. I was in need of some patriotic bolstering, so we thought it was time to walk again over hallowed ground and chart the growth of our beautiful country through the many memorials, museums, and monuments throughout Washington D.C. and the vicinity.

Something else has changed dramatically over the last 72 years…there are way more people and traffic. I remembered the old Greyhound Bus Line motto – “Leave the Driving to us” and decided to see about taking a tour with a local company. Rather than book a tour with the masses, we decided to call See DC Today and schedule a customized tour. This is a surefire way to see only the sights you want to visit and minimize a bit of the walking.

Our driver, Edrick Lewis, arrived at our door in Old Town sharply at 11am and we were on our way to D.C. We were very happy to have the owner, Dean Goldsmith, join us along with our guide Steve Ryan and we were very flattered that See DC’s new team member, Jessi Gower, tagged along. A little on the job training. Full disclosure, we have known Dean for close to 20 years in other business capacities and we discovered that Steve had waited on us in the mid-90’s while bartending at Billy Martin’s Tavern in Georgetown. We had a Georgetown Crier for a couple of years and Billy was a good advertiser. Lots of “small world” conversations went on during the tour.

Our first stop was the Korean War Memorial near the Lincoln Memorial. Here they had a platoon of statue soldiers marching in order from a cover of trees into the field. Although this was a crowded Saturday in D.C. there was really no noise as respect was shown by all. This is impressive during the day but at night it is very moving.

From here we walked the short distance to the Lincoln Memorial that is undergoing some major construction. It is still easily accessible so don’t let that detour you from checking it out. We didn’t go in since we were on our Military themed tour but are looking forward to going back when it is back in its full glory.

From here we walked to the other side of the Reflecting Pool toward the Vietnam War Memorial. As I walked along the pool, I could not help but recall Martin Luther King Jr’s speech…”I Have A Dream”. On the lighter side in Forrest Gump when Jenny comes walking through the pool.

The Vietnam Wall is truly a solemn place. Folks walk slower and talk in hushed tones. It is heartbreaking to realize how many names are etched into that granite. Unfortunately, one of my high school friends was one of the first names on that wall. When the wall was built something was left open…there was no closure.

Also, near the Vietnam Memorial is the “Three Servicemen Statue”. This statue is comprised of three American soldiers and the things they carried. There is a Black soldier, a Caucasian soldier and a Hispanic soldier shoulder to shoulder that is meant to make you sense the unity that the bonds of love and sacrifice that is the nature of men at war.

Not too far off the beaten path is the Vietnam Women’s Memorial. This memorial features three uniformed female nurses caring for a wounded male soldier. Each nurse is named for a virtue: Charity tends to the soldier, Faith prays for him and Hope looks upward for inspiration. Something that we learned from Jessi at this stop is that it has become customary for women to leave a hair tie or scrunchy at the base. One of the theories is that it relates to nurses and woman in the military having to keep their hair tied back at all times. There weren’t any at the base while we were there so Jessi left hers but Lani didn’t have one to leave. There weren’t many pieces of memorabilia at the Wall when we were there so I am thinking that the Park Service had picked up previously placed items in preparation for upcoming week leading into Memorial Day month.

We made the short drive down Constitution Avenue to 17th Street and the World War II Memorial. This is the newest of the War Memorials and was placed in line between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial. Through stone architecture and bronze sculptures, the World War II Memorial recognizes the ways Americans served, honors those who fell, and recognizes the victory they achieved to restore freedom and end tyranny around the globe. This was the first time I visited this memorial. It is truly a fantastic tribute to those who served in WWII – including my father. Something endearing about this memorial is that the Rainbow Pool was integrated into it. The Rainbow Pool is named for the perfect rainbows that the fountains form when turned on. The significance of the pool is that at the end of WWII, troops celebrated in the fountains of Europe and in honor of that time, you can sit with your feet in the Rainbow Pool – no wading, swimming or sitting.

From the World War II Memorial, we hopped back into the van and navigated the traffic into Arlington, Virginia and the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial and the sculpture of Iwo Jima. This is probably the most famous statue and the one that most visitors recognize. It is truly impressive and needs to be viewed from all angles. As are all of the other memorials and statues, they can be viewed at night where they take on a whole new aura.

Our final stop was the Air Force Memorial. I am guessing that many of you have seen it but don’t know what it is. Reaching for the stars along I-395 near the Arlington Cemetery, you will see three spires reaching for the sky. These spires represent the Air Forces commitment to keep reaching for the stars. Each spire is 402 feet above sea level and is representative of the trail that jets leave as they ascend. Because of the taper of the memorial as you lean back and look up, you will see the tip disappear into the wild blue yonder.

Even though I have lived here all of my adult life and have frequented these and many of the other amazing jewels along the Mall, I learned a lot from Steve as the tour went along. That is the beauty of having a local historian on board rather than listening to a canned recording. Our tour took about 4 hours and it was well worth the time spent.

If a customized tour isn’t for you, See DC has regularly scheduled inclusive tours for groups both during the day and the evening. See their ad in this issue.

In the spirit of Memorial Day and maybe the most important part of the tour, it was very touching to be at these memorials in the presence of several Honor Flight participants. I wish I’d had more time to visit with them. In any case, my patriotism has been bolstered.