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Washington DC
At every occasion I'll be ready for the funeral
Ok, so here’s the story. And it’s a good one,
My grandfather was killed in World War II, in January 1945 in Reipertswiller, France, by Nazis during Operation Nordwind. His body was not recovered since those ambushing Nazi bastards took control of the area, and he was listed officially as missing in action. His remains were recovered years later and unidentifiable, although the US Army DPAA (Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency) never gave up and eventually contacted my mother for a DNA sample. After falling in France, he was buried as an unknown soldier in Belgium, then exhumed and transferred to a testing center in Kansas City, then (about five years after my mother passed away), was successfully identified in late in 2022, some 77 years after his death. Per our mother’s wishes, we requested and received a burial at Arlington National Cemetery. Which is why I was in Washington DC.
This trip was really more than one trip, and this photo is actually from a one day, a drive four hours there and four hours back on St Patricks Day trip, literally dodging drunk drivers all the way home. The reason for committing to such a hell drive was to be present at Washington National Airport, on the tarmac, for the dignified transfer of our grandfather’s remains from a Southwest flight from Kansas City. A solemn, special moment for all of the reasons you can imagine.
It rained that morning at Arlington National Cemetery, which seemed appropriate, and the whole experience with Arlington and the DPAA was impressive, from the detailed report to the escort to confirming all of the arrangements. The funeral started with a mass at the Old Post Chapel at Fort Myer, followed by a procession with the horse drawn caisson and military band, followed by a gravesite service with a 21 gun salute and lone bugler playing taps. And while no one ever really enjoys a funeral, this whole experience was impressive at every level.
As for the picture, it’s from the limousine, which was following the caisson, which was pulled by the horses and following the band as we almost completed a full circle between the Old Post Chapel and the gravesite. Unlike every other thing I’ve ever been to in my life, I did not take a lot of pictures that day- we hired a professional photographer instead. So while their pictures came out amazing, for this slideshow you’re stuck with this back of the limo view instead.
One of the traditions at Arlington National Cemetery is the caisson (a repurposed cannon cart) pulled by horses, and those horses also live at Fort Myer. One of the accommodations made to family members who attend funerals is a chance to visit the stables and horses who are not working that day. We received a guided tour, had a chance to learn about their history, and a chance to see first hand the different personalities of the horses, including one that happily ate one of my Altoid mints.
We’re closing out this triple Washington DC visit with thirteen photos shown in (almost) actual chronological order from the last of the three trips, when the cherry blossoms were weeks past bloom but I still spotted a kite stuck high in a tree on the National Mall.
These thirteen photos represent one of my favorite things to do in DC, a sunset monument walk. My hotel for this third trip was out in Crystal City, so I took a Metro train to Smithsonian and started west to the Washington Memorial, a great first stop.
From the Washington Memorial, I stopped by the World War II Memorial which is not pictured, then walked along the reflecting pool which is also not pictured, before reaching the Lincoln Memorial at sunset, which is pictured.
After fighting my way up (not literally) to the top of the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, I descended and first headed left to the still powerful Vietnam War Memorial, before doubling back to the other side of the mall to the far less busy (but still quite nice) Korean War Memorial.
From the Korean War Memorial, head straight towards the Tidal Basin, wait at a traffic crossing that takes forever, and you’ll find yourself at the Martin Luther King Memorial. When I first saw the images of this memorial, I remember thinking that I would not especially like it, however since it was built I realized that the renderings were just not that good and I like it more every time I visit.
From the Martin Luther King Memorial, head right and walk along the Tidal Basin until you come to the weirdest memorial of all, the Franklin Delano Roosevelt one. It is a series of stone walls and open air rooms with quotes and statues and waterfalls, although that day most of the waterfalls weren’t working, something which made the monument feel abandoned and unloved, and did nothing to take away from the odd design choices at almost every turn.
If you time it just right, you can get to the Jefferson Memorial at dusk.
Objectively, the Jefferson Memorial is the best of the big DC National Mall Memorials. It is far friendlier than the Lincoln Memorial and you don’t need a ticket to go inside like you do at the Washington Memorial. And a circle is a lot more fun than a rectangle or big pointy obelisk.
After the monuments, I made my way along the poorly lit banks of the Tidal Basin back to the Mall and eventually back to the L’Enfant Metro Station for a single seat Yellow Line train back to Virginia. Along the way I said hi to the Hirshhorn and also to my new friend, the Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art, who were celebrating their birthday (their one hundredth actually) with a free dance party celebration. Happy Birthday National Museum of Asian Art, you don’t look a day over ninety-nine.
We’re stepping back chronologically a bit for one last photo of the Tidal Basin and DC under a purple-ish (in places) sky. So long, DC. I’m sure that I’ll be back again before you know it.
And… just like that, we’re back again. Despite having already been to DC three (or four times, depending on how you count), we’re finishing off the year with a fourth (or fifth, depending on how you count) late year visit. There was a reason for this, we decided to participate in the family day at Wreaths Across America at Arlington National Cemetery (where it was raining as it always seems to be), but did have time to see some things we hadn’t in all those other three (or four, depending on how you count) visit. This short addition to the slideshow starts at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center / Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum's Annex in Chantilly, contiguous to Dulles Airport in Virginia. An amazing museum, with its own space shuttle and its own concorde and (honestly) too many other interesting things to truly appreciate.
And now, we’re finally ending this 2023 Washington DC slideshow from the cheap seats at the Kennedy Center for a holiday pops concert, already knowing that it’s pretty damn likely that I’ll be back in DC again in 2024 (the AIA Conference on Architecture is there next year), as well as likely 2025. And 2026. And 2027. And…
