Arlington National Cemetary

Arlington National Cemetery, in Arlington, Virginia, was established during the American Civil War on the grounds of Arlington House, formerly the estate of the family of Robert E. Lee's wife Mary Anna Custis Lee, a descendant of Martha Washington. More than 245,000 persons are buried in an area of 624 acres.

Some interesting facts about how Arlington Cemetery came to be. Before the Civil War, Robert E. Lee had been a West Point graduate and a United States Army officer. When the war broke out, President Abraham Lincoln offered Lee the command of the Union Army. Lee demurred, because he wanted to see how Virginia would decide. When Virginia announced its succession, Lee was offered command of the Army of Northern Virginia: he took this offer, because he couldn't bear to take up arms against his native state. He quickly established himself as an able commander, defeating a series of Union generals, until his final defeat and surrender at Appomattox Court House. Because of this decision and subsequent performance, Lee was regarded as disloyal by most Union officers. Because of this, the decision was made to appropriate his farm as a graveyard for mostly Union dead.

Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is guarded 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and in any weather by Tomb Guard sentinels. Sentinels, all volunteers, are considered to be the best of the elite 3rd U.S. Infantry, headquartered at Fort Myer, Va. After members of the 3rd U.S. Infantry become ceremonially qualified, they are eligible to volunteer for duty as sentinels at the Tomb. If accepted, they are assigned to Company E of The Old Guard. Each soldier must be in superb physical condition, possess an unblemished military record and be between 5 feet, 10 inches and 6 feet, 4 inches tall, with a proportionate weight and build. An interview and a two-week trial to determine a volunteer's capability to train as a tomb guard is required.

During the trial phase, would-be sentinels memorize seven pages of Arlington National Cemetery history. This information must be recited verbatim in order to earn a "walk." A walk occurs between guard changes. A daytime walk is one-half hour in the summer and one hour in the winter. All night walks are one hour.

I really enjoyed seeing the reverence and respect given to those whose remains have been found, but not enough to identify them. It was quite an emotional experience. Thinking of the families that have never known where their loved ones are or how they died or what they were doing when they died. Such a sad thought. But to have this memorial set up and to give it such honor would help heal your heart a little, I think.

The inscription on the tomb reads, "Here rests in honored glory an American Soldier known but to God." The World War I unknown is below the marble sarcophagus. Other unknowns are beneath the white slabs on the ground (World War II, left; Korean War, right). A Vietnam War unknown was under the middle slab until 1998, when he was identified.

Holocaust Museum

Witness wall in the Holocaust Museum. We are their witnesses. A very powerful statement.

We visited the United States Holocaust Museum on Monday. This was a very hard and emotional museum to visit. This museum was very informative, thought-provoking, sobering and sometimes quite sad, but a must see. I think if you ever have the chance to visit here, you should. Even though it is heart-breaking to see man's inhumanity to man. I think we can honor the victims and survivors of the holocaust by visiting here, letting them tell their stories, and then remembering; especially at a time when some in our world think that it never happened.

I don't have many pictures. They don't allow picture taking inside the museum, but I did find a couple off the internet that I'll post.

Right when you walk in the museum, you can feel the 'spirit' of the victims. It was overwhelming at times and brought me to tears. We spent almost 4 hours here-- it is a 4-floor museum and very, very dedicated to detail. I will never forget the things I saw and learned there. One thing that was really interesting to me is that most of the 'regular' German folks did not even know what Hitler was doing. They had never heard of Auschwitz or any of the other concentration camps. Hitler had lied about what he was doing with the Jews. When the U.S. and Britain invaded, they made regular citizens of Germany come and tour the concentration camps and see what had really been done. They had video of this. It showed people running from the camps and crying sobbing and shaking their heads. They were sick. They were shocked and ashamed and angry.
They had a real box car inside the museum that was used to transport Jews to the camps. They actually let you go inside. It was very eerie to imagine being stuffed in there for days with 100 other people...not being able to sit or lay down.
This is a picture of the actual box car being lowered down into the museum before the museum was even built.

They told a story of Jews that were hiding in someone's house in Germany. The Gestapo were coming. One woman had a little baby and the baby would not stop crying. She put her hand over the baby's mouth to try to get him to be quiet. She accidentally suffocated him, by trying to save his life (and the life of others who were hiding with them.)
Another story that breaks my heart: One Jewish mother and father knew that the only way their daughter had a chance of surviving was to send her away to live with some friends in another country. They knew that this would be heart-breaking and traumatic for them and for their daughter. They began to distance themselves from her. They didn't hug or kiss her anymore. They talked to her like she was an acquaintance. They told her that some of their friends wanted her to go visit them to see where they lived. The last time they saw here, they put her in the car and just waved. No hug, or kiss.

Can you imagine?

Ok. I think that's enough of remembering. It is painful. But I encourage any who have the chance to go.

Hall of Remembrance. Pictures of Jews and their families in the 1940's.

Outside the Museum. The view from the front is very aesthetically pleasing; curved and round. Behind you can see the red brick- square and straight and very cold-looking. This information about the building was taken from their website: "The curved portico of the 14th Street entrance — with its squared arches, window grating, and cubed lights — is a mere facade, a fake screen that actually opens to the sky, deliberately hiding the disturbing architecture of skewed lines and hard surfaces of the real entrance that lies behind it. In Freed's (the architect's) words, "Visitors must pass through the limestone partition to enter a concrete world." This motif of contrasting appearance and reality is repeated throughout."

Visiting the Harmon's

*WARNING: LOTS OF PICS AND BLOGGING AHEAD. SCROLL DOWN TO GET THEM ALL*

On Sunday, Brett and Jason had classes ALL DAY! Can you believe that? Sunday was their busiest day of all the days! So Ashlee and I decided to be adventerous. I have an aunt and uncle that live in Deleware and Deleware is only 2 hours away from Washington D.C. So, what the heck, we decided to go for a little drive! This worked out great (other than the fact that Brett didn't get to come with) becuase Neil, my uncle (my mom's little brother) plays the organ and is the Director of Music, for his profession, for a church called Grace United Methodist Church. This Sunday was Palm Sunday, so they had a huge program to perform today, which Neil was in charge of. First of all, can I just say that the church was just beautiful? It was built in the 1870's and was lined with original Tiffany stained-glass windows. It was just breath-taking. As you walked in, the greeter handed each person a palm leaf. Then church began. It was very different from our church, but very interesting. One thing they did that I really liked is that they have a 'friendshipping time' where everyone stands up and greets and talks to the people next to them. I met a lot of great people doing that. Then, the program began. It was beautiful. The music were choices from Handel's "Messiah". Their choir was awesome! I later found out that 8 members of the choir (2 for each part) were paid professionals that either belong to the church or just do that for their job! Could you imagine our ward choirs if we did that? Anyway, after church at Grace Church, we attended Neil and Anese's ward. Anese is the R.S. President (with 5 little kids) and Neil has at least 4 callings! There is so much need for them in that ward! But, there sure was a sweet spirit there and relief society was just awesome. There were 10 investigators visiting that Sunday! And there was a baptism right after church, too! Isn't that great. It inspired me to be a better missionary. I loved the diversity and I realized that all wards have diversity whether it is age, color, job status, whatever. We all have different experiences and a different story to share. Isn't it wonderful?

Here I am with Neil, Anese and their cute little family. Can you see that little boy attached to my side? His name is Gordon, and we have the same bithdate. This automatically made us best friends! He would not let me out of his site and wanted to hold my hand all day. It was sure cute and it made me miss my little ones! After both churches, we went to Neil's home where we were served some wonderful homemade, wholewheat bread! Ashlee and I both gobbled up 2 pieces because we were starved and then insisted on having a copy of the recipe! About 1 hour later we had a wonderful dinner and a YUMMY dessert! Anese is one of the best cooks I know! Then the family shared their musical talents with us, which was fun. And then it was time to take the 2 hour trip back to Washington D.C. Oh, one thing I forgot to mention: TOLLS!!!! We were shocked to see how much tolls were on the way out to Delaware. Neil warned us, but I couldn't believe it when 3 toll booths cost us $11.00! On the way back, I think it only cost us $6.00. Anyway, I'm grateful that I can get around without having to pay any tolls-- for now.

WASHINGTON D.C.- The Mall

Ok, so this picture has a funny story behind it. This was our first morning in Washington D.C. I was so excited to get out and see things that I could hardly contain myself. We came out from the basement of the city-- the met-- and this is what I saw: The Washington monument! We were so close! It was beautiful! I said to Brett, "Hurry, get the camera out, let's take a picture!" He totally started laughing and said, "Honey, you want a picture right here, when half of it's covered with buildings when in a few minutes were going to be right up next to it?!" I thought he had a point but I still had him take a picture of me!




The National Mall
This was absolutely incredible. For those of you who don't know, the National Mall is not some huge shopping mall in Washington D.C. Although, that would have been fun. The "mall" is an open area national park that is over 300 hundred acres full of memorials. Words cannot describe the feelings of awe, reverence and gratitude you feel as you walk this land and visit these monuments. Going to the mall was actually one of my favorite things in D.C. I would HIGHLY recommend it to anyone visiting the D.C. area. When we first got there we had no idea where to start or what to do. We knew that we were hungry, so we decided to get a little snack first. We were waiting in line, just talking about how we had no idea where to go first, and then I noticed some nice looking women behind us. Since not very many people in D.C. look nice or even make eye-contact with you, they smiled, so I decided to start talking to them. Come to find out, they were Julie and Natalie, from PA. They were visiting for the afternoon and Julie knew the area like the back of her hand. She was so nice to give us a few recommendations and then just flat-out asked us if we'd like to walk around the park with her. Of course we agreed. This was the best decision we had made yet. Julie knew a lot about the monuments, a lot of the symbolism, a lot of the meaning behind the monuments; things that we never would have known. We had a great time talking with them and Natalie is a marathoner! So she gave me a lot of great tips on running a marathon. Anyway, we had a grand time visiting with them and hearing all the great insights Julie had. Thanks for a great afternoon, gals! I am kicking myself now that we didn't get a picture of us with them. They were so great! Thanks for being so nice to strangers from Utah! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

As you can see, Brett was right! Here we are, right at the base of the monument. The Washington monument cornerstone was laid in 1848 and the capstone was laid in 1884. It took almost 40 years to build, as long as the Salt Lake Temple. The monument is 555 feet tall and has an aluminum cap on the top. At the time, aluminum was as valuable as silver. On the top is the inscription, "Laus Deo" which means, "Praise be to God." An interesting story about the monument: For ten hours in December 1982, the Washington Monument was "held hostage" by a nuclear arms protester, claiming to have explosives in a van he drove up to the monument's base. Eight tourists trapped in the monument at the time the standoff began were set free, and the incident ended with U.S. Park Police opening fire on the man and killing him. The monument was undamaged in the incident, and it was discovered later that Mayer did not have explosives. Crazy, huh? We discovered there are lots of crazy protesters in Washington as you'll see by our pictures later.


View of the monument from the Lincoln Memorial.

View of the monument from the Capital Building

This is the Korean War Memorial. An interesting fact about the Korean War: It lasted only 3 years, but over 58,000 US Soldiers died. That is about the same number that died in the Vietnam war which lasted for almost 20 years. Isn't that sad? My Grandpa Harmon served in the military during the Korean War. Luckily he was stationed here in the States, but this monument had special meaning to me since he aided in this effort.


I really liked this monument. It has a total of 19 statues of service men that are all different ethnicity. This is meant to symbolize that people of all races served in this effort made by America to help Korea. The statues are over 7 feet tall. A reflecting wall is south of the soldiers and actual pictures of real vets are etched into this wall. As you look at their faces, you see your faces reflection. You realize that in their sacrifice to help keep the world safe, America is safe and we can live and enjoy freedom because of them.





This is a really tiny picture of the World War II Memorial. It is a beautiful circular memorial with a big water reflecting pool in the middle. The pillars you see represent all 50 states. The wreaths on the pillars alternate between an oak wreath and a barley wreath symbolizing power and strength and stability.

My Grandpa Bell fought in WW II. He flew B-25's. I don't know much about his experience because he doesn't like to talk about it very much, understandably. Maybe someday he'll tell us some of his stories.

Here we are with one of the sweetest men I've ever met. He is a WW II vet and he was just hanging out at the memorial waiting to tell his story. It was so sweet and I couldn't believe he would stand out here for hours at a time just talking to people. His name Nick and was and he was 94 years old. He was a radio engineer-- equivalent to an IT/Computer guy in our day and age. And boy, was he sharp! He told us story after story of him fixing things and of others seeking him out because they had heard of his knack for being able to get things to work that no one else could fix. And, he was always trying to teach those he helped. He actually reminded me of my Grandpa Harmon: very kind, funny and humble. He has still been using his talents and created part of the motor that made the vehicle that landed on Mars, go. We stood and talked with him for about 45 minutes and then we had to go. I said, "Boy, you sure are smart." And he said, "Well, I'd have to agree with you. The evidence is overwhelming." It was hilarious.


Brett and I ashore the Tidal Basin with Jefferson Memorial in the background.

The Mall- Part II

Here we are in front of the Lincoln Memorial.

Here is the statue of Lincoln. He is sitting at over 19 feet tall. Above him is inscribed: "In this temple as in the hearts of the people for whom he saved the Union, the memory of Abraham Lincoln is enshrined forever." Isn't that beautiful? On one side of the 'temple' where Lincoln is sitting is inscribed his 2nd inaugural address and on the other side, the Gettysburg Address. Above the Gettysburg address is a picture of the angel of truth freeing a slave.

Here we are approaching the Vietnam Memorial. One this reflecting wall are more than 58,100 names. And, they are adding names all the time. There are more than 8,000 still MIA. If a soldier is MIA, their name was automatically added onto the wall. Next to their name is a little + sign, signifying MIA. When it it confirmed that they did die, or their remains were found, a diamond is inscribed over the +. There were many vets at this wall telling their stories. This was very touching. As in the Korean Wall, you can see your reflection in this wall. Amidst all these thousands of names of men and women (only 2 women are on the wall) who have died and given their lives for our freedom, you see yourself. You are alive today because of their sacrifices of the past. It is very touching and emotional. I really enjoyed it. I thought this quote by General Douglas MacArthur sums it all up: "The soldier, above all others, is required to perform the highest act of religious teaching--SACRIFICE."

Here is a vet explaining the wall and talking about his story. I loved listening to anything I could to learn more.

The Iwo Jima Memorial. Around the base of the memorial, burnished in gold on the granite are the names and dates of every principal Marine Corps engagement since the founding of the Corps.

This whole day truly gave me an appreciation for the military that I have never had before. I've always known that it takes a special person to enlist. And it takes a special woman to be a soldier's wife. But to really see the numbers of those who have died and served, and to be able to actually talk to vets, it was incredible. I will remember this day for the rest of my life. I am so glad I got to visit the National Mall.

WASHINGTON D.C.

Wow! What an awesome trip this has been! We have had so much fun! I'm actually still here, in Washington D.C. as I post, but Brett and our friends went down to the hot tub. And I don't really care to soak in boiling hot water, so I opted to stay up in our room and do some blogging before we come home! Washington D.C. is amazing! There is so much to do in this little city. Really, it is so small, but there is just so much of everything, everywhere!

First I have to start off by thanking my wonderful parents! We couldn't have gone on this trip if it wasn't for their love and support. This was just a trip for Brett and I-- he had a medical conference for a few days, and then the rest of the days were going to be dedicated to seeing and doing all that we could see! My mom volunteered right from the beginning to watch our kids the whole 8 days we were gone. She even arranged her whole piano schedule around it all. The kids were super excited about it all, and she was excited too! Little did we know (this was in November) that in March I would have 1 brother going on a mission to Chicago North, spanish speaking; 1 sister going on a mission to San Jose, California, spanish speaking; and 1 brother getting married on March 28 (the week after this trip)!!!! All of these things happened after the trip had been planned. Mom and I were nervous about it all-- she still had so much to do, plus, the kids are still in school, she was going to be staying out at our house, away from everything. But, she made the best of it (except for the cell phone in our toilet) and had a great time with the kids. The kids just loved having grandma there with them. They couldn't believe that she was there with them day after day.
Also, thank you to Marla (Brett's mom) who took the kids for the last few days so my mom could get ready for the wedding and tie up any loose ends. I know they have been thilled to be with Grandma Marla, too! Thank you, mom's!!! You are both so wonderful and we love you so much for helping our family! Brett and I have had a GREAT time!

So, with that said, let's get back to the trip. The weird thing about Washington D.C. is that the city and it's buildings it that some parts are so nice and very contemporary, yet others are old, trashy, junky and sometimes scary. There are huge, high-rise condo's and hotels going up everywhere that are very posh and sleek looking. Then right next to these condo's and hotels are these run down old buildings and restaurants and businesses. It's really weird. Our friends have a great view of the city from their room and can even seen the Washington mounment from their room. This is the view from our room.
Isn't that just beautiful? When were were home, we just kept the blinds closed most of the time. Anyway, a very interesting city.


We rode the Metro (the city subway) around everywhere. This is the most complex subway system I've ever seen! You go underground and there are 3 levels of trains down there! They go to all different parts of the city and really are so convenient. Once you figure out the system and how everything works, the Metro is great! But, people are not very patient with tourists and no one was very helpful, but we finally figured it out. Anyway, we have a ton of pictures and I'm going to post them all.

This is our first picture we took in Washington D.C. We had just left our hotel and were walking to the metro station. Right in the middle of the city is this huge arch from China, called "The Friendship Arch." This arch was erected to celebrate friendship with Washington's sister city of Beijing. According to the plaque next to the arch, it is the largest such archway in the world. Anyway, if you look closely, under the dark brown building on the left-hand side of the picture you can see a group of people dressed in black gathering. This was right infront of the Metro station we had to go to. I'm not sure what the name of this group is- but it was something akin to the Black Panthers. They did not like the 'white-man' at all. We walked over there and the only thing I heard them yelling was, "Where ever the white man goes, he brings with him, death and destruction!" That was enough to scare me a little. Luckily, we did not see them the rest of our trip. We just loved the arch, though. What a neat thing to be in the middle of the city!