Category Archives: Travel

“Freedom Is Not Free”

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Leaving the Martin Luther King Memorial we thought we were heading to the Lincoln memorial but Joey had another stop in mind for us first. After pouring out of the tour bus, we crossed a busy street while Joey stopped traffic only to approach a memorial of individual statues.

The Forgotten War

This is the Korean War Memorial. Often considered the “Forgotten War” Joey was determined that we would not “forget” to visit the memorial. These soldiers suffered terribly, spent much time unprepared, untrained for combat and under supplied. Even so, they managed to delay the advance of the North Korean forces until reinforcements could arrive.

Officially the Korean War was not a war, it was a “police action”, one of the early attempts by the United Nations  to provide a stabilizing influence on the affairs of the world.

The Symbolism at the Monument

The monument is hard for me to describe. I was struck by the lifelike statues of the soldiers and as Joey described the conditions the servicemen endured , my heart ached.

The first thing that caught my attention were the ghostly statues. Done  in stainless steel, their faces clearly visible, you can see the hardship on each visage. These 19 servicemen are surrounded by granite boulders and juniper bushes representing the harsh environment of Korea.

The figures represent a platoon on patrol. 14 figures represent the US Army, 3 represent the US Marines, 1 is a Navy corpsman, and one is an Air Force Forward Air Observer. They are dressed in full combat gear.

The Wall

A highly polished wall of “academy black” granite stands beside the field of Soldiers. More than 2,500 images representing the land, sea, and air troops who supported those who fought in the war are sandblasted onto the wall. When the light is right, the images of the soldiers reflect on the wall. There now appears to be 38 soldiers. The number 38 represents 38 months, and it is also representing the 38 parallel that separated the North and South Korea.

Pool of Remembrance

A visit to the memorial is not complete without a look at the Pool of Remembrance. This shallow pool is artistically surrounded by trees for the most visually pleasing reflections. Inscriptions list soldiers killed, wounded, missing in action and held as prisoner during the Korean  War.

Conclusion

A nearby plaque is inscribed: “Our nation honors her sons and daughters who answered the call to defend a country they never knew and a people they never met.”

Organized by the National Park Service, students of Tuscarora High School in Frederick County Maryland and students of CheongShim International Academy in the Republic of Korea interviewed Korean War veterans in their respective countries. The students shared these interviews with each other through the internet. The letters are moving and enlightening. I encourage you to take a moment to read some of these memories.

https://www.nps.gov/kowa/learn/historyculture/index.htm

 

 

I Had a Dream

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Introduction

“I had a dream” is  probably the most well know of Dr Martin Luther King Jr’s many speeches.

The Monument

Our next stop on the tour of the Tidal basin is the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial. The memorial is 30 ft high, located between the Jefferson & Lincoln Memorials on the National Mall.

Dr. King appears to be stepping out of a mountain of stone. As you approach the Monument you pass through a cut between two large boulders.  It made me think of psalm 23, “Yea though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death”.

The boulders are meant to represent the Mountain of Despair which has been split in two. Dr. King’s likeness emerges as if stepping from a solitary boulder, the Stone of Hope. On the visible side the words “Out of the Mountain of despair, a Stone of Hope” is carved into the stone. The phrase comes from Dr. King’s “I have a Dream” speech.

Some History

  • It was 48 years after Dr King’s famous speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial before the Dr. King Jr memorial opened. Originally scheduled for August 22, 2011 opening day was delayed by Hurricane Irene. It finally opened on October 16, 2011.
  • There is a lot of negative press today around Sororities and Fraternities, but the driving force behind Dr King’s memorial was Alpha Phi Alpha, the fraternity that opened its membership doors to Dr. King.
  • More than 900 applicants from 52 countries submitted bids to build the memorial.
  • The address for the memorial is 1964 Independence Ave., referencing the 1964 Civil Rights act.
  • The Cherry Trees are positioned so that it will appear that Dr King is gazing at them.
  • The memorial is the fourth in Washington, DC to honor a non-president and the first to honor a man of color.
  • Surrounding the statue of Dr. King is a 450-foot long Inscription Wall, which features 14 quotes from King’s speeches, sermons and writings. Quotes were chosen with Dr. King’s four main principles in mind: justice, democracy, hope and love.

Getting There

I reached the Memorial by taking a tour but if you are traveling on your own the site is accessible by either the Metro (subway) or Metrobus.  If traveling by bus, use the 32, 34 or 36 Metrobus routes. The closest Metro stop is Smithsonian, on the Orange, Blue and Silver lines.

Conclusion

The stone of Hope, with Dr. King’s image standing boldly from its depths, is a message encouraging  all citizens to forever strive for justice and equality. A message never more timely than today with violence in our cities, war in the world and rampart discrimination against immigration, especially Muslims.   To borrow from a 60’s ballad  (Where have all the Flowers gone), When will they ever learn? When will they ever learn?

 

 

 

Jefferson Memorial

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Back on the bus we basked in the warmth. Tony, our driver, had the heater blasting. A welcome reprieve from the raw, wet cold outside.

Around the Tidal Basin we went pulling up next to an easily recognizable monument; the Jefferson Memorial. When I say we pulled up it was to a bus stop. You can’t get near any of the memorials by car. If you are visiting the monuments you will get plenty of walking.

The Jefferson Memorial

The Jefferson Memorial is a circular, open structure topped by a shallow dome. The exterior is beautiful white marble from Vermont. The interior with Jefferson’s 19 ft tall statue is accessed by a series of granite and marble stepped terraces.

For those of us who might not be in the best physical shape the stairs can be intimidating. There is an elevator if you are handicapped or just not up to stair climbing. Unfortunately it was out of order the day of my visit.

But back to some of the significance of various features. Until my visit I just thought the building was meant to resemble Jefferson’s home of Monticello but I learned that there is much more symbolism than that.

As I mentioned the outer marble is from Vermont, the interior walls are Georgia Marble. These choices symbolize the geographic extremes of the original 13 states. The floor is marble from Tennessee.  The inner dome is limestone from Indiana. This diversity symbolizes the expanding union.

Jefferson’s ties to the Louisiana Purchase are honored by the pedestal of Minnesota Granite and a ring of gray marble surrounding the base made of Missouri stone.

Four quotations from Jefferson’s writings are carved into the walls of the memorial chamber. One of the quotes, from the Declaration of Independence, can be found on the southwest wall.

Location

The monument is located on the south side of the Tidal Basin with a clear sight line of the Washington Monument. President Roosevelt ordered trees cut to make it possible to view the monument from the White House.

In 1912 Japanese Cherry Trees were planted on the site, part of the gift of 3000 trees from the mayor of Tokyo. That was what I wanted to see but sadly, most of the blossoms had been destroyed by the unseasonable cold weather.

In conclusion

Even without the flowers, the beautiful monument is a suitable memorial to our Founding father, an author of the Declaration of Independence, Statesman and Visionary for the founding of a Nation.

From the EEOB to the National Mall

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The Eisenhower Executive Office Building (EEOB) is a huge, overpowering building patterned after the French 2nd Empire architecture. Where the White House is small and unpretentious, the EEOB can only be described as “over the top”.  Built between 1871- 1888, for years it was the world’s largest office building, with 566 rooms and about 10 acres of floor space. Many White House employees have their offices in the massive edifice.

Its ornate architecture has been heaped with scorn over the years. Mark Twain called it “the ugliest building in America” and President Harry S. Truman referred to it as “the greatest monstrosity in America.”

Much of the interior was designed by Richard von Ezdorf using fireproof cast-iron structural and decorative elements , including massive skylights above each of the major stairwells and doorknobs with patterns indicating which of the original three departments (State, Navy, or War) occupied a particular space. But you can’t take a tour to see these elaborate decorative touches, the building is locked down tight.

 

We left the EEOB for the National Mall. First stop the World War II Memorial. Dedicated May 29, 2004 by President George W. Bush, the memorial honors Americans who served in the armed forces and as civilians during World War II.

Designed in a large oval with 2 triumphal arches and 56 pillars that surround a center fountain, the pillars represent the 48 states that existed in 1945, the District of Columbia, the territories of Alaska and Hawaii and the Commonwealth of the Philippines, Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The Arches are inscribed as the Atlantic (North) and Pacific (South).

The Memorial includes two inconspicuously located “Kilroy was here” engravings. Their inclusion in the memorial acknowledges the significance of the symbol to American soldiers during World War II and how it represented their presence and protection wherever it was inscribed.

The Freedom Wall on the west side of the memorial has 4,048 gold stars, each representing 100 Americans who died in the war. In front of the wall lies the message “Here we mark the price of freedom”.

 

As We Leave Lafayette Sqaure

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Just a couple of tidbits I want to share before we leave Lafayette Square behind and move on.

Regarding the Church, St. John’s Episcopal,

  • Long known as “the Church of the Presidents,” St. John’s Episcopal Church has served virtually as the chapel to the White House for nearly two centuries
  • In the depths of the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln would sometimes walk to St. John’s from the White House and settle into a pew at the back.
  • Every person who has held the office of president has attended at least one service at St. John’s, since Madison.
  • Since Franklin D. Roosevelt’s time, St. John’s has offered itself to incoming presidents for a pre-inauguration prayer service.
  • As far back as 1816, records show that a committee was formed to wait on the President of the United States and offer him a pew. James Madison chose pew 54 and insisted on paying the customary annual rental. The next five Presidents in succession–James Monroe, John Quincy Adams, Andrew Jackson, Martin Van Buren and William Henry Harrison–occupied this pew during their terms of office. Since then, by tradition, pew 54 has been set aside for Presidents of the United States.

A funny Story as to how Blair- Lee House became the preferred abode for visiting dignitaries. With 142 rooms you’d think the White House could find a bedroom for a head of state. Beginning in 1942, the Blair family began leasing the property to the U.S. government for use by visiting dignitaries; the government purchased the property outright the following December. The move was prompted in part by a request from Eleanor Roosevelt, who found the casual familiarity Winston Churchill displayed during his visits to the White House off-putting.On one occasion, Churchill tried to enter Franklin Roosevelt’s private apartments at 3:00 a.m. to wake the president for a conversation.

The last straw was when Eleanor walked in on Churchill in the White House kitchen clad only in his stogie.  According to the story Churchill was moved to Blair House the next day.

Blair House is know known as the World’s Most Exclusive Hotel!