Today (June 1), my roommate and I decided to visit Arlington National Cemetery. First, we saw the Pentagon 9/11 Memorial. It commemorates the spot where American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon on that fateful morning. It was very moving to see 184 benches, each one engraved with the name of a passenger on the flight, or a worker in the building who perished in the attack.
After this, we attempted to walk to Arlington National Cemetery, only to learn that it was only accessible via Metro or by walking a very long distance to a bridge. This was very frustrating, but we got back on the Metro and finally arrived. We first went to the grave site of President Kennedy and saw the Eternal Flame. Behind us, there was a wall with several of Kennedy's most famous quotes. Seeing this memorial made me think of how different America could have been if Lee Harvey Oswald's bullet hadn't found its target. President Kennedy was a great man.
We walked further up the hill to Robert E. Lee's old mansion and took a tour. I had seen this mansion on previous visits to Arlington, but had never been inside. I thought it was just a bunch of offices, but instead, found a fully restored mansion. We learned that the entire cemetery had once been Lee's plantation. It was also strange to hear that, by marriage, Lee is related to George Washington. It is weird to think that the man who founded this country is related to a man who nearly succeeded in destroying it. It was great to see some graffiti in the mansion left by Union soldiers who occupied it in 1863. From the porch of the mansion, you can look out and see that the cemetery is connected to the Lincoln Memorial by a bridge. Congress apparently did this to symbolically unite the North and the South.
On the walk down the hill from the Mansion, we saw the tomb of unknown Civil War soldiers. Later, we arrived at the famous Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and saw the Changing of the Guard. This is a very complex ceremony and it was a very solemn and moving experience. The Tomb has been guarded 24 hours a day since 1937. Even during severe weather, the guards continue their march uninterrupted.
The whole experience at Arlington was very moving. I have so much respect for our military and it was sad seeing row after row of white gravestones. I will never forget the things that I had the privilege of seeing today.
Chris Doarn
After this, we attempted to walk to Arlington National Cemetery, only to learn that it was only accessible via Metro or by walking a very long distance to a bridge. This was very frustrating, but we got back on the Metro and finally arrived. We first went to the grave site of President Kennedy and saw the Eternal Flame. Behind us, there was a wall with several of Kennedy's most famous quotes. Seeing this memorial made me think of how different America could have been if Lee Harvey Oswald's bullet hadn't found its target. President Kennedy was a great man.
We walked further up the hill to Robert E. Lee's old mansion and took a tour. I had seen this mansion on previous visits to Arlington, but had never been inside. I thought it was just a bunch of offices, but instead, found a fully restored mansion. We learned that the entire cemetery had once been Lee's plantation. It was also strange to hear that, by marriage, Lee is related to George Washington. It is weird to think that the man who founded this country is related to a man who nearly succeeded in destroying it. It was great to see some graffiti in the mansion left by Union soldiers who occupied it in 1863. From the porch of the mansion, you can look out and see that the cemetery is connected to the Lincoln Memorial by a bridge. Congress apparently did this to symbolically unite the North and the South.
On the walk down the hill from the Mansion, we saw the tomb of unknown Civil War soldiers. Later, we arrived at the famous Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and saw the Changing of the Guard. This is a very complex ceremony and it was a very solemn and moving experience. The Tomb has been guarded 24 hours a day since 1937. Even during severe weather, the guards continue their march uninterrupted.
The whole experience at Arlington was very moving. I have so much respect for our military and it was sad seeing row after row of white gravestones. I will never forget the things that I had the privilege of seeing today.
Chris Doarn
I've never visited Arlington Cemetery and didn't know the history of it being General Lee's former property. I too love and appreciate our service men and women and plan to visit the cemetery before heading back to Columbus.
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