A "Monumental" Encounter and The End of A Great First Day

Wow, what a full day. Everyone has been up and running for the last 32 hours straight and signs of fatigue are starting to show. After a dinner at Union Station, we ended our night with a visit to the World War II, Vietnam, and Korean Memorials along with the larger-than-life Lincoln Memorial. The advisors were really impressed with how the kids conducted themselves on these sacred grounds. Though none of them have any personal connections to the wars, they still shared compassion, empathy, and respect for those who made the ultimate sacrifice. They were also really amazed with the symbolism that went into the design of each memorial and monument.

At the World War II memorial, everyone flocked to the Hawaii column, flocked to the Hawaii column, showing off home state pride. The views of the Lincoln and Washington Monument from the WWII memorial were picturesque and the water foundation display in the center was breath-taking.

We made our way to the Vietnam Memorial and were fascinated to learn that Alex Santos' grandfather, Paul McNally, was inscribed on the wall. He was even able to find the name, though we couldn't get a picture of it because it was too high. Again, we were all amazed with the number of names listed on the wall (over 58,000) but more so by the tokens of remembrance left behind by loved ones and strangers alike.

I think the students were most spooked out by the Korean Memorial--the 19 soldier statues looked as if they were pulled directly out of the field of battle and frozen in time. The 19 soldiers draped in panchos and guns, all with the same ghostly stare, marching in the same direction causes some kids to come up to me and admit, "It feels like their ghosts are actually here with us." This admission was further emboldened by the eerie sketching of actual soldiers' portraits on the black marble wall.



Typically, other memorials had names or numbers of deaths inscribed in the stone, but the Korean Memorial chose a more visual, poignant design. As the students reached out to touch these facts on the wall, a veil of sorrow came upon them--I think they reacted more emotionally about when they saw the faces of soldiers killed in battle, rather than just the names. The mood leaving this memorial was far more somber than when we arrived.

The last stop of the day was the Lincoln Memorial, and who doesn't get excited when Abe's name is brought up?!? Students became a bit annoyed when they learned that Hawaii and Alaska were not included with the inscriptions of other states along the outside of the structure. We learned, though, that the memorial was built before HI and AK achieved statehood, so they were added later on large plaques on the stairway platform leading up to Lincoln. Kelly, our tour director, told us that within the inscription of Lincoln's Second Inaugural Speech along the wall, a "carvo" could be found. When she asked the students what they thought a "carvo" was, Triston suggested, "Is it what you get when you eat something?" An educated guess that won a few chuckles, but "carvo" was the same thing as a "typo", only it's an error in carving words. Sure enough, the students were quick to point it out on the wall. Check the picture below. Can you find it?

After everyone got their photo ops with the 19-foot Abe, we gazed out along the Reflection Pool and saw the Washington Monument, erected ever so majestically.

Students were on the ball about another famous historical event that occurred back in the 1960's at the Lincoln Memorial: Martin Luther King, Jr gave his "I Have A Dream" speech on the platform in front of the Lincoln statue. I made a reference to the scene from Forrest Gump when Jenni and Forrest embraced in the Reflection Pool--this completely went over the kids' heads, which wasn't as bad as the realization that I might actually be getting old since my references are becoming outdated. Great.

Our first day on tour was incredible--so much awesome things to do, yet so much more to come! With that being said, we were so relieved to arrive at the hotel and settle in for the night. Sore feet, tired minds and bodies, and dead camera batteries helped to close the night out. I think the kids will have no problem sleeping tonight. Tomorrow looks to be another jam-packed day: Arlington Cemetery, FDR and Jefferson Memorials, Mount Vernon, some mall time in Pentagon City (if we didn't, the kids would never forgive us) and a historic ghost tour around Old Alexandria. Middle school kids are so superstitious. I can't wait for that.

 Here's a timeline of events from Sunday through Thursday, so if there are family or friends who would like to meet up with the group, you'll have a general idea of where we will be at what time. Make sure to call me in advance if you'd like to meet up. We've already been able to meet up with some students' relatives who live in the area so let me know. I myself am looking forward to seeing my family when we arrive in the NY/NJ area and introducing them to the students. All in good time. Over and out.

Sunday, March 14th
9:00 - Arlington Cemetery
11:30 - FDR and Jefferson Memorials
3:00 - Mount Vernon
5:30 - Dinner at Chevy's in Pentagon City/Mall   shopping
7:30 - Alexandria Ghost Tours

Monday, March 15th
9:00 - National Archives, Library of Congress
11:30 - Meet with Congresswoman Mazie Hirono
           Lunch
2:10 - Capitol Tour
          Dinner on the road
8:00 - Empire State Building

Tuesday, March 16th
9:00 - Guided sightseeing of NYC (walking tour of midtown Manhattan)
1:00 - Lunch
2:30 - Metropolitan Museum of Art

5:30 - Dinner @ Schnipper's Quality Kitchen
7:00 - West Side Story Broadway show

Wednesday, March 17th (St. Patrick's Day!)
8:00 - Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island
12:00 - Ferry to Battery Park 
12:45 - Lunch and free time at South Street Seaport
2:30 - NBC Studio tour
5:15 - Dinner @ Dallas BBQ

Thursday, March 18th
9:00 - Free time in Manhattan
11:30 - Arrive at JFK for flight - Heading back to Hawai'i!!!