Arlington National Cemetary, Nationals Game, Army Twilight Tattoo and More!

 Today we started our final day in Washington, DC. We got up nice and early and were down to breakfast by 7 as we needed to leave the hotel by 7:25. Good times for people that are going to bed between 12:00 and 1:00. Tis the life of the East Coast Traveler. We needed to leave this early because we had a full day ahead of us. 

We wanted to be one of the first groups into Arlington National Cemetery as there are many school groups in DC so we know that the Cemetery can get very crowded. On the last trip it felt worse than Disneyland! Well, we got to the cemetery at 7:55 and we were dropped off to beat the busses that were lined up. 

BOOM! 8:00 hits and we are rope dropping Arlington and are some of the first people in. We started the march up to the Tomb of the Unknown soldier. It is quite a hike but we did awesome and made it with actually no complaining about hiking up a giant hill! And its just about one mile going up. 

With a couple of stops along the way to explain the different types of tombstones and what we were going to watch at the Tomb, we took our spots at 8:50 along the rail to watch the ceremonial procession of the Changing of the Guard. We learned they take 21 steps. Wait 21 seconds, turn around and repeat the process. Goes along with the 21 gun salute. 

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is the final resting spot for soldiers whom they have no idea who they are. The original was from World War I. He is buried in the sarcophagus. There are also graves in front of it for unknown soldiers from World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. Due to modern science the Vietnam War grave is now empty because they exhumed the body and ran DNA tests on him. He was then identified as Air Force First Lieutenant Michael Joseph Blassie. With modern technology there should be no more unknown soldiers. 

After the ceremony there were two wreath laying ceremonies that we got to witness. Very nice. After the ceremony we had many students who can now walk and click their heels just like the tomb guards. We went into the Memorial Amphitheater. Aaron gave a nice talk more about the procession and facts about the amphitheater. 

A quick walk from there and we went to the Space Shuttle disaster plaques and graves. There is a memorial for the victims of the Challenger Space Shuttle explosion in 1986 and the Space Shuttle Columbia that disintegrated upon reentering Earth in 2003. A couple of the astronauts are buried there in Arlington. Challenger has a local connection as astronaut Ellison Onizuka was from Big Island. 

We then marched on down and saw the grave of President John F Kennedy and his wife Jackie and two of their children. He has an eternal flame and is buried at the bottom of a hill of the previous owner of the land the cemetery is on. The home of Confederate General Robert E Lee is at the top of the hill. It was his land before the United States decided to bury many soldiers in his wifeʻs rose garden. Lee sued the government and won but didnʻt want the land anymore as it now had hundreds of graves in his yard.....Makes sense. 

Was then time to get back on the bus for a quick visit over to the Iwo Jima Memorial which is quite close to the cemetery. The Iwo Jima Memorial shows the marines raising the flag on top of Mt. Suribachi. It is based off of one of the most famous photos not only of World War II but in history. 

Baseball time! Off to Nationals Park to check out a Major League Baseball game between the Washington Nationals hosting the Cleveland Guardians. Lots of kids first time going to a professional baseball game. We had nice seats on the first base side in right field in section 222. Easy to remember. Lots of great food was eaten as well as ice cream and popsicle sticks. Nationals started off well and then Cleveland came storming back with an 8 run 6th inning. Nationals tried to come back but eventually lost 8 - 6. Good fun.

Before dinner we did a very quick stop at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. We dove in to see the Hope Diamond and lots of bones! Got to see dinosaur bones and the bones of many different animals such as woolly mammoth and many more. 

Dinner time before our final even in DC. We had a sit down dinner at a place called Tupelo Honey. It specialized in southern type food. Lots of fried chicken, fried chicken and waffles, a pork chop, a salad, and one cheeseburger. They were all accompanied with a biscuit. Was pretty good! 

We ended our night on an Army Base. This is the first time out of all the trips weʻve done that we got to do this. We watched a military show called Army Tattoo and Twilight. You wouldn't believe how many kids believed they were going to get tattoos there. Guess it didnʻt help that Aaron and I kept saying it and said that their parents gave the okay already. 

It was started with some singing entertainment from soldiers. They played familiar songs and had all the kids in the place dancing and having a good time trying to get on the big screen. After the fun dancing the show began. It was a musical history of sorts showing us the history of the army and the different wars the Army has fought in. Along with the music there was a quick demonstration of how different wars were fought. After the kids got to meet and talk with soldiers. Some even got to hold their guns! (not loaded)

We are currently driving north from Washington, DC to get to Philadelphia. National Treasure 2 is on, phones are in a bag up front. Most are asleep but a handful are watching the movie. We are having a great time. I think we are settling into the routine of waking up early, walking a lot, and going to bed late. 

Guess who was all still asleep on the bus when we got to Philly? Hint: Not the adults!

Thanks for reading!