by Derek—2004.06.01 @ 0858
Arlington Cemetary during Memorial weekend in D.C. was moving. This past weekend was significant because of the dedication of the new World War II memorial in The Mall. Thousands of WWII veterans came from all over to participate in the dedication and bring awareness to what had happened during those difficult times. We watched the dedication on the television but went up after church on Sunday to Arlington.
Mitch Auna is a commanding Seargent at Arlington and is in charge of one of the ceremonial units who's duty is to perform missions at the cemetary. This weekend was very busy for them, but Mitch did take us on Post and into Arlington himself.
Small flags adorned every tombstone, and these silent monoliths held vigil over a somber crowd. We watched the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. We also watched a wreath ceremony, honoring a family.
On our way home, we stopped by the Iwo Jima memorial, honoring the Marine batallions. The famous statue is enormous. Around its base are carved the different wars the Marines were a part of.
On Monday, we watched the Memorial Day rememberance on television, partly to see Mitch and his crew participate in the services. We caught the speech by Donald Rumsfelt and The President.