Section 45

I did a lot of walking today, notching almost 14 miles when I walked through my house door this afternoon. I spent most of my day at Arlington National Cemetery, then the rest of the day in Georgetown.
Veterans, and soldiers in general have always been a priority for me. If we do not lend our full measure of support to those who have certainly lent their full measure of support to us, then - in my opinion - little else matters. I thought I would go to Arlington at some point this semester, and rather than sit on my tail all day, I decided to go for a walk. A high school classmate of mine fought and died in Afghanistan about three years ago. He was buried in Arlington, in a ceremony the Secretary of Defense attended. I thought my first stop would be there. I thought it was touching his plot had a view of the Capitol, and that most around him served in the same theater, and were of all ranks. There really isn't segregation by rank that I could tell, which explains why a private first class can be buried directly in front of a Major General. Here are some pictures from the day:

Over a dozen burials are completed each day

The explosion on the USS Serpens stands today as the single largest loss of life by a Coast Guard vessel, everyone perished aboard except for one

If you didn't look hard, you'd never notice this is a Medal of Honor recipient...

Rough Riders memorial, the cavalry regiment led by Teddy Roosevelt up San Juan Hill in Cuba

Confederate soldiers

The Jackson Circle

The mast from the USS Maine

Sailors aboard the USS Maine when it exploded in Havana Harbor

I can't believe this, Ignace was buried at Arlington until the Iron Curtain came up over Eastern Europe, only then did he go home

The Canadian Cross, in remembrance of the American soldiers who served in the Canadian army before the US joined WWI

The Amphitheater

The Old Guard, the 3rd Infantry Regiment, is tasked with guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

It's almost quixotic that there is a clear view of the Capitol

The beginning of the changing of the guard

The Sargent inspects both the guard coming on duty and the guard going off duty every hour

You can see the wear on the stone here, these sentinels have been walking the same route for decades

These four markers at the bottom of the screen are of Union Soldiers buried right on top of General Lee's old house

Few remember the Indian Wars, and you can tell by his date of death he was one of the few Medal of Honor recipients to earn the award alive.

Civil War Tomb of the  Unknown

Robert E Lee's house, he had to abandon it when he resigned his commission to join the Confederacy, days later the Union occupied the property which is today's Arlington National Cemetery

George Washington's decedents included Robert E. Lee's family, who brought this china from Mount Vernon 

Lee never got around to building firm, marble or granite steps, so historical photos will show wooden steps, just like you see here

This portrait was meant to hang in the Capitol

Pan Am Flight 103 memorial

Look at the photo below for an explanation to this seemingly unremarkable tomb

President Lincoln's son

President William Howard Taft, the only President to be both the President and Supreme Court Chief Justice

I found some of the most prestigious jurists in the history of the United States buried among each other

Current Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's husband, which probably means she will

The eternal flame....which actually make noise

Robert F. Kennedy

Teddy Kennedy

Joe Kennedy Jr, he died flying fighters in Europe during WWII

The Iwo Jima Memorial...larger than life

Perfect line-up....

This building in the middle, that's the home JFK purchased after his election before they moved into the White House

Portugal's Embassy....

...see it's true

It was an adventurous day, it was a moving day, it reminded me of a trip I took a little over two years ago in Normandy, France.  Sometimes it's difficult to put emotions into words, and this is one of those times. There is a lot to take in when you're there. There is a lot of history. It is, for all intents and purposes, a time capsule of some of America's greatest hero's. Some of them most know the names of, but others much less so. A lot of people know who John F. Kennedy is, but few know who Charles Heyl is, even though he won a Medal of Honor. I named this blog "Section 45" because that's the section the Kennedy's are buried in, a section you can see almost from the entrance.

"For the families of the seven, we cannot bear, as you do, the full impact of this tragedy. But we feel the loss, and we're thinking about you so very much. Your loved ones were daring and brave, and they had that special grace, that special spirit that says, "Give me a challenge, and I'll meet it with joy." They had a hunger to explore the universe and discover its truths. They wished to serve, and they did. They served all of us." 
~President Ronald Reagan in reaction to the Challenger Shuttle Disaster

I like "give me a challenge, and I'll meet it with joy," I'd like to be able to emulate that. I'm a big fan of space, and space travel. I can't wait for the next step in exploring the final frontier. There is always a risk in everything worth doing, and obviously space travel is no exception. The shuttle program is over, so our attention must turn to what's next. I hope that in the professional world I can be a part of something to further NASA and America's future in space.

Stay Tuned....