Friday was spent at Arlington. It was an emotional and rewarding day. We took the Metro and walked to the entrance where we took the tour bus. First stop was President John F. Kennedy's grave site. Home to the eternal flame it brought back memories of his funeral that I remember watching on television as a boy. Then over to the grave of Bobby Kennedy. I worked on his presidential campaign and he would have been my President. I admired both men immensely and it was a tough visit with thoughts of what should have been.
We walked up the hill to the former home of Robert E. Lee. The view is magnificent and walking among the graves was a huge history lesson. Interestingly, Arlington was picked as the site of the National Cemetery by a gentleman who blamed Lee for carrying on the Civil War ten days longer than necessary. As a result the gentleman lost his only son. His revenge was in seizing the property (which was actually the family home of his wife - a descendant of George Washington) and surrounding the home with the graves of Union soldiers. The slain son's remains are interned looking directly over the house.
We walked the path from this Civil War history to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier commemorating more modern wars. We stood silently and watched the changing of the guards. Guard duty at Arlington is among the highest honor that can be given to an enlisted soldier. I found myself explaining a bit of this to a group of Middle School students. I am so concerned that if our history is not taught we will someday find ourselves repeating past mistakes.
