I've told you about the cigar-like submarine at the Navy Shipyard called the Intelligent Whale. I've also regaled you with stories about the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial. (There may be a quiz later, so you might want to go back and re-read about them.) You've heard about the cherry blossoms already but I told you more about them, and then there was the fascinating information about the DC flag and what the elements in the design mean. (Pretty much nothing, if you will recall.) There is still so much more that can be written about but I worry a little bit that you may be weary of all the talk of the capitol city. But hey, it is our nation's capitol, so you shouldn't be. You shouldn't even have to stifle a yawn - you there, yes, you. I saw that. Stop it. We should all want to know all we can about such a grand place, shouldn't we?
Yup, so that's why I'm going to tell you a little more today. After this, I may move on to other subjects, at least for awhile. After all, Easter is coming up...and April Fool's Day...and tax day. So many events!
But for today, more about Washington, DC.
You've surely heard about Walter Reed Hospital (where the President and other notables go when they need to find excellent health care). It used to be located on 16th St NW. It has moved, although they are still using the old location for offices and other medical-related stuff. There are other plans in the works for the 16th St. Walter Reed building, but I don't know what they are. So for now, we will skip right over that.
At the old Walter Reed location, there is a memorial fountain honoring Colonel John Hoff, which was a gift to the hospital from his widow. Col. Hoff was instrumental in bringing the Medical Corps up to snuff. Up until his helpful influence, the organization had been given very little, if any, recognition. In addition, the personnel had not been recognized as official military officers, so his efforts brought them the benefits that the regular military officers were already getting. He was a good guy, and he did good stuff. His wife wanted him to be remembered. Thus, the fountain.
The designer and creator of the memorial sculpture was given pretty lenient license, apparently, to design it as he wished. Colonel Hoff had served in the Philippines, in the Arctic, and in the tropics. So! The sculpture's fountain spouts are carved penguins (I guess they're carved; I know they aren't real) standing on pedestals that have cobras carved into them.
Yes.
Penguins standing on cobra-decorated pedestals.
North meets south.
And in case you aren't paying really close attention, here is something that is worthy of mention: Penguins are not found in the Arctic. They live at the Antarctic.
So, yeah.
Let's move on to the last of the DC places I want to tell you about. A fitting ending it is, too, because it denotes the big ending. It is a cemetery.
Everyone has surely heard of Arlington National Cemetery, and of course one of the more famous stops if you're taking the walking tour of this cemetery is that of the Eternal Flame that marks the grave of President John F Kennedy (and other family members, including Jacquelyn Bouvier Kennedy Onassis). As notable as that gravesite is the Tomb of the Unknowns. If you have the opportunity to visit sometime, make sure to watch the changing of the guard. But before you watch it, read up on the soldiers who guard the tomb and what is required of them to be chosen. Let's just say they don't just raise their hand and ask permission. Trust me, it's worth the research.
The property that Arlington National Cemetery is located on was once owned by Robert E. Lee and his wife. When they left at the outbreak of the Civil War, the Union Army took it over. Later, when the war raged and the casualties added up, the decision was made to turn the property into a cemetery. An interesting side note is that the quartermaster of the Union forces was so angry at Lee for what he felt was Lee's betrayal of the oath he had taken as an Army officer that the quartermaster purposely buried Union soldiers in the rose garden area of the Lee's homeplace, in the hopes that the Lee family would refuse to return home knowing there were enemies buried in their garden. It apparently worked, because the family never did come back to their former home.
General John J. Pershing is buried at Arlington. He chose his marker and the location of his plot several years before he died. He purposely wanted to be buried among the men who served with him in WWI, so his is a very plain government issued white marble marker, just like all the others around him.
Two astronauts, Roger Chaffee and Virgil Grissom, are buried at Arlington. They were the first two astronauts killed in the line of duty in the American space program. (Other astronauts are buried at Arlington, also.)
There is a beautiful statue of a woman in one area of the cemetery that stands in memory of Jane Delano. She and those buried near her were all nurses who served in the military.
Lee Marvin (yes, the actor) is buried at Arlington. He was a WWII veteran who was awarded a Purple Heart.
Wm. Howard Taft, who not only was the 27th President, but also served as a Supreme Court justice, has his final resting place at Arlington. An interesting note about Taft: He was the first U.S. President to be buried at Arlington, he was the person who popularized Presidents throwing out the first pitch of the season at MLB games, and perhaps most interesting of all, he is responsible for the 7th inning stretch! So thanks to Taft, at least sorta, we have the chicken dance.
Pierre Charles L'Enfant was the architect who designed the layout of DC. He designed the National Mall and Pennsylvania Avenue, which is the road that connects the White House to the Capitol building. He served in the Army during the Revolutionary War. His remains rest here.
Remember Glenn Miller? He was the famous musician and band leader whose plane was lost over the English Channel in WWII (watch the movie "The Glenn Miller Story" if you haven't already). His body was never found, but his daughter made arrangements for him to have a headstone at the cemetery. So technically he isn't buried there, but you can visit his plot.
Robert Peary, who was the leader of the first expedition to reach the North Pole, was a naval officer, and his grave is at Arlington.
Helen Taft, wife of President Wm. H. Taft, is buried at Arlington along with her husband (remember the chicken dance conversation?). (Also, remember my last blog entry about all those cherry trees? Yes. This is THAT Helen Taft.)
There are lots of other people buried there. Some are famous, some are infamous. Most, but not all, are Americans. There are even a couple of war-time enemies buried there who had the misfortune of dying while being held as prisoners of war. There are knowns and unknowns. One thing is for certain -- almost all of them are bonafide heroes.
Welp, there you have it, boys and girls. If you can, come see our nation's fascinating capitol city. And while you're here, come see me! I will be your tour guide and we can see all these things, plus we can take a little run up the road a couple of miles or so to the original 'Uncle Tom's Cabin' and, in the words of Barney Fife, "that Smith Brothers institution" (more commonly known as the Smithsonian) (also, lots of visitors are surprised to learn that the Smithsonian is comprised of several buildings). We can go see the theater where Lincoln met his demise, drive by the Watergate Hotel, go to Rock Creek Park where the folks on NCIS are regularly investigating homicides (on TV, not in real life), and if I know far enough in advance that you're coming, I can take you to Monticello and Mount Vernon. We have some excellent crab cakes here in Maryland, too.
I'll leave the light on for you.
So, yeah.
Let's move on to the last of the DC places I want to tell you about. A fitting ending it is, too, because it denotes the big ending. It is a cemetery.
Everyone has surely heard of Arlington National Cemetery, and of course one of the more famous stops if you're taking the walking tour of this cemetery is that of the Eternal Flame that marks the grave of President John F Kennedy (and other family members, including Jacquelyn Bouvier Kennedy Onassis). As notable as that gravesite is the Tomb of the Unknowns. If you have the opportunity to visit sometime, make sure to watch the changing of the guard. But before you watch it, read up on the soldiers who guard the tomb and what is required of them to be chosen. Let's just say they don't just raise their hand and ask permission. Trust me, it's worth the research.
The property that Arlington National Cemetery is located on was once owned by Robert E. Lee and his wife. When they left at the outbreak of the Civil War, the Union Army took it over. Later, when the war raged and the casualties added up, the decision was made to turn the property into a cemetery. An interesting side note is that the quartermaster of the Union forces was so angry at Lee for what he felt was Lee's betrayal of the oath he had taken as an Army officer that the quartermaster purposely buried Union soldiers in the rose garden area of the Lee's homeplace, in the hopes that the Lee family would refuse to return home knowing there were enemies buried in their garden. It apparently worked, because the family never did come back to their former home.
General John J. Pershing is buried at Arlington. He chose his marker and the location of his plot several years before he died. He purposely wanted to be buried among the men who served with him in WWI, so his is a very plain government issued white marble marker, just like all the others around him.
Two astronauts, Roger Chaffee and Virgil Grissom, are buried at Arlington. They were the first two astronauts killed in the line of duty in the American space program. (Other astronauts are buried at Arlington, also.)
There is a beautiful statue of a woman in one area of the cemetery that stands in memory of Jane Delano. She and those buried near her were all nurses who served in the military.
Lee Marvin (yes, the actor) is buried at Arlington. He was a WWII veteran who was awarded a Purple Heart.
Wm. Howard Taft, who not only was the 27th President, but also served as a Supreme Court justice, has his final resting place at Arlington. An interesting note about Taft: He was the first U.S. President to be buried at Arlington, he was the person who popularized Presidents throwing out the first pitch of the season at MLB games, and perhaps most interesting of all, he is responsible for the 7th inning stretch! So thanks to Taft, at least sorta, we have the chicken dance.
Pierre Charles L'Enfant was the architect who designed the layout of DC. He designed the National Mall and Pennsylvania Avenue, which is the road that connects the White House to the Capitol building. He served in the Army during the Revolutionary War. His remains rest here.
Remember Glenn Miller? He was the famous musician and band leader whose plane was lost over the English Channel in WWII (watch the movie "The Glenn Miller Story" if you haven't already). His body was never found, but his daughter made arrangements for him to have a headstone at the cemetery. So technically he isn't buried there, but you can visit his plot.
Robert Peary, who was the leader of the first expedition to reach the North Pole, was a naval officer, and his grave is at Arlington.
Helen Taft, wife of President Wm. H. Taft, is buried at Arlington along with her husband (remember the chicken dance conversation?). (Also, remember my last blog entry about all those cherry trees? Yes. This is THAT Helen Taft.)
There are lots of other people buried there. Some are famous, some are infamous. Most, but not all, are Americans. There are even a couple of war-time enemies buried there who had the misfortune of dying while being held as prisoners of war. There are knowns and unknowns. One thing is for certain -- almost all of them are bonafide heroes.
Welp, there you have it, boys and girls. If you can, come see our nation's fascinating capitol city. And while you're here, come see me! I will be your tour guide and we can see all these things, plus we can take a little run up the road a couple of miles or so to the original 'Uncle Tom's Cabin' and, in the words of Barney Fife, "that Smith Brothers institution" (more commonly known as the Smithsonian) (also, lots of visitors are surprised to learn that the Smithsonian is comprised of several buildings). We can go see the theater where Lincoln met his demise, drive by the Watergate Hotel, go to Rock Creek Park where the folks on NCIS are regularly investigating homicides (on TV, not in real life), and if I know far enough in advance that you're coming, I can take you to Monticello and Mount Vernon. We have some excellent crab cakes here in Maryland, too.
I'll leave the light on for you.