The Journey: Mr. and Mrs. Little Go to
Washington
May 17 – 19, 2012
Thursday, May 17
We helped get Ava ready for her return
to day care this morning while Mike and Kelly were getting dressed for
work. When they were all out of the
house, we got dressed, packed the car, and with great anticipation, set out on
our journey to the Washington, DC.
We found a
rest area about halfway between Richmond and DC and decided it would be a good
place for one last practice session before going to Arlington on Saturday. Barbara did some fun photography while I
warmed up, and then we went to a fairly isolated part of the area so I could do
a run-through of Taps. We were far
enough away from everyone that I doubt that anyone heard me playing above the
constant noise from the I-95 traffic.
In any case,
it was a good practice session and I was pleased with the results, especially
since my practice time was so limited the past few days.
+++++++
The three of us prowled around the mall for a few minutes and then Carrie suggested some nearby restaurants for lunch. We settled on Red Robin and followed her around the parking lot until we got there.
We shared a
wonderful meal and had a great time getting caught up on each other’s lives
(the condensed versions). When we
ordered our food, we told the waitress that we were having a mini-reunion and
that we hadn’t seen each other in 50 years.
The young woman seemed at least a little impressed, but we didn’t know
how much until she brought us our bill and we saw that she had written, “It was
a pleasure to serve you on this special occasion...have a wonderful
visit!” Well, with the good food, great
service, and that note, you can bet that she received a nice tip!
We said our
goodbyes in the parking lot and Carried said that she and husband Norm would
see us Saturday morning in Arlington for the Taps 150 Commemoration.
+++++++
Fortunately, we made our way safely through the Outer Beltway and onto I-295 without losing our tempers and our minds, although there were a couple of times when that could have easily happened. Traffic became completely clogged as we approached the Pentagon and our cutoff road leading to Arlington and Rosslyn. Once we made the switch, it was an easier than expected drive to Arlington National Cemetery, where we wanted to stop first to get the lay of the land for Saturday morning.
It was during
the drive from the Outer Beltway to the cemetery that I proposed, studied,
researched, and affirmed the following: J.Arthur Little’s DC Postulate –
“Anyone who desires to work or live in Washington, DC or its surrounding
environs, and who makes application to do so, should henceforth and immediately
be denied such application on the grounds of mental incompetency.
++++++
We were pleasantly surprised at the relative ease of negotiating the traffic circle that leads from the highway to the cemetery, and how quickly we were able to get through all the traffic to the spacious parking garage. We were sharing space with lots of cars and buses, but it didn’t get nearly as complicated as we thought it would.
Our first
stop, for two reasons, was at the Visitors Center. The first reason was that it had been a long
drive from Dale City to the cemetery and we were in dire need of locating the
necessary rooms.
The second
reason was that we like to walk through visitors centers at various parks to
get all the information we can about the places before starting to explore
them.
The quilt has been on a national tour of military museums and is currently held for viewing at Arlington National Cemetery.
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Although we
have both been to Arlington on previous trips, it was as if we had never seen
it quite this way. Perhaps it was
because of our reason for being there this time, or because we have seen so
much pain and suffering by military families through our association with the
Patriot Guard Riders. Whatever the
reason, we knew that this would be a week in which Arlington would take on a
whole new meaning for us as we viewed acre upon acre of those shining white markers,
all aligned with military precision.
As an aside, we should advise any of our faithful readers who might entertain the idea of someday visiting Arlington that it is built on a series of hills, and all paths go only one way – uphill! At least, that’s how it seemed to us as we negotiated all the lanes and roads that did eventually take us to the far end of Section 34 before we found the marker.
After making sure we knew where we needed to be (and how to get there) Saturday morning, we started making our way back toward the Amphitheater, the site of the main ceremonies on Saturday.
As we neared the bottom end of Section 34, we heard the sound of three rifle volleys, and then some muffled drums. We looked across Section 34 and saw an Army funeral procession slowly winding down a hill. The solemnity of the occasion caused us to stop and stand still as first the Honor Guard and then the family passed by on their way to another hero’s final resting place.
We then walked through and around the Amphitheater to get a good feel for how things might happen Saturday morning. It is a beautiful facility and in my mind’s eye I could picture the 200 buglers standing circled around the columns and walls, but something about the proximity to the Tomb of the just didn’t seem right. It was then that I checked the instructions for Saturday morning again and realized that our activities would be at the Old Amphitheater near the Lee Mansion...up yet another hill. So, it was with tired legs and sore feet that we trudged up the path to find the Old Amphitheater, wondering if we could possibly cover all the ground that we would have to cover during our allotted time Saturday morning.
After we had caught our breath and checked out the Old Amphitheater, we slowly and painfully began the long walk back toward the main gates, visitors center, and parking lots. It seemed to take forever, but there were some beautiful and intriguing sights along the way.
One of the
most interesting and impressive markers we saw was the Confederate Soldiers
Monument, which stands close to the Old Amphitheater and the Lee Mansion. On the Monument are engraved these words, “Beneath
this stone repose the bones of two thousand one hundred and eleven unknown
soldiers from the fields of Bull Run and the Route to the Rappahannock. Their remains could not be identified, but
their names and deaths are referred in the archives of their country, and their
grateful citizens honor them as of their noble army of martyrs. May they rest in peace. September, A.D. 1866.”
We stopped at the gift store for a few items for grandchildren and then made our way to the parking lot. Within a few minutes we were headed away from Arlington National Cemetery in the five o’clock rush, trying desperately to find the right lanes and not be shuttled away from where we thought we wanted to go.
After missing a major turnoff due to the fact that the exit sign was blocked by a tree, we made our way out U.S. 50 until we could turn around and head back into Rosslyn and our hotel. It took two or three phone calls from Barbara to the hotel to figure out where we wanted to go. A big part of the problem (that we found after the second call) was that we were going by the address that was on the reservation confirmation. In fact, the hotel was on a completely different street than the one used as a mailing address...go figure!
All’s well
that ends well, though, and we got to the hotel with only slightly ruffled
spirits. We were fortunate to find a
parking place very close to the room and were soon unpacked and ready to settle
in for a couple of nights.
We took
advantage of the restaurant on the hotel property for our evening take-out meal
and even worked in some swim time before settling in for a quiet and relaxing
night.+++++++
Barbara did all her morning ablutions first and then played around with the camera while I was getting dressed. The only term I could come up with to name her shenanigans was “photo phoolery.”
The hotel
didn’t have a complimentary breakfast.
There was a restaurant on property, but we decided we’d skip any formal
breakfast and take our chances on some street food after we left.
Along the way
to the Rosslyn Metro station we found a little breakfast nook. We went inside to see if there was anything we
wanted, settled on a gigantic muffin, and while I was checking out, Barbara was
ready with the camera. The girl who
waited on us immediately picked up on the fact that we were tourists and just
laughed along with us about taking pictures of everything.It wasn’t very far from the breakfast shop to the Metro station, but once we entered the station, we might as well have been on a distant planet. We had no idea of what we were supposed to do. Heck, we couldn’t even understand the instructions on the machines. Luckily, there was a Metro employee who came to our rescue. He asked us what our travel plans were for the day, quickly calculated the cost of passes for us, and showed us how to use a credit card to get a discount pass. He then showed us how to insert the passes in the turnstiles so we could descend to the tunnel level and catch a train.
The purpose of our trip this morning was to locate the Marine Barracks at 8th and I, the site of tonight’s Commandant’s Evening Parade. We had strict instructions about where to be at a certain time, and we wanted to be sure of where we were going so we’d know when to leave the hotel this afternoon.
It didn’t
take long until we had scoped out most of the shops and found our way to the
intersection of 8th and I, the home of Marine Barracks, Washington,
DC. The old Marine Barracks houses the
administrative offices for the elite drill teams and honor guards of the
Marines, as well as the rehearsal facilities for the Marine Band (The
President’s Own) and the Marine Drum and Bugle Corps (The Commandant’s
Own). Within the quadrangle formed by
the old barracks and the Commandant’s home is a beautiful drill field where
troops practice 6-8 hours daily and then show off their skills during evening
parades. Marines assigned to Marine
Barracks once lived in the barracks buildings, but are now house in modern
apartment-style dormitories across the street.
As a side
note, when the British burned Washington during the War of 1812, they also
burned the Marine Barracks to the ground, except for the Commandant’s Quarters
(the large white building shown in the photograph). Two schools of thought exist for the saving
of the Commandant’s Quarters. The first
is that the building was saved out of respect for the Marines and their
outstanding service and military capabilities.
The other (and most likely) is that the British commander wanted the
building to become HIS quarters, but that didn’t happen.
We weren’t
able to see inside the barracks area this morning, but we did listen as the
Drum and Bugle Corp rehearsed their musical selections for tonight’s
performance.After walking back up Barracks Row, looking at the sights along the way, and taking photos, we found ourselves back at the Metro station, ready for a ride back toward downtown DC and Rosslyn.
+++++++
As we walked
around the beautiful new facility, we noticed that several groups of World War
II veterans were touring the memorial.
Obviously, their minds were flooded with memories of a war long, long
ago and far, far away.
We left the
Mall and hiked up 23rd Street toward the George Washington
University Metro station and our ride back to Rosslyn. The walk was much farther than we thought it
would be, and also much steeper than one would think, but we finally got where
we needed to be, caught the train that we needed, and made it back to Rosslyn
and, after a short (but painful and tiring) walk, to our hotel for a few hours
of rest and relaxation.
+++++++
After a bit
of rest, we took off around 4:30 to find our way back to Barracks Row for
dinner and the Evening Parade. Being
“Old Pros” at the Metro, we experienced no problems finding our way to the
Rosslyn station and catching the train back to the Navy Yard.
When we
finished at Las Placitas, we walked around a bit to shake down the food we had
eaten, and then found the 32 Below Yogurt store. We needed a cup of yogurt like we needed
another hole in our heads, but we went inside and gave it a try. Whether we needed it or not, it was very
tasty and a nice ending to the meal we had just enjoyed.
Shortly after
7:30 the first group of us formed up (more or less) and walked across the
street and through the main gate of Marine Barracks. There we went through a thorough security
check before we were allowed to find our seats.
While the
informal chit-chat was going on, Barbara took time out to go to the
restroom. She found out when she was
there that the delay in the start of the parade was because the Secretary of
Defense, Leon Panetta, had chosen tonight to have a formal dinner with the
Marine Corp Commandant, and the dinner was going well into overtime. Never mind that there were over a thousand
visitors in place to view the ceremonies and all the drill teams, honor guards,
drum and bugle corps and band members were in place waiting.
At 9:00 the
announcer came on and said the show would be starting soon, and at 9:15, an
hour after the scheduled start of the parade, the Commandant, his wife, Mr.
Panetta, his wife, and their dog made their grand appearance and walked across
the parade grounds to their seats.
Finally, we could get this show on the road!
Without going
into a further spiel with my opinion about secretaries of defense, we’ll just say
that the discomfort of spectators and participants at the delay in the starting
of the show was soon (almost) forgotten by the splendor and pageantry provided
by the Marines who put on a splendid demonstration of close order drill, manual
of arms, and music and marching of the highest caliber. We were treated to a demonstration by the
Silent Drill Team, in which a lengthy program of military marching and rifle
skills was conducted without a single verbal command. Ya gotta see it to believe it, folks!
The parade
finally ended around 10:30 when a single bugler was spotlighted on the ramparts
of the main building and sounded Taps. I
don’t think there was a dry eye in the place as the 24th note was
sounded. Certainly, there was no
movement or talking, just an unbelievable silence as we reflected on all that
we had seen and heard during the last two hours.
Unfortunately
for the crowds, the number of trains operating had been reduced for the night,
so every seat was full and there was standing room only in all the cars. But, we still managed to get our seats and
hold them until we approached the Rosslyn station, where we left the Metro
system and walked the several blocks back to the hotel, arriving around 11:45.
+++++++
Saturday, May 19
Everything
went well for us (except for a brand new bottle of perfume falling out of a
partially opened bag that I was carrying
to the car...Barbara was understandably unhappy about that, but the
parking lot sure did stink purty) and we managed to get away from the hotel
very close to our target time. (Barbara:
In fact, I blame the secretary of defense for the loss of my perfume! If we had
gotten home earlier last night, I would have packed better. Considered sending
him a bill for a replacement perfume, but Jim convinced me that if he didn’t
care about over 1000 people waiting on him last night; then he certainly
wouldn’t care about my perfume!)
The
anticipated traffic was almost non-existent, but we still managed to miss a
turn that would have taken us directly down U.S. 50 to the entry to ANC. Instead, we crossed the Key Bridge over the
Potomac River and headed into DC, but I was savvy enough from our walking
expedition through the Mall yesterday to hang a right on 23rd,
circle behind the Lincoln Memorial, and catch the Memorial Bridge to drive
directly into ANC.
We learned
from our visit on Thursday that parking would be very expensive today, but
weighed the cost and inconvenience of trying to get around by taxi or carry all
our stuff on the Metro and decided we’d just pony up whatever the parking fee
might end up being...it might cost a little more, but at least we’d know where
we were and [for the most part] what we were doing.
As we drove
toward the parking garage one of the guards stopped us and asked if we were
with the buglers. When we said we were,
we were told to turn around, drive toward the main gate, and take the service
road up to the parking lot at the Lee Mansion and Old Amphitheater. Hallelujah...two wonderful blessings at once
– we wouldn’t have any parking fees for the day and, even more important than
that, we wouldn’t have to make the long walk uphill to the Old
Amphitheater! God was really looking out
for us!!!
AT this point
in our reflections, we’ll break into a “He said/She said” format. Because we were each doing something very
different from the other today, we want to present our individual points of
view on the day’s activities and adventures.
When I logged
on to the Taps 150 web page this morning, the first thing I saw was this photo
that Jari took at sunrise this morning, a photo that very few could ever
capture, since ANC doesn’t open until 8:00 am.
At sunrise, the only people in ANC are a handful of maintenance workers
and the Honor Guard at the Tomb of the unknowns. This particular photo served as a powerful
portent of the beautiful and deeply meaningful experience that we who gathered
from around the nation would share today.
Around 9:00,
we began taking our places around the amphitheater. Because one of the soundings would be in
four-part harmony (Silver Taps), we were grouped by the parts we had chosen to
play, with the Taps melody players at stage right, and the 2nd, 3rd,
and 4th parts spread around to stage left.
Jari
introduced Colonel Larry Lang, the new USAF Band Commander and Conductor who
would direct the 200 assembled buglers in unison Taps and then in Silver
Taps. Even though the group contained
some of the finest trumpeters and buglers in the country, it was obvious that
the terms of instruction were not clearly understood by all, resulting in a
pretty rocky first run-through. Once
everyone understood what they were doing, the group immediately sounded better. After a couple of run-throughs with both
unison and harmonized Taps, we all felt comfortable with what we were doing.
At 9:45 the
Maryland Defense Force Band began a prelude concert, and at 10:00, with all the
buglers standing in their assigned positions, the program began with an
invocation by Chaplain (Colonel) Edward Brogan, USAF (Ret,), remarks by Kathryn
Condon, Executive Director, Arlington National Cemetery, and remarks by Thomas
Day, Bugles Across America Founder, and Jari Villanueva, Coordinator of Taps
150 events. The program then concluded
with Colonel Lang conducting the unison Taps and then the harmonized Taps.
After a
session of group photos, the buglers began moving throughout the cemetery to
find their designated stations for playing individual Taps immediately
following the Noon Chimes.
Norm and
Carrie and Drew and his friends went ahead of us because I had to go back to
the car to get my white gloves. Barbara
and I then made the long trek to Section 34 and the site of the 8th
Air Force Memorial.
We got to the
memorial with plenty of time to spare (all that worrying on Thursday was for
naught) and had time for me to do some warm-ups and for Drew to make sure my
uniform was squared away.
The reason
for the 8th Air Force Memorial as my choice was somewhat convoluted,
but it worked for me. My dad was in a
unit of the 3rd Air Force, stationed at Hunter Field, Georgia,
during World War II. That also happened
to be the birthplace of the 8th Air Force which, immediately after
its founding, was transferred to Europe for the duration of the war. Since there is no 3rd AF memorial,
I chose the 8th AF Memorial to honor my dad and the thousands of
airmen who served during World War II.
As a side note, the 8th Air Force is now headquartered at
Barksdale AFB, Louisiana, just a couple of hours away from Mineola. Honor guards from Barksdale often serve at
the area funeral services in which our East Texas Patriot Guard Riders
participate.
I wish I
could say that it was a perfect rendition of Taps, but there is no perfection
in music. I cracked the 21st
note, but I can honestly say that it was perhaps the most heartfelt sounding
out of the countless times I have sounded Taps over the years. I hope Daddy was proud and happy with the
investment he and Mother made when they bought that instrument for me in 1959.
With the
individual soundings completed, our little (no pun intended) entourage headed
away from Section 34. Barbara and I had
to return to the parking lot at the Old Amphitheater, so we said goodbye to
Drew and his friends at one of the intersections and they went out the main
gate.
It was a long
walk back to the car, but we did have a few moments that broke it up into
manageable segments. When we did get to
the car, we were totally exhausted and nearly dehydrated. We guzzled down water and Coke, started the
car, fired up the air conditioner, and headed out of Arlington National
Cemetery, a place that we will never see again in the same light. I think we can both safely say that we have
been profoundly changed by the events of this day and our participation in the
commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the composition and first
sounding of Taps.
With ANC
behind us, we headed across DC and into Maryland in search of our lodging for
the next two nights and in anticipation of a fun and educational visit to the
Baltimore area.
Barbara: Keeping in mind that this day was
really all about Jim, I just felt blessed to tag along on his coattails and try
to document with photos everything he wanted. However, this assignment did not
prevent me from having my own personal experiences that enriched this day.
First, I had met Janet and Belinda the night before so it seemed as though it
was old home week this AM as I took photos of them and their families to be sent
to them later. I, also, in my wandering as Jim registered, found myself near a
93 year old vet who was sitting in His daughter’s wheelchair. He quickly let me
know he really didn’t need one but was just resting for a minute before he had
to play his trumpet! He was a hoot!
Let me
explain, once the action got started, I had precious little time to decide what
to shoot or what to video. Anyway, the program was almost over and I was pretty
pleased with everything. Jari was giving his final speech and I was recording
when my camera flashed that the memory stick was full! What????? They are
getting ready to play Taps. That I must have! With shaking fingers, I started
deleting every video I had…how much room did I need? Oh, no! The Conductor and
Commander was approaching the dais…I had run out of time! Talk about rattled! I
am heartsick over the video I produced of Jim’s most special time since I
totally lost my focus and stayed too long on him and didn’t allow enough time
to get the other buglers. So…here you have this beautiful, tear jerking
rendition of Taps and a jerky rushed video. My greatest disappointment! Sigh.
After Jim
finished, we heard a loud, out the gut, sound of Taps close by. I turned and
saw that it was the “lost family” girl just down the hill. Without even
thinking, Mario started running towards her as I flashed 3 quick photos. Then
the rest of us headed down to her and Mario. By the time we got there, Mario
had her email address and we now knew her name, Julie. I think she was stunned
to find that I had taken photos of her and between the hugs and the tears we
both were extremely spent, emotional, and grateful for this time we shared!
As a side
note, I have heard from Julie and she did find her family and she did play Taps
in her assigned place with her loving family in attendance. Once again, all’s
well that ends well!
As Jim got
back to us, the family was asking about what was going on with all the buglers
today, so Jim, slipping back into his “teacher” mode, explained that it was the
150th anniversary of the composition and first sounding of Taps
following the Seven Day Battles during the Civil War. He told them that because Confederate
soldiers were so close to the Union camps that they also started using Taps
instead of “Lights Out,” and how eventually Taps became a standard bugle call
at military funerals.
The family,
from California, seemed to be grateful for the unexpected lesson during their
tour of Arlington National Cemetery and now have even more memories to take
home with them.
We became a
part of history today, and left Arlington National Cemetery with our lives
changed in some way, and certainly with a new respect for those who have
dedicated their lives to remembering and honoring our fallen heroes.
“Day is done,
Gone the sun,
From the lakes,
From the hills,
From the sky.
All is well,
Safely rest,
God is nigh.
Fading light,
Dims the night,
And a star,
Gems the sky,
Gleaming bright,
From afar,
Drawing nigh,
Falls the night.”
...Attributed to General Daniel Butterfield
Jim/Dad/Gramps and Barbara/Mom/Grams
