DAY 2, September 11, 2009
While there were several events associated with the March scheduled, we had decided to spend Friday doing the "tourist thing." I have to admit, I was interested in seeing some key sites, but hadn't really considered the impact of it all on my attitude toward the march. I was to be surprised--pleasantly so-- at the impact of what we were to see and experience.
We opted to take a pair of cabs to the Lincoln Memorial to begin our day. Each of us had 2-3 must-see things in our own minds. Mine were the Korean War Veterans' Memorial and the Law Enforcement Officers' Memorial as well as to see the founding documents. I got my wish and so much more.
Overshadowing the significance of much of what we would see, in my mind at least, was the 8th anniversary of the attacks on our country "by a faceless coward" on September 11, 2001. This reality ran like a thread through every perception and heightened every experience of the day for me. I am reminded of two quotes that seem particularly applicable to the day and the experiences before us:
William Bennett: "Honor never grows old, and honor rejoices the heart of age. It does so because honor is, finally, about defending those noble and worthy things that deserve defending, even if it comes at a high cost. In our time, that may mean social disapproval, public scorn, hardship, persecution, or as always, even death itself. The question remains: What is worth defending? What is worth dying for? What is worth living for?"
In a lecture to the United States Naval Academy
November 24, 1997
Samuel Adams: "Contemplate the mangled bodies of your countrymen, and then say, 'What should be the reward of such sacrifices?' Bid us and our posterity bow the knee, supplicate the friendship, and plough, and sow, and reap, to glut the avarice of the men who have let loose on us the dogs of war to riot in our blood and hunt us from the face of the earth? If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude than the animating contest of freedom, go from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains sit lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen!"
Today would be a memorable one...
The Lincoln Memorial
Our first stop was the Lincoln Memorial. It was raining as we climbed the steps and looked back toward the Washington Monument. Inside was the familiar imposing figure of Abraham Lincoln, seated on what appears to be a throne. Above his head is inscribed, “In this temple, as in the hearts of the people for whom he saved the Union, the memory of Abraham Lincoln is enshrined forever.”
Workers quietly mopped the floor and whispers echo off the walls. To Abe's left, through some pillars the wall features the inscription of Lincoln's second inaugural address. I was struck with the brevity and the readily apparent humility in the address as well as the comfortable references to the interventions of God in the affairs of this country. I couldn't help but contrast the man and the man's words with our current president. Obama is eager to equate himself with Lincoln, though their views, policies and core principles are diametrically opposed. Lincoln was a humble and forthright man, aware of the role of Providence in the country's affairs--one who would likely be uncomfortable seeing himself portrayed as he is in this marble "temple." Obama's arrogance is matched only by his ignorance. He is a man who glibly compares himself to those who have earned greatness through honest effort. He willingly accepts the accolades of an ignorant media and those under their spell, despite the fact he's never done anything noteworthy prior to his arrival in the Oval Office.
Fittingly, when Lincoln delivered his second inaugural address, weeks of rain had left the ground muddy and sloppy. These words seemed to shine out among the rest to me and they seemed particularly fitting for our purpose: "It may seem strange that any men should dare to ask a just God's assistance in wringing their bread from the sweat of other men's faces...With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in..." We had come to Washington, DC with passion, but not reckless anger. We came with conviction that the principles that guided the great minds and leaders of our heritage were and are being abandoned by present day politicians and with a firm conviction that the path they have set our feet upon will lead inexorably toward tyranny and slavery--that present politicians are spending the wealth our children can now never fully realize.
We turned to the opposite wall upon which is engraved the Gettysburg Address. Another masterful discourse whose power was concentrated in brevity, it reads:
"Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.
Again, my thoughts turned toward our purpose for being there. We had come to demand that this nation, conceived in liberty, continue on. While we were not here to make war, we were here to fight in a civil manner for our convictions--"that government of the people, by the people, for the people, ...not perish from the earth." Moreover, we would have seared upon our souls and upon our individual consciences the demands of duty placed upon us by those who have fought and died so valiantly to preserve those freedoms and this unique form of government in the world "that these dead shall not have died in vain."
Resolve was stiffening and the day had just begun.
The Korean War Veterans Memorial
We left the Lincoln Memorial, went down the steps and to our right lay the entrance to the Korean War Veterans Memorial. I was eager to see this as my father, a wise, gentle, strong and worthy man served there. On the day my oldest brother was born, he was facing an onslaught of half a million Chinese attackers. His unit, the 2-300th AFA received a unit citation for their valor during that time at an obscure place called Soyang, where they fired more artillery shells in combat in a single battle than had ever been fired before. The following caption typically accompanies this painting:
"Among the hundreds of Army National Guard units ordered into active Federal service as a result of the Korean War was the 300th Armored Field Artillery Battalion, Wyoming Army National Guard. The battalion arrived in Korea in February 1951 and entered combat in early May. On the night of May 15, 1951, three corps of the Chinese People's Volunteers launched a major offensive against the 2nd Infantry Division. The 300th Armored Field Artillery Battalion, attached to the 2nd Division during the Battle of Soyang, delivered devastating artillery fire for seven days inflicting thousands of enemy casualties. During the morning of May 18 the battalion was given the mission of destroying an enemy roadblock. The batteries of the 300th poured both direct and indirect fire on the road block allowing retreating U.N. forces to fall back to more secure positions. The heroic and determined stand of the 2nd Division and its attached units allowed the Eighth Army to regroup and stop the enemy envelopment. For its gallantry in action, the battalion was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation, the first of four awards that the 300th would earn."
I actually noticed my heart rate begin to speed up as we approached this memorial. I'd seen pictures of it before and it struck me as one of the best memorials I'd ever seen. I was eager to be there and see it in person and wished that Dad was with us.
Again, being there in the rain seemed particularly fitting as the patrol depicted were all wearing rain gear. One soldier at the rear of the patrol seemed to greet visitors entering the memorial by looking over his shoulder at us with an expression that demanded respect and some reverence. Opposite is a polished marble wall with etched faces of people involved in the Korean War. The polish allows the reflected images of the patrol to be seen mingled with the etched faces. I found it significant that as one nears the wall, the etched faces loom larger and the soldiers seem to shrink.
I was again left to reflect upon the sacrifice made by these soldiers and the people of Korea for freedom and how highly prized a gift it became. I remembered meeting a college professor from Seoul who, when he discovered my father was a Korea veteran, fumbled for his business card. He bowed and presented it to me with both hands and with tears streaming down his cheeks. He asked that I relay to my father his invitation to come to Korea, stay in his home and ask anything of him while there. As is inscribed on this memorial wall and many other such hallowed places, "Freedom is not free." It comes with a price and often that price is not so dramatic as facing a shooting war. To avoid that type of war, those who treasure it must stand boldly against tyranny--hard or soft-- and expose it for what it is. The line in the sand MUST be drawn early and we MUST hold elected officials accountable for their defense of and regard for the Constitution or the entire lack thereof.
Resolve grew firmer still...
(more to come...)
While there were several events associated with the March scheduled, we had decided to spend Friday doing the "tourist thing." I have to admit, I was interested in seeing some key sites, but hadn't really considered the impact of it all on my attitude toward the march. I was to be surprised--pleasantly so-- at the impact of what we were to see and experience.
We opted to take a pair of cabs to the Lincoln Memorial to begin our day. Each of us had 2-3 must-see things in our own minds. Mine were the Korean War Veterans' Memorial and the Law Enforcement Officers' Memorial as well as to see the founding documents. I got my wish and so much more.
Overshadowing the significance of much of what we would see, in my mind at least, was the 8th anniversary of the attacks on our country "by a faceless coward" on September 11, 2001. This reality ran like a thread through every perception and heightened every experience of the day for me. I am reminded of two quotes that seem particularly applicable to the day and the experiences before us:
William Bennett: "Honor never grows old, and honor rejoices the heart of age. It does so because honor is, finally, about defending those noble and worthy things that deserve defending, even if it comes at a high cost. In our time, that may mean social disapproval, public scorn, hardship, persecution, or as always, even death itself. The question remains: What is worth defending? What is worth dying for? What is worth living for?"
In a lecture to the United States Naval Academy
November 24, 1997
Samuel Adams: "Contemplate the mangled bodies of your countrymen, and then say, 'What should be the reward of such sacrifices?' Bid us and our posterity bow the knee, supplicate the friendship, and plough, and sow, and reap, to glut the avarice of the men who have let loose on us the dogs of war to riot in our blood and hunt us from the face of the earth? If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude than the animating contest of freedom, go from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains sit lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen!"
Today would be a memorable one...
The Lincoln Memorial
Our first stop was the Lincoln Memorial. It was raining as we climbed the steps and looked back toward the Washington Monument. Inside was the familiar imposing figure of Abraham Lincoln, seated on what appears to be a throne. Above his head is inscribed, “In this temple, as in the hearts of the people for whom he saved the Union, the memory of Abraham Lincoln is enshrined forever.”Workers quietly mopped the floor and whispers echo off the walls. To Abe's left, through some pillars the wall features the inscription of Lincoln's second inaugural address. I was struck with the brevity and the readily apparent humility in the address as well as the comfortable references to the interventions of God in the affairs of this country. I couldn't help but contrast the man and the man's words with our current president. Obama is eager to equate himself with Lincoln, though their views, policies and core principles are diametrically opposed. Lincoln was a humble and forthright man, aware of the role of Providence in the country's affairs--one who would likely be uncomfortable seeing himself portrayed as he is in this marble "temple." Obama's arrogance is matched only by his ignorance. He is a man who glibly compares himself to those who have earned greatness through honest effort. He willingly accepts the accolades of an ignorant media and those under their spell, despite the fact he's never done anything noteworthy prior to his arrival in the Oval Office.
Fittingly, when Lincoln delivered his second inaugural address, weeks of rain had left the ground muddy and sloppy. These words seemed to shine out among the rest to me and they seemed particularly fitting for our purpose: "It may seem strange that any men should dare to ask a just God's assistance in wringing their bread from the sweat of other men's faces...With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in..." We had come to Washington, DC with passion, but not reckless anger. We came with conviction that the principles that guided the great minds and leaders of our heritage were and are being abandoned by present day politicians and with a firm conviction that the path they have set our feet upon will lead inexorably toward tyranny and slavery--that present politicians are spending the wealth our children can now never fully realize.
We turned to the opposite wall upon which is engraved the Gettysburg Address. Another masterful discourse whose power was concentrated in brevity, it reads:
"Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.
Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.
But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."Again, my thoughts turned toward our purpose for being there. We had come to demand that this nation, conceived in liberty, continue on. While we were not here to make war, we were here to fight in a civil manner for our convictions--"that government of the people, by the people, for the people, ...not perish from the earth." Moreover, we would have seared upon our souls and upon our individual consciences the demands of duty placed upon us by those who have fought and died so valiantly to preserve those freedoms and this unique form of government in the world "that these dead shall not have died in vain."
Resolve was stiffening and the day had just begun.
The Korean War Veterans Memorial
We left the Lincoln Memorial, went down the steps and to our right lay the entrance to the Korean War Veterans Memorial. I was eager to see this as my father, a wise, gentle, strong and worthy man served there. On the day my oldest brother was born, he was facing an onslaught of half a million Chinese attackers. His unit, the 2-300th AFA received a unit citation for their valor during that time at an obscure place called Soyang, where they fired more artillery shells in combat in a single battle than had ever been fired before. The following caption typically accompanies this painting:
"Among the hundreds of Army National Guard units ordered into active Federal service as a result of the Korean War was the 300th Armored Field Artillery Battalion, Wyoming Army National Guard. The battalion arrived in Korea in February 1951 and entered combat in early May. On the night of May 15, 1951, three corps of the Chinese People's Volunteers launched a major offensive against the 2nd Infantry Division. The 300th Armored Field Artillery Battalion, attached to the 2nd Division during the Battle of Soyang, delivered devastating artillery fire for seven days inflicting thousands of enemy casualties. During the morning of May 18 the battalion was given the mission of destroying an enemy roadblock. The batteries of the 300th poured both direct and indirect fire on the road block allowing retreating U.N. forces to fall back to more secure positions. The heroic and determined stand of the 2nd Division and its attached units allowed the Eighth Army to regroup and stop the enemy envelopment. For its gallantry in action, the battalion was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation, the first of four awards that the 300th would earn."
I actually noticed my heart rate begin to speed up as we approached this memorial. I'd seen pictures of it before and it struck me as one of the best memorials I'd ever seen. I was eager to be there and see it in person and wished that Dad was with us.Again, being there in the rain seemed particularly fitting as the patrol depicted were all wearing rain gear. One soldier at the rear of the patrol seemed to greet visitors entering the memorial by looking over his shoulder at us with an expression that demanded respect and some reverence. Opposite is a polished marble wall with etched faces of people involved in the Korean War. The polish allows the reflected images of the patrol to be seen mingled with the etched faces. I found it significant that as one nears the wall, the etched faces loom larger and the soldiers seem to shrink.
I was again left to reflect upon the sacrifice made by these soldiers and the people of Korea for freedom and how highly prized a gift it became. I remembered meeting a college professor from Seoul who, when he discovered my father was a Korea veteran, fumbled for his business card. He bowed and presented it to me with both hands and with tears streaming down his cheeks. He asked that I relay to my father his invitation to come to Korea, stay in his home and ask anything of him while there. As is inscribed on this memorial wall and many other such hallowed places, "Freedom is not free." It comes with a price and often that price is not so dramatic as facing a shooting war. To avoid that type of war, those who treasure it must stand boldly against tyranny--hard or soft-- and expose it for what it is. The line in the sand MUST be drawn early and we MUST hold elected officials accountable for their defense of and regard for the Constitution or the entire lack thereof.
Resolve grew firmer still...
(more to come...)
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