A Jason Woodside Mural Spotting in Rosslyn, VA

On a recent visit to Arlington, Virginia, we headed out for a morning cup of coffee.

As we strolled through nearby Rosslyn, we came upon this amazing urban plaza.

Located on the corner of 19th & N. Moore Streets, it had tables, Adirondack seating,

shade trees and planters bursting with impatiens, ferns and ivy.

What a welcome spot of reprieve amid the traffic and tall buildings!

Its backdrop was a super-colorful mural painted by street artist Jason Woodside.

A bold vortex of geometric stripes and dots in such bright, vivid colors.

How could you leave without a smile? It worked for me!

Check out Jason's website.

Meanwhile, you might want to see what else we did in Arlington:
A Solemn Visit the the National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial
The US Air Force Memorial: Honoring Airmen with Reverent Patriotism
Our Day at Arlington National Cemetery
Honoring the Tomb of the Unknowns

Honoring the Tomb of the Unknowns, Arlington, VA

HERE RESTS IN
HONORED GLORY

AN AMERICAN 

SOLDIER

KNOWN BUT TO GOD

Over the years, we've seen a number of the memorials and
 historical monuments throughout the Washington, DC area. 
Each one evokes feelings of pride and patriotism, but by far 
the most solemn is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
Located at the Memorial Amphitheater in Arlington National Cemetery,
the tomb is the final resting place for Unknowns from
World War I, World War II and the Korean War.

Since 1937, the Tomb is guarded by an Honor Guard
24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

The Sentinal takes 21 steps as he walks in each direction while guarding the Tomb.

This relates to the highest honor given in the military, the twenty-one gun salute.

The Sentinal stops on his 21st step, turns with a heel click and faces the Tomb 

for 21 seconds, then turns and "walks the mat" 21 steps in the other direction.

He always carries his weapon on his outside shoulder, 

placing himself between the Tomb and any potential danger. 

The Changing of the Guard is a reverent, formal ceremony.

It's well worth watching; we stayed to see it twice.

The precision and devotion with which the Honor Guard

carries out this respected tradition is mesmerizing.

The weapon of the new Sentinal is thoroughly inspected.

You may like to read these posts:
Our Day at Arlington National Cemetery
A Solemn Visit to the National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial

Links to explore:
Society of the Honor Guard
Arlington National Cemetery

Our Day at Arlington National Cemetery

A hush of reverence overcame us. 

We were called to pay homage and show respect as we walked 
through the hallowed grounds of Arlington National Cemetery.
It was an honor to visit this great place that is dedicated

to those American men and women who served our country.

Some facts:

Arlington National Cemetery was officially made a

national burial place by the War Department in 1864.

The cemetery is 624 acres in size.

Over 400,000 active duty servicemen, veterans 

and their families have been buried here.

Each weekday, 27-30 funerals are held, with 6-8 on Saturdays.

Prominent figures among those buried here:

President William Howard Taft

President John F. Kennedy

Senator Robert F. Kennedy

Senator Ted Kennedy

Medgar Evers

General John J. Pershing

General Omar N. Bradley

General George C. Marshall

Oliver Wendell Holmes

William Jennings Bryan

Audie Murphy

Abner Doubleday

We took the official narrated tour, hopping off the tram at each stop.

My photos represent only a handful of the numerous 

memorials and monuments throughout the cemetery. 

A very popular place in the cemetery are the grave sites of assassinated

President John Fitzgerald Kennedy, and his wife Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis.

The eternal flame.

Burial sites of explorers Robert Peary and Matthew Henson,
who, in 1909, discovered the North Pole.
The National Air Force Memorial is seen in the background on the left.

Part of the USS Maine Memorial is the actual main mast of the battleship. 

It commemorates the lives that were lost in the explosion 

of this ship in Havana Harbor, Cuba in 1898.

"Remember the Maine" became a rallying cry in the Spanish-American War.

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is especially moving to witness. 

(You can read my post on this ceremony here.)

The Nurses Memorial is a serene marble sculpture that 

looks over the graves of hundreds of military nurses.

It "commemorates the devoted service to country and 

humanity by Army, Navy and Air Force nurses."

Arlington House was built by George Washington Parke Custis

as a living memorial to his grandfather, George Washington.

Custis' daughter Mary became the wife of Robert E. Lee.

The history of how the surrounding land came to be a

national cemetery is intriguing, and one worthy of researching.

The Civil War Unknowns Memorial - In 1866, the remains of 2,111 soldiers,

both Union and Confederate, were gathered and buried at this spot.

The US Coast Guard Memorial features the motto Semper Paratus (Always Ready),

and a bronze seagull with uplifted wings to symbolize the tireless vigil of the Guard.

Memorializing the crews of the Space Shuttles

Challenger (1986) and Columbia (2003).

With sincere appreciation for your service to our country,

rest in peace, American heroes, one and all.

For more information, see the Arlington National Cemetery website.

You may be interested in these posts I've written as well:
A Solemn Visit the the National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial
The US Air Force Memorial: Honoring Airmen with Reverent Patriotism

A Solemn Visit to the National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial

What a moving experience to see the Pentagon's 9/11 Memorial.

It felt right to pay my respects to those who lost their lives that day and 

to honor those first responders who acted to save the lives of many others.

Fifteen years ago. September 11, 2001.

We all remember where we were that day.

This list of too many names of those who died that day

is arranged according to their birth years, as is the Memorial's design.

A peaceful reverence.

The "gateway" of the Memorial notes the date, as well as the time of the attack.

Here's a photo of a "Memorial Unit," one for each victim.

It's a cantilevered bench with granite on the top.

Underneath is a rectangular pool of rippling water that is lit at night.

The benches are situated in parallel lines along the flight path of the plane.

They are arranged in order of the victims' birth years.

The first bench is for 3 year old Dana Falkenberg, who was aboard Flight 77.

Each name is engraved on the side edge of the bench.

If other family members perished, as was the case with Dana's family, 

their names are engraved on a ledge of the water feature.

Stainless steel strips in the ground lead to the side walls

where plaques with the corresponding birth years are located.

Notice that some benches are facing in opposite directions.

When reading a name, if you look up and see the Pentagon,

that person was among the 125 victims in the Pentagon. 

If you look up and see the sky in the other direction, 

that person was among the 59 victims aboard Flight 77.

Looking outward opposite the Pentagon, the US Air Force Memorial is in the distance.

Two reasons for this photo:

The foreground shows the ornamental grasses that line the fencing.

In the background we see evidence of the Pentagon's rebuild:

The new, lighter limestone on the left contrasts the darker on the right.

It was taken from the same quarry as the original.

85 white crape myrtles are planted throughout the Memorial.

In time, they'll reach a potential height of 30',

providing a pleasant canopy of shade over the benches.

 The last bench of the Memorial is for John Yamnicky, 

who was born in 1930, and died at age 73 on 9/11/01.

The names of those 184 souls who lost their lives...

Learn much more at the National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial website.

You may also be interested to read these posts:

Visiting the Flight 93 National Memorial -Shanksville, PA

To the Top of Baltimore's World Trade Center -honoring
those Marylanders who died in the 9/11 attacks.

The US Air Force Memorial - Honoring Airmen with Reverent Patriotism
Our Day at Arlington National Cemetery
Honoring the Tomb of the Unknowns, Arlington, VA