Sept 11 Day 10

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Today is the 10th anniversary of the 9-11 attacks, and heightened security can be seen around the D.C. and surrounding area.  There are a number of events occurring in the area, most notably at the Pentagon Memorial where the President will be speaking.

Our plan is to spend another day in the capable hands of our D.C. tour guide Stacey.  Leaving the wing in the hotel parking lot, we head out to visit Arlington National Cemetery.

Arlington National Cemetery is a military cemetery established during the American Civil War on the grounds of Arlington House, formerly the estate of the family of Confederate general Robert E. Lee's wife Mary Anna Lee, a great grand-daughter of Martha Washington.  The cemetery is situated across the Potomac River from the Lincoln Memorial.

In an area of 624 acres, veterans and military casualties from each of the nation's wars are interred in the cemetery, ranging from the American Civil War through to the military actions in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Among the most frequently visited sites in the cemetery is the grave of President John F. Kennedy, who is buried with his wife, Jacqueline, and two of their children.  His remains were interred here on March 14, 1967, a re-interment from his original Arlington burial site, some 20 feet away, where he was buried in November 1963. The grave is marked with the "eternal flame".  The remains of his brothers, Senator Robert F. Kennedy and Senator Edward M. "Ted" Kennedy, are buried nearby.  The latter two graves are marked with simple crosses and foot stones.

Below are some of the many headstones in the Arlington National Cemetery.  The headstone with the flowers near the center of the photo belongs to Charles Burlingame III, who was the pilot of American Airlines Flight 77, the aircraft that was crashed by terrorists into the Pentagon during the September 11, 2001 attacks.

The Arlington Memorial Amphitheater, near the tomb ogf the unkowns, has hosted state funerals and Memorial Day and Veterans Day ceremonies. Ceremonies are also held here for Easter.  About 5,000 people attend these holiday ceremonies each year.

The Tomb of the Unknowns (also known as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier) is a monument dedicated to American service members who have died without their remains being identified.   The World War I "Unknown" is a recipient of the Medal of Honor, the Victoria Cross, and several other foreign nations' highest service awards.  The U.S. Unknowns who were interred afterwards are also recipients of the Medal of Honor, presented by the U.S. presidents who presided over their funerals.

The Tomb of the Unknowns has been guarded continuously, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, since July 2, 1937. Inclement weather, terrorist attacks, etc, do not cause the watch to cease.

The Tomb Guards, a special platoon within the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) work on a team rotation of 24 hours on, 24 hours off, for five days, taking the following four days off.  A guard takes an average of six hours to prepare his uniform – heavy wool, regardless of the time of year – for the next day's work.  In addition to preparing the uniform, guards also complete physical training, Tomb Guard training, cut their hair before the next work day, and shave twice per day.  Tomb Guards are required to memorize 16 pages of information about Arlington National Cemetery and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, including the locations of nearly 300 graves and who is buried in each one.

It is considered one of the highest honors to serve as a Sentinel (Tomb Guard) at the Tomb of the Unknowns.  Fewer than 20 percent of all volunteers are accepted for training and of those only a fraction pass training to become full-fledged Tomb Guards.  This attrition rate has made the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Identification Badge the 2nd least awarded decoration of the United States Military (the first being the Army Astronaut Badge, no longer being issued).

The soldier "walking the mat" does not wear rank insignia on his or her uniform so that they do not outrank the Unknowns, whatever their rank may have been.  Non-commissioned officers, do wear insignia of their rank when changing the guard only.  They have a separate uniform (without rank) that is worn when they actually guard the Unknowns or are "Posted".

Over the years there have been several different types of weapons used by the Tomb Guards.  The changes in weapons reflect the changes in the Army, including M1903 Springfield rifle, M1 Garand and M14 rifles, M1911 .45 ACP and M9 9mm Beretta pistols.  Tomb Guards currently carry M14 rifles, which are unloaded and affixed to ceremonial rifle stocks (hand-made by Tomb Guards).  These rifles are cleaned daily and kept ready for use at all times.

There is a meticulous routine which the guard follows when watching over the graves, known as "walking the mat"

1. The soldier walks 21 steps across the Tomb. This alludes to the twenty-one gun salute,   which is the highest honor given to any military or foreign dignitary in America. His weapon is always on the shoulder opposite the Tomb.

2. On the 21st step, the soldier turns and faces the Tomb for 21 seconds.

3. The soldier then turns to face the other way across the Tomb and changes his weapon to the outside shoulder.

4. After 21 seconds, the first step is repeated.

This is repeated until the soldier is relieved of duty at the Changing of the Guard.

The mat is usually replaced twice per year: before Memorial Day and before Veterans Day.  This is required due to the wear on the rubber mat by the special shoes worn by Tomb Guards.  The sentinels have metal plates built into the soles and inner parts of their shoes to allow for a more rugged sole and to give the signature click of the heel during maneuvers.  The sentinels wear sunglasses due to the bright reflection from the marble surrounding the Tomb and the Memorial Amphitheater.

On the ground not covered by the mat, a wear pattern in the tile can be seen that corresponds to the precise steps taken during the changing of the guard. On the mat itself, footprints worn in by hours and hours of standing guard are also visible.

During the day in summer months from April 1 to September 30, the guard is changed every half hour.  During the winter months, from October 1 to March 31, the guard is changed every hour.  After the cemetery closes to the public, the guard is changed every 2 hours. The ceremony can be witnessed by the public whenever Arlington National Cemetery is open.

The guard change is very symbolic, but also conducted in accordance with Army regulations. The relief commander or assistant relief commander, along with the oncoming guard, are both required for a guard change to take place. The guard being relieved will say to the oncoming guard, "Post and orders remain as directed." The oncoming guard's response is always, "Orders acknowledged."

We made our way out of the Arlington National Cemetery and spent some time sightseeing around the Arlington and Alexandria areas.  Later that evening, after dinner, we headed back into the D.C. Mall area and visited the FDR (Franklin D. Roosevelt) Memorial.  We walked around the memorial for about an hour and a half, taking us past the 11 PM mark.  It was surprising to see that there were still a large number of people around the memorials at such a late hour.  In fact, as we left the memorial, 3 tour buses stopped to drop off more sightseeing people !!

Dedicated on May 2, 1997 by President Bill Clinton, the monument, spread over 7.5 acres, traces 12 years of the history of the United States through a sequence of four outdoor rooms, one for each of FDR's terms of office.  Sculptures depict the 32nd president alongside his dog Fala.  Other sculptures depict scenes from the Great Depression, such as listening to a fireside chat on the radio and waiting in a bread line.  A bronze statue of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt standing before the United Nations emblem honors her dedication to the UN . It is the only presidential memorial to depict a First Lady.

Running water is an important physical and metaphoric component of the memorial.  Each of the four "rooms" representing Roosevelt's respective terms in office contains a waterfall.  As one moves from room to room, the waterfalls become larger and more complex, reflecting the increasing complexity of a presidency marked by the vast upheavals of economic depression and world war.  When the memorial first opened, people were encouraged to wade into the fountains and waterfalls.  Within a matter of days, the National Park Service, fearing accidents, prohibited people from entering the water.

Since we left the wing at the hotel today, our travel data is simple.  We traveled 0 miles on the bike, with no map data.