Visiting Washington D.C, I have gained more respect for our country and the men and women who have served and who are serving. You hear alot on the news of protests at the White House and you don’t think about it. Atleast I don’t. But while I was walking around D.C and saw the White House, of course there was a protest for something. I don’t know what it was for. There was a guy there who did not like President Obama and he made sure that you know that he doesn’t like him. If you know what I mean. He is your President, try to show respect and honor to they guy. He has to worry every day about someone trying to kill him or his family. That’s just sad, that our President of The United States of America has to worry about his life. Show respect and honor that he surely has earned!!

Seeing all the Memorials were really neat to see. The Washington Monument, aka “The Big Pencil” aka “Monument to Bill Clinton”, was really neat to see. One side looks towards the White House, the other looks towards the Lincoln Memorial, and the opposite side looks towards the Capital Building. There is so much history in Washington D.C. One of the most eye-opening experiences was seeing the Wall (dedicated to Vietnam) and the Korean wall. I found 5 Pembertons that served in the Armed Forces  in Vietnam. We just picked the one that was in the Marine Corps. You see alot of flags and letters that people have put that remember their buddies during the war.

One of the coolest things to see is the Declaration of Independence, The Constitution, and The Bill Of Rights. I felt like the National Treasure guy!! It was a awesome thing to see. The documents are over 2oo years old and you can still see some of the writings. Yea, some of it is fading but actually seeing it was awesome. It’s a different feeling when you study about the facts and what happened when they wrote these, but actually seeing it before you is a totally different feeling!! Yea, I did look at the lasers things that they have setup, like they showed on the movie. Just seeing if it was true or not!

Seeing all the monuments and all the history in Washington D.C is truly an eye-opener. I really do think that all of American citizens should go to D.C atleast once. You can see all the pictures on my facebook.

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I went to see the Arlington National Cemetery, where the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is. It’s really neat to see the changing of the guards. What the soldiers that guard the tomb have to go through is pretty impressive. It’s a huge honor to be a guard. Here are some cool facts that the guards have to do:

1. They must commit 2 years of life to guard the tomb, live in a barracks under the tomb, and cannot drink any alcohol on or off duty FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVES. They cannot swear in public FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVES and cannot disgrace the uniform {fighting} or the tomb in any way.

2. After TWO YEARS, the guard is given a wreath pin that is worn on their lapel signifying they served as guard of the tomb. There are only 400 presently worn. The guard must obey these rules for the rest of their lives or give up the wreath pin.

3. The shoes are specially made with very thick soles to keep the heat and cold from their feet. There are metal heel plates that extend to the top of the shoe in order to make the loud click as they come to a halt. There are no wrinkles, folds or lint on the uniform. Guards dress for duty in front of a full-length mirror.

4. The first SIX MONTHS of duty a guard cannot talk to anyone, nor watch TV. All off duty time is spent studying the 175 notable people laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery. A guard must memorize who they are and where they are interred. Among the notables are: President Taft, Joe E. Lewis {the boxer} and Medal of Honor winner Audie Murphy, {the most decorated soldier of WWII} of Hollywood fame. Every guard spends FIVE HOURS A DAY getting his uniforms ready for guard duty.

5. The guard takes 21 steps, It alludes to the twenty-one gun salute, which is the  
 highest honor given any military or foreign  dignitary. He then does not execute an about face. He stops on the 21st step, then turns and faces the Tomb for 21 seconds. Then he turns to face back down the mat, changes his weapon to the outside shoulder, counts 21 , then steps off for another 21 step walk down the mat. He faces the Tomb at each end of the 21 step walk for 21 seconds. The Sentinel then repeats this over and over until he is relieved at the Guard Change.

6. An average guard takes eight hours to prepare his uniform (which is solid 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

Actually seeing the changing of the guard is pretty neat to see! It does not seem as a big deal to some, but actually being there and seeing how it happens, it’s a big honor and awesome thing to see.

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