Veterans Day Tribute

It is the day to remember anyone who served in the armed forces. I remember as a child going to parades and hearing military marching band music. My dad was in the Coast Guard and served in WWII and Korea aboard a destroyer escort. He retired after twenty one years and he kept meticulous albums of his adventures. He knew he would move the family from New England to Florida when the time was right. My grandfather was so proud of my mom because she was the only child out of five who served in the Navy during WWII. She traveled to San Francisco and loved it. A friend was supposed to join her but backed out at the last minute. She never looked back. After a couple of years in the Navy she worked in a variety of government positions and retired from the VA. Our son joined the army while in college, got his medical degree from UWM, a residency at Walter Reed and a post residency at Harvard. He served for twenty one years in the army and was deployed three times to Iraq and Afghanistan. You could say he was one of the reasons we moved to DC from the Midwest. We lived down the street from them on Capitol Hill and were available to our daughter in law and grandson while he was away. I was so lucky to get a job at the Library of Congress which was just two blocks away and we had the opportunity to grow with our family. So today we celebrate the service of our family members. Thank you! 

Fort Belvoir Army Museum - Medical Aspects

Last week we took a ride to the newly opened army museum at Fort Belvoir. We were asked to take a photo of a friend’s father’s memorial brick. It was also a good place to take photos for the 52Frames transportation challenge, and our son served in the army for 20 plus years as a cardiac surgeon. I also like nursing and medical history so this would be a place for that - in addition to the army medical museum that used to be at Walter Reed. The building itself is almost translucent -it disappears in to the surroundings. There weren’t a lot of medical objects, but it was represented in each of the sections that highlighted the different phases and conflicts of our time. There were surgical kits and tiny dioramas with hospital facilities, helicopters, and field gear. When we were in the last section it felt like yesterday when we saw the same uniform, boots and name plates our son had with three deployments. There was also a separate section that had military art created by artists of the time periods. I liked the watercolor painting of the medical convoy best. All in all it was an interesting visit. It was the first museum excursion we have taken in many months. The difference now is timed passes are required, social distancing and masks continue.  

Mission Medevac at the Library of Congress

Now that the Library of Congress Book Festival is over, programming for the fall has begun. Normally we don’t go to military related events, but the Medevac Mission sounded like it could be interesting. Both my husband and I had health care careers as a surgeon and nurse administrator, and our son is a retired army cardiac surgeon. He served in both Iraq and Afghanistan with three deployments. I worked at the Library if Congress for ten years after a thirty year health care career, so going back to visit us always a nice reminder after spending ten years there. The person in charge of the Veterans History Project introduced the panel made up of two retired and two active duty army Medevac pilots. I knew her from another role she had when I worked at the Library. She had a distinguished military career, is a retired colonel,  and was one of the first, if not the first, female aviator helicopter pilots. Two of the panel members served in Vietnam Nam and the other two were in current conflicts. The program was about the evolution of medical evacuations over time and the changing roles of medics, but the purpose of the missions remained the same. We can’t imagine how it must feel like to be in hair raising situations like that, but we do appreciate caring for the sick and wounded. The flying machines and technology change over time, but the need for Medevac will always exist. If not in the military, for so many civilian purposes. 

Army Cannon and Christmas Tree Decorations

We haven’t seen the sun for days and it was even warm out this morning for our routine walk. What was different is that the streets leading to the Capitol were all blocked off in preparation for President Bush’s funeral. So we walked through where the cars couldn’t pass over to the Senate Office side and around to the east front of the Capitol building. At that time the police sirens were blaring and an army convoy rolled up to the front of the Capitol reflecting pond. Attached to each of the four large supply trucks was a cannon that will be used for the funeral salute. We ambled around to watch it all get set up with precision. A bus pulled up with twenty or more cadets from the Naval Academy in Annapolis. And as all this preparation was going on the Capitol Christmas Tree was getting decked out for the tree lighting ceremony that was postponed to Thursday from Wednesday due to the funeral. When we walked home the Red Cross Disaster vehicles parked near the House Office Buildings. It’s always a little more inconvenient when things happen in Washington. We usually decide to check it all out regardless of the event. 

Army cannon

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bq7yOChBvIS/

Christmas tree

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Army Band Concert on the Capitol Steps

It's something we look forward to every summer. Since we moved here ten years ago, we always try to get to the concerts on the Capitol steps on Friday evenings. The concerts are held just about every day of the week, but Friday always worked out the best for us. But now that I think of it, any evening would work since I retired in February! They start at 8 PM and last an hour. The weather was perfect last night, and the evening was simply beautiful. Bus loads of visitors were milling about, as well as the usual locals with their pets. Some brought their dinner. Because of the Capitol dome renovation and for security reasons, the location of the band changed again. They face the Capitol and the crowd faced the mall. Regardless of the vantage point, the view is spectacular with the sun setting on the mall. It's got to take a lot of work to set up and dismantle all this equipment. I'm sure they have it worked out like clockwork. One of these evenings we will need to check out the summer concerts in Yards Park. There's just so much to pick from! And that's one of the reasons we like living here. 

American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial

We've been watching the construction over the last couple years. Right next to the house office buildings and two blocks down the street from us is a new memorial. It was dedicated while we were away on our vacation earlier this month. The American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial was quite stunning in the bright fall afternoon sky. It was already attracting a lot of foot traffic. The flowing water feature is highlighted with a five point star that represents the branches of the armed services. The Army, Navy, and Coast Guard are most dear to me as our family members served in WWII and for the last twenty years with three deployments overseas. The glass walls are etched with stories from every day people and their personal lives and struggles. George Washington and Bob Dole are prominent, and so appropriate. So now when we walk to the US Botanical Garden, this spot offers another place to stop, sit, and reflect on a lot of things.  It will be interesting to see it change with the seasons, but the feeling one senses while meandering about it will remain the same.