The Weekend

Weekend, End of Week 1

Saturday, the LA Group and I decided to do a short site seeing trip up to the City of Fredericksburg, Virginia to see some Civil War Battlefield History.

The Rising Sun Tavern is a historic building in Fredericksburg, Virginia. It was built in 1760 as a home by Charles Washington, younger brother of George Washington, and became a tavern in 1792.

This house, built by the younger brother of George Washington, was a popular stop for many, including John Marshall, James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, George Mason, and John Paul Jones, among others, during the American Revolutionary War. It was the site of George Washington’s “great reception” after the Battle of Yorktown. It was also the site of the first meeting of the Virginia Chapter of the Society of Cincinnati in 1783.

During the Civil War, the town, located halfway between the capitals of the opposing forces, was the site of the Battle of Fredericksburg and the Second Battle of Fredericksburg, preserved in part as the Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park.

 

All in all Fredericksburg was a cool town to visit, rich with history.

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Sunday, most of the Section 1 group went on a field trip to Mt. Vernon.   Mt. Vernon is the Plantation Estate of our first President, George Washington.   I had not ever visited this site before and I was amazed at how beautiful the property was.   It sits on 500 Acres (originally 8,000 acres) of rolling hills that are up against the Potomac River.

Section 1

The LA Group with Ann, a Superintendent from Belgium Police Force

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After Mt. Vernon, we travelled to Arlington National Cemetery, which is always a very moving experience.  Here are some interesting facts about this sacred ground:

• Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, contains the remains of more than 400,000 people from the United States and 11 other countries, buried there since the 1860s.

• The Arlington estate was originally owned by George Washington Parke Custis, adopted grandson of George Washington. His daughter Mary Anna Randolph Custis, who married Robert E. Lee, inherited the estate. It was abandoned by the Lees during the Civil War and used as headquarters for the Union army.

• Arlington House (also known as Custis-Lee Mansion) is currently a memorial for Robert E. Lee and run by the National Park Service.

• The partial remains of the seven astronauts who died aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger on January 28, 1986 are buried at Arlington National Cemetery.  The seven Columbia astronauts have their own memorial at Arlington, near the one for the Challenger.

• Burial in Arlington is generally limited to active, retired and former members of the armed forces, Medal of Honor recipients, high-ranking federal government officials and their dependents.

• Annually just prior to Memorial Day weekend the 3rd U.S. Infantry (The Old Guard) place American flags before all the gravestones and niches of service members buried at Arlington National Cemetery and the U.S. Soldier’s and Airmen’s Home National Cemetery.

• Nearly 5,000 unknown soldiers are buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

• The Tomb of the Unknowns (aka Tomb of the Unknown Soldier) has never been officially named. It is a memorial to the dead of World War I, World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.  The Tomb is made from Yule marble quarried in Colorado. It consists of seven pieces, with a total weight of 79 tons. The Tomb was completed in 1932, at a cost of $48,000.

• The tomb has the following words inscribed: Here rests in honored glory An American Soldier Known but to God.

• The Tomb is guarded 24 hours a day, 365 days per year by volunteer members of 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard), in full dress uniform carrying M-14 rifles.

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All in all it was a 9 hour day, where we walked a little over 6 miles.  We ended the evening at the Academy watching the Cowboys vs Packers game in the Rec Room.

I thought I would share a picture of the desk in my room, which is quite a change from what I am used to working at.   Actually, I find that I rarely sit there because I have preferred to take my laptop down to the rec room, Library or boardroom to do homework.

All and all I have been totally impressed by just about every part of this facility, as it was much nicer than I had mentally prepared for.   HOWEVER, the Gym showers are straight out of the movie Shawshank Redemption!

Monday is a holiday and we have no class, so my plans are to just hang out and work on some papers I need to write.   Unless something exciting happens with that, you probably won’t hear from me tomorrow.   I appreciate all of the responses from this blog and I appreciate everyone reaching out to me….  it really helps me feel a connection with all of you.  Goodnight everyone!