As we remembered my Mom's birthday, I thought about how I could help my kids understand the continuum of life. While they struggle to prepare for their futures, they also need to understand how they are connected to people who came before them. Recently, we had a tremendous opportunity to celebrate those who came before us.
Our Uncle Al was part of an Honor Flight that brought World War II veterans from Florida to Washington D.C. to see the war memorials. This trip had been planned for a long time and was almost cancelled because of the government shutdown. As the trip approached, we stressed with Uncle Al over whether the veterans would be allowed to see the monuments and whether we would be able to see him. The day before the trip, the organizers advised him to tell us that the veterans would be given access to the World War II Memorial but we would not. We decided we had to at least try.
The honor flight was leaving Florida at 5:30 a.m. They would land at BWI and then head for Washington D.C. The Iwo Jima Memorial was the tour's first scheduled stop. Because Arlington National Cemetery was open to foot traffic, we figured this would be our best chance to see Uncle Al. We had to park about a mile away on Fort Meyer. Toting a sign that the girls had made, we hiked to the Memorial and waited.
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| The girls posing with their sign |
We saw the tour buses approaching and the kids began jumping up and down with excitement. But, as the buses passed the memorial, we realized they weren't going to be allowed to enter. The kids held up their sign and waved. As the buses paused, the door opened and someone snapped a photo of us.
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| The convoy of buses passing the Iwo Jima Memorial |
We waited for about 10 minutes, hoping that the buses would turn around. I looked at Les. Even though we had been told that we couldn't get into the World War II Memorial, we had to try.
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| Greeting the buses |
We drove to Pentagon City and caught a taxi downtown. Here's what we saw when we arrived.
Because the memorial was open for the honor flights, there were several park rangers there. I approached them and explained our situation. "Listen," one said, "If you happen to slip past the barriers and visit the memorial with your uncle, we'll just look the other way." I could have hugged them and would like to give them a big public thanks for their kindness to both the veterans and us.
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| Waiting for Uncle Al -the poster had flashing lights on it! |
Finally, the buses arrived. The veterans toured the memorial amid applause and shouts from a large crowd of friends, family and volunteers.
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| Finally touring the memorial with Uncle Al |
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The veterans posing - Uncle Al is in the burgundy cap.
The veterans were required to sit in wheelchairs. |
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| Uncle Al with Don, his friend and escort for the trip |
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| Cassie's Perspective |
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| Uncle Al and Les |
As the veterans got ready to board the bus, one of them approached Cassie. Taking her hand, he thanked her for coming to welcome the veterans and said, "You look like a fine young lady. I hope that my comrades and I helped to make the world a better place for you."
