the education of henry

Day 23: Arlington National Cemetery and Hazy Center

2023-10-06

Today we started at Arlington National Cemetery. We were among the first people through the gates. We took the tram ride to go all around the grounds, which were impressive. There are over 400,000 people who dedicated their lives to our country buried there, and just today there were 22 funerals happening.

This replica panel from the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was on display in the visitor's center.

The tram we rode on.

This part of the grounds was all for Civil War dead - but there were other sections from the Civil War as well.

The eternal flame for JFK.

The view from Kennedy's grave.

Looking at the graves of Supreme Court justices: Blackmun, Berger, Ginsburg, Stevens, and some others (I just don't remember them all).

Dad's favorite picture from the day.

We saw a lot of graves and heard a lot of names, but this one we were actually able to find and take a picture of.

At the auditorium.

This is an impressive structure - and so much marble!

Mom on the stage.

On stage with Dad.

Here's the building from the outisde.

The front entrance.

The memorial for the Space Shuttle Challenger.

The memorial for the Space Shuttle Columbia.

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

We watched the changing of the guard.

This is a video of the whole guard change.

On the tram again.

A crypt for unknown Civil War soldiers.

Arlington House. The cemetery used to be a plantation, built by the grandson of Martha Custis (better known as Martha Washington). Robert E. Lee lived here with his wife (who was a Custis) until he decided to abandon the Union for the Confederacy. This place has a complicated history.

The view from Arlington House - you can see the whole city of Washington.

After Arlington, we made our way over to the Air and Space Museum annex at the Steven F. Udall-Hazy Center in Chantilly, VA. This is where the big planes are.

At the entrance.

The Corsair.

Some information about the Corsair.

The Kittyhawk - this is the Canadian version of the P-40 that the US also flew.

Information about the Kittyhawk.

The SR-71 Blackbird.

This is my favorite mailbox I've ever seen.

On our two-hour "highlights" tour.

This is the real Enola Gay, the plane that dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan.

Information about the Enola Gay.

Oh, yeah. They have a space shuttle.

Here's the underside of the shuttle.

This is the shuttle Discovery, which flew 39 missions - more than any other shuttle.

Looking at the restoration area.

Looking down one side of the building.

The X-1 that Chuck Yeager used to break the sound barrier.

Yes, that is a Concorde.

We almost missed this one, hidden in the back: Dusty Crophopper from Planes!

A P-47D Thunderbolt.

Time to go.

One last picture.

Dad and I had some ice cream before we left, and the drive back to the hotel was uneventful.

And that was the day. Arlington was a very moving experience for all of us, and the Hazy Center was so impressive - I loved seeing all of those planes and taking the really interesting tour. Thanks for reading!