Neil and Rosie Dewey: More vacation... Washington, DC, Arlington, Gettysburg

GETTYSBURG, Pennsylvania

One of the most monumental visits for me was to go to the scene of the battle at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, during the Civil War on July 1 - 4. We chose to hire a personal guide to give us a first-hand tour of the site. It brought it to life! He took us day-by-day thru the battle between the Confederates (led by Robert E. Lee) and the Union Soldiers. The guide would take us to a point that looked over an open field and would then show us where Union or Confederal troops were advancing towards each other. He started by showing us the town of Gettysburg and the Bullet holes that still exist in some of the buildings. The site where Lincoln gave the Gettysburg address is still standing. You can see the porch on which he stood. As much as possible, the Gettysburg National Museum has kept the grounds where the battle actually took place in it's original condition.

This is a picture of one of the farm sites that still exists and was there during the Civil War. At this particular location in a single day 9,000 Confederate soldiers were killed. The owners had left because of the advancing soldiers, and when they returned, they found the dead in their farm lands.

A statue of Robert E. Lee on his horse Traveller that stands overlooking the site of the Gettysburg battle.

ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY, ARLINGTON, VA

Only Soldiers who served in the military, and their spouses, can be buried at the Arlington National Cemetery.

Just a few of the many grave sites at Arlington National Cemetery, in Arlington, VA. Most of them are white crosses line up in perfect rows. A few of the older grave sites have regular head stones

Neil & I standing under the sign "Dewey Road" in the Cemetery. The Road is named after Admiral Dewey, a distant relative of the Dewey family.

The Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. In the tomb is buried an unknown soldier from both WWI and WWII. The soldier that had been buried from the Vietnam War was identified and removed. It is a very solemn and moving moment. Someone stands guard at the tomb 24/7, 365 days of the year.

The Memorial resurrected for the men who were killed on September 11 when Terrorists flew an airplane into the Pentagon. From this spot you can see the corner of the Pentagon where the plane struck

WASHINGTON, DC

The War Memorials

The Korean War Memorial

The World War II Memorial

The Vietnam Wall where all soldiers killed in the Vietnam War are listed

Neil standing in front of Vietnam War Memorial

The Smithsonian Museums

Of the 12 Smithsonian Museums in Washington, DC, Neil & I were able to visit three of them. We saw the Museum of Natural History, the Museum of American History, and the Air & Space Museum.

The Red Shoes are the actual ones worn by Judy Garland in the Wizard of Oz Movie. The Hope Diamond is a 45 Carat "Blue" Diamond, and is surrounded by 16 beautiful diamonds. The largest diamond in the world.

Neil is holding"Flat Stanley" as he stands in front of a NASA plane in the Air & Space Museum. Flat Stanley is for Cody, my brother's grandson, 3rd grade school project. We took pictures of all the "tourist" sites with Flat Stanley to show where he had traveled.