Memorial Day In DC: Adventures in History or How to Survive the Inferno?

Most of you will probably find it hard to believe that a person whose life revolves around election cycles, public policy and campaign politics, I've never spent any significant time in our nation's capital. I've always wanted to put on my best tourist outfit and wander the blatant exploitation of our glorious history, but haven’t had the chance since I was eight, when I was tethered to my two older brothers, literally.

I was there in 2005 for the Presidential Inauguration, but that too was a very restricted, in and out trip. So when the opportunity presented itself over Memorial Day weekend to serve as a pack mule for a  friend moving down to Capital City and spend some time getting reacquainted with the big, white stone points of interest, I couldn’t find a reason to pass it up.

Quick side note: in my role as a legislator, I've tried my damnedest to support and move legislation that will help provide opportunity and retain more of our homegrown, best and brightest. The specific Vermonter and St. Albans native I was escorting out of the Green Mountains falls directly into the above mentioned category.  This was very counter instinctive. I would ask those who read this to forgive me for what might be my first, "do as I say, not as I do," moment of public life.  Please, if you find a brilliant, talented, young person wandering around Kingman Street, do not let them buy a one way train ticket anywhere.

Yup, that’s what I said, train. I find air travel experimental, unnatural and really, really scary. So, after a trip to Rutland, a layover at New York's Penn Station (worst place on earth) and twelve hours on the rails, we rolled into Union Station, Washington D.C. 

That all must sound heinous to you folks who fly, but having no reason to hurry for a guy who's perpetually late, is quite relaxing. And as a strong supporter of high-speed rail and expanded rail service, I figured this could provide a little cover for my aforementioned hypocrisy.

So, what follows is a brief account of our adventures in American history. There are plenty of pictures, none of which include me standing in front of monuments or important places.

Evolutionary Note: part of being an 8th generation Vermonter means my genes have, over hundreds of years, been altered to better suit my native habitat. I can drive in the snowiest of blizzards without hesitation or fear; I can navigate dirt roads in mud season and international borders in the small hours of the morning.  My eyes have become accustom to two very specific horizons that serve as an anchor and compass for my soul.  To the east, the face of Mt. Mansfield and Lake Champlain to the west, with the 46 jagged peaks of the Adirondacks rising from its shallows. 

However, much like an aerosol can or a pint of Ben and Jerry's, I was not designed or built for extremely high temperatures combined with sweltering humidity. It was 162 degrees both days we toured the city. In the late afternoon, I felt and looked like a dying wildebeest being lead on a guided tour of surface of the sun.  This made for an interesting few days. I really enjoyed the capital, but I earned every drop of satisfaction, that's a fact.

It seemed fitting to spend the most amount of time at Arlington National Cemetery, on Memorial Day Weekend.  The grounds, once home to Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee are truly breath taking.  The over 200,000 graves are entirely sobering.  What folks may not know is that each headstone is made from Vermont Marble.  The brave men and women buried at Arlington deserve the best and I was proud to learn that our state's stone workers provide just that. Way to go, Barre.

Part two of day one was less successful. Our original plans included a free concert on the Capitol Lawn. We arrived shortly after the start of the show and worked our way towards the security check-in but never made it.  Just feet from the metal detectors and adorable bomb snooping dogs we were ordered by the police to turn back, they we're evacuating the event.

Now, there were a few activities I was trying to avoid on my trip to Washington. An "unexpected, emergency evacuation" was near the top of the list, just below" being pushed in front of the metro," and above "eating crab cakes against my will."

Turns out, it was due to a severe thunderstorm heading right for the concert. The conspiracy theorist in me worried it might be Homeland Security Code for, "Something Terrible!" But soon after the evacuation it started to rain, so I was at ease and we sought shelter. 

Day Two started with a walk by the White House and then a quick trip the Washington Monument, the weather was beautiful but so, so hot.  As we made our way from the White House to the Mall, we found out we were just in time for the National Memorial Day Parade. So, I pulled the chord on my "emergency parade kit" which included palm cards, a shirt and tie, stickers and a banner and jumped in the parade.

That didn't happen, and I felt happily out of place on the sidelines of a parade for once. I couldn’t help but think about the "Memorial Day 500," a an biannual Addison County tradition wherein statewide candidates and their trusty staffs navigate the Middlebury and Vergennes Parades, which end and start within minutes of each other. It's typically hot, crowded and hectic as we dash from Middlebury to Vergennes while trying to win the never ending sticker war. There is much strategy and things often go wrong.

Sitting under a shady tree with the White House in front of us and the Washington Monument behind,  watching high school marching bands and real life heroes like Buzz Aldrin,  John Glenn and Gray Sinise (one of these in not like the other) was a really nice break from tradition.

Post parade, we wandered down to the World War II Memorial.  This is one I'd never seen, since it was dedicated within the past two decades. It's gorgeous, an honest and beautiful tribute to greatest of the greatest generation.

We walked along the Mall and headed towards the Vietnam Memorial Wall. There had been a service there just a few hours earlier and I asked the Park Ranger if anyone important had spoke.  Her one word, matter of fact, answer was a pretty good one, "President." 

What's fascinating about the Vietnam Wall is that, unlike the WWII or Korean memorial, there are always Vietnam Vets there, leaving mementos and paying tribute to their fallen brothers. This is really touching and adds a human aspect that is unlike any other monument.

While folks my age may think of Vietnam as ancient history, it was the defining event of our parent's generation. I'm not sure what President Obama said at the wall that day, but I'm happy he chose to speak there. The men and women that served in Vietnam have long deserved the full measure of respect and gratitude they were denied for much too long. I'm glad to see that, like our last few, President Obama has continued to honor them, and recognize openly, our failure to do so when they first returned.

I was born on February 12th, a day that has a great significance in our state and nation. It was the day Abraham Lincoln was born and the day Ethan Allen died.  As a little kid I took great pride in knowing that I shared a birthday with the man who saved the last, best hope on earth. 

The Lincoln memorial is something that is truly inspiring.  Built in the Greco-Roman tradition, it is an honest to god temple of freedom.  There's a reason Martin Luther King chose this place to end the march on Washington.  Our founders developed this incredible concept that, ours would be a nation where all men were created equal, and then had a difficult time instituting their own mission statement.  Lincoln made it reality, he is the patron saint of human rights and that reputation reaches around the world.

History Note: in Vermont we didn't really struggle with the whole slavery issue, we were the first state in the nation to abolish slavery, in 1791, and sent our young men to fight for that principal in numbers virtually unmatched by any other state.

From Abe to FDR, one of the newest memorials is a welcome change from the norm. The FDR Memorial is a walking tour of some of his most famous quotes -this former speech writer's dream- surrounded by water fall fountains and brass statues. They've got more water than Jay Peak, it's a great homage to a man who had to hide his disabilities from the nation at a time when they would have deemed to be weak. There's some irony for you.

The last monument we saw was the Jefferson, it’s a hike, but worth the time. After all , this is the guy that wrote the declaration of independence. Another wonderful Greco-Roman temple, built with just the right amount of cynicism. From his pedestal, TJ can see directly at the White House. When it was built, FDR had all the trees cut down in the line of sight so TJ could look after the place when the sitting president wasn’t there or wasn't doing his job.

Being in Washington, DC on Memorial Day was like being at the Vatican for Easter. Sure, the fourth of July is our birthday and the parties are a whole lot of fun, but Memorial Day honors the men and women who fought and died to protect the grand American experiment in self-determination and self-government.  They did, so we didn't have to. They did so to bring freedom and liberty to parts of the world where they there was too little of both and they did so, with honor. 

After a  sixteen hour train ride and a drive up Route 7, I was a home. DC is a wonderful and historic city, but this kid found himself longing for the cool air and rolling green mountains of home.

Life is better here.

-D