Washington tourism tips in summer, or what I know so far (part 5 of 5)

Note from 2020: The following was written in September, 2017. Because of COVID-19 Arlington National Cemetery is presently closed, except for family pass holders who must wear a mask and only visit a gravesite (no touring).

OK, so I finally made it to Arlington Cemetery, and though it's no longer summer (sorry!) it feels like it - 85 degrees with a nice Big Easy kinda humidity today. Perfect for touring the nation's preeminent and sacred cemetery dedicated to our heroes, the fallen from wars dating back to the mid-19th century as well as retired members of the Armed Forces.

My favorite stop this morning was, undoubtedly, at the JFK gravesite. I had forgotten that our nation's 35th president was buried alongside his wife, Jacqueline, and their son Patrick. I had no idea that there would also be a gravesite for the baby that was never born. Very sad. According to Arlington Cemetery: "On Dec. 5, 1963, the two deceased Kennedy children were reburied in Arlington, Patrick Bouvier Kennedy from Brookline — who had predeceased JFK by 15 weeks — and an unnamed stillborn daughter from Newport, R.I. The initial plot was 20 feet by 30 feet and was surrounded by a white picket fence."

What touched me equally was seeing "Bobby's" grave, the younger brother who followed the president in both spirit and tragedy. His grave is remarkably simple, yet poignant - it gives chills just to write this. I was born in August, 1961, and can imagine the horror the nation and my young parents felt upon hearing of these assassinations. Both Kennedy brothers' grave sites lay before the elaborate Arlington House, where General Robert E. Lee (I was told today by an African American guard, which was somewhat jarring) had lived. As remnants of the Confederacy topple one by one in this country, it will be interesting to see what becomes of this mammoth structure.

The cemetery was started during the Civil War, after Lee had lived in the Greek Revival style Arlington House there with wife Mary Anna Custis Lee. It overlooks the Potomac River and the National Mall, and has quite the storied history, having originally been named the Custis-Lee Mansion.

As compelling as the grave sites, if not more so, are the quotes on stone plaques lying beside both Kennedy brothers. Of particular note, I thought, was this one at RFK's gravesite, which said in part: "Aescylus wrote: In our sleep pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart and in our despair against our will comes wisdom through the awful grace of God. What we need in the United States is not division, What we need in the United States is not hatred, What we need in the United States is not violence or lawlessness but love and wisdom and compassion toward one another and a feeling of justice toward those who still suffer within our country, Whether they be white or they're black..."

Another moving sight is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and changing of the guard there. Unless you've seen such military precision up close, you can scarcely understand the emotion it effects. We in the audience were told to stand up and show respect, which we quietly did (I shut off my cell phone, in case its annoying chirpy song went off.) Equally chilling: I looked down at my phone a few minutes after walking away (after I'd turned it on) and the time was 11:11. Turns out, November 11 was a significant date for the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier - for it was on Nov. 11, 1921 that it was dedicated at Arlington. Three years to the day after the armistice that ended World War I, President Warren Harding presided over the dedication, a year to the day after a similar ceremony in France had inspired the American ceremony.

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Read more about Arlington National Cemetery.

All photos by Laurie Wiegler, all rights reserved.

Author's note: the eternal flame burns at the Kennedy site, but does not show in the photos.