Aloha to Fort Myer, Arlington National Cemetary, and the USMC Memorial

The area surrounding the Pentagon, including Fort Myer, Henderson Hall, and Arlington National Cemetery, came from the Custis-Lee estate.  From Wikipedia (link),

Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial, formerly named the Custis-Lee Mansion, is a Greek revival style mansion located in Arlington, Virginia, USA that was once the home of Confederate General Robert E. Lee. It overlooks the Potomac River and the National Mall in Washington, D.C. During the American Civil War, the grounds of the mansion were selected as the site of Arlington National Cemetery, in part to ensure that Lee would never again be able to return to his home. However, the United States has since designated the mansion as a National Memorial to Lee, a mark of widespread respect for him in both the North and South. Arlington Woods, located behind Arlington House, contains the oldest and largest tract of climax eastern hardwood forest that still exists in Arlington County.

Fort Myer is home of the 3rd US Infantry Regiment - the Old Guard.  The Old Guard serves as the Honor Guard for ceremonies at Fort Myers' Old Post Chapel (I was married at the chapel).   Above is a photo of the Old Guard in the Arlington National Cemetery (Image by SMA Dunway, 2008, Public Domain).  

We walked from Fort Myer into Arlington National Cemetery and down to the "eteranl flame" to honor President John F. Kennedy, US Navy veteran.

Walking back to Fort Myer, we passed the head stone for General Abner Doubleday.  Notice the baseballs.   From History.com (link)

Abner Doubleday (1819-1893) served as a Union general during the Civil War (1861-65). A native of New York, Doubleday graduated from West Point and served during the Mexican-American War (1846-48). In 1861 he was second-in-command at Fort Sumter, where he ordered the Union’s first shots of the Civil War in response to the bombardment by secessionist forces. Promoted to brigadier general in February 1862, Doubleday participated in the Second Battle of Bull Run (Manassas) and the Battle of Antietam later that year. Doubleday led a corps on the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg in July 1863, and then served in administrative duty in Washington, D.C., for the rest of the conflict. After the Civil War Doubleday remained in the army and was stationed in California and Texas. He died in 1893 at the age of 73. Doubleday was popularly credited with inventing the game of baseball for many years, but this claim was later debunked.

We exited the east side of Fort Myer to the National Park with a famous sculpture - the United States Marine Corps (UMSC) War Memorial.  From the National Park Service (link),

On the morning of February 19, 1945, the 4th and 5th Marine Divisions invaded Iwo Jima after an ineffective 72-hour bombardment. The 28th Regiment of the 5th Division, was ordered to capture Mount Suribachi. They reached the base of the mountain on the afternoon of February 21 and, by nightfall the next day, had almost completely surrounded it. On the morning of February 23, Marines of Company E, 2nd Battalion, started the tortuous climb up the rough terrain to the top. At about 10:30 am men all over the island were thrilled by the sight of a small American flag flying from atop Mount Suribachi. That afternoon, when the slopes were clear of enemy resistance, a second, larger flag was raised by five Marines and a Navy hospital corpsman: Sgt. Michael Strank, Cpl. Harlon H. Block, Pfc. Franklin R. Sousley, Pfc. Rene A. Gagnon, Pfc. Ira Hayes, and PhM. 2/c John H. Bradley, USN.

Have you visited any sites in Washington, DC?  One randomly selected commenter from this week's blogs wins a book choice from my convention stash.  Comments are open through Saturday, November 22, 10 pm in Baltimore.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, November 23, at SOS Aloha.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore
Aloha Spirit in Charm City 

Memorial on Mout Suribachi (2003)
U.S. Navy photo by Lt. Bill Evans (Public Domain)