After attending orientation, I had a couple of hours to kill while I waited until time to go to the airport.  Hmmm…I’m in DC a couple of blocks from the White House.  What should I do for the afternoon?

Taking a picture of the White House is serious business!  The security must have been heightened due to Delta’s snafu with the computers.  On either side of the photo there were Secret Service members in bulletproof vests yelling at anyone that stepped off the curb across from the White House.  The last time I was there, we were able to just walk up to the gate and get a picture.

After that I walked over to the Washington Monument.

For the third time in my life, that is as close as I got to the Washington Monument.  This time it was actually open.  (My first trip to DC it was closed for repair.  My second time it was still closed post-9-11.)  I decided I only had 2 hours and could do other things.

Then I headed to the WWII Monument.

I have been to the WWII memorial.  However, it is one of my favorites.  My maternal grandfather was a Merchant Marine.  I didn’t know this until I was older because he always said he was in the Navy.  A Merchant Marine was a sailor that protected a ship that was bringing goods and products to the US during the war.  His job was to sit in the gunnery at the top of the ship and watch for enemies. He spent most of his time in the Pacific.  Once his ship went down and they had to be rescued.

The second picture is about women who fought in WWII.  My paternal grandmother was in the Women’s Auxiliary Core (WAAC).  She left her home in Mississippi and traveled to California to help with the war effort.  While there, she met my grandfather.  They eventually moved back to MS in about 1950.

While no one wants to fight a war, I do appreciate the sacrifices that so many people have given for their country.  Especially those in my family and those others who gave the ultimate sacrifice.

I ended my day at the Lincoln Memorial and headed back to the hotel.  While I was there I took one more picture that I didn’t have yet.

Living in the footsteps of legends.  So many people have given to make our country what it is today and I am thankful.