Arlington National Cemetery

On Sunday, July 11th...we hit up a church service that morning. After the service, we went back to the hotel, got all of our things, checked out, and headed for Arlington National in Arlington, VA. This is a place I would definitely go back to. It is absolutely gorgeous and such a peaceful place. There is a certain spirit that lives there and it is such a neat place to visit. I thoroughly enjoyed it and wish I had more time there. This was another whirlwind of a day...we were short on time b/c we were driving back to North Carolina that night. So it was a quick trip, but a good one.

First stop was the Kennedy's Grave sites. President John F Kennedy, his wife Jaqueline, and two of their kids were buried here. Behind their graves is the "eternal flame" which stays lit 365 days of the year, 24/7. It never burns out.

The Eternal Flame

Jacqueline Kennedy's Grave

President John F. Kennedy's Grave

The view from the Kennedy's Grave Site

Another view from the grave sites looking into Washington DC

So neat

One of our stops was the "tomb of the unknown soldier". This was so awesome to see. This tomb is a monument dedicated to American servicemen who have died without their remains being identified. It is located in the center of the cemetery. It is guarded 365 days of the year, 24 hours a day.
Every 30 minutes, there is a changing of the guards which we got to witness. It was so neat to see and something that I would go back and see again. If you havent researched the "tomb of the unknown soldier"...I recommend that you do. It is very interesting and such a cool way to honor those who have died while serving our country.

"Here Rests In Honored Glory An American Soldier Known But To God"
(the tomb--pictured above)

The guard, guarding the tomb. If you look at the bluish/blackish pathway he is standing on...every 21 seconds the guard changes position and holds that position for 21 seconds, then he will take 21 steps along that pathway and repeat his about faced position. The 21 alludes to the twenty-one gun salute, which is the highest honor given any military or foreign dignitary.

To be a guard of the tomb...it is a very high honor and very crucial to become one of those guards. They live under very strict rules and its just amazing to me how and why these men choose to become one of these guards. They commit 2 years of their life to guard the tomb. Again, I recommend reading about it b/c its awesome. I just Googled some facts about it, you can find a million facts on the tomb of the unknown soldier and on the guards that get to guard the tomb.

The changing of the Guards...the sergeant (or whatever he is) is checking the gun of the next soldier coming on to do his shift. Again, they change guards every 30 minutes.

Saluting the tomb..

So cool to watch.

This wall is dedicated to all the Women who have served for our country.

Again, awesome place. Peaceful and gorgeous. Definitely want to go back! Thank you to all those who have served and died for our country and for those of you who are still serving. This place really makes you appreciate these men and women who give up their lives for this country. (Ok, totally had a "moment" there...sorry. It was just that cool to visit)

After briefly visiting Arlington, we headed back to Charlotte. But not without stopping at a 7-Eleven!! For those of you who dont know me, I LOVE me some Slurpees now. We really dont have 7-Elevens in the South, so when I see one...I HAVE to stop.

Oh man, I LOVE my Slurpees!!! So good!

My brother Alex loves him some Slurpee, too.

Not sure what Cameron was doing here...but he likes his Slurpee as well.

And this brings us to the conclusion of our Whirlwind of a Tour of Washington DC. It was awesome and hopefully soon we can go back!