Morning arrives and many of the students did not get enough sleep. One group overslept and we had to have the hotel engineer forcibly open the door to wake them.
Now that everyone is awake and fed, we head into the city for our first stop of the day.
Arlington National Cemetery is the place to take these kids and help them understand that Freedom is not Free. We learn along the walk to the mansion that this property has some interesting history. Belonging to both the Lee and Washington families at different times. Civil War soldiers for the Union are buried on the property in spite of General Lee.
We make our way to view the JFK memorial and observe the eternal flame. This is a place for reverence and respect. Continuing along, we hear the gun salute for a funeral in progress. There are 20-30 funerals that take place on the property every weekday.
The mansion tour is brief, but the students learn that the Lee family regains control of the property from the government only to sell it back to the them. Our next stop at Arlington is probably one of the most moving ceremonies to witness, the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. We have a birds eye view of the new guard making his way to his post. Changing of the Guard
The servicemen are a special unit of the Army that is responsible for conducting ceremonies at Arlington and for the President. These brave men and women have been guarding the Tomb every minute of every day, regardless of weather conditions, since 1948 when they were commissioned.