A Rainy Day in DC

I'm in Washington, DC on business and had a few hours to kick aroung the nation's capital. I took a few pictures of the basic museums but the most moving were the Vietnam Memorial Wall and the National Holocaust Remembrance Museum.

I was as close to the White House as John Kerry will ever be.

The WWII Veteran Memorial is amazing. The fountain was not working, but amazingly there were alot of coins. I guess the homeless in DC respect the sacrifices of our troops more than liberals

These pictures were an attempt to do justice to those who died in Vietnam. I can't convey the feeling you get from just standing amidst all those names. Click on the picture on the right and read the map.

I'm not an emotional guy. This choked me up. The two pictures above are of the same letter. How much pain can a Dad carry around for thirty years? Dad was tough and Mom was the one who made it better.

David died 37-years ago October 14. He was 22.

The next series of photos were from the Holocaust Museum. None need my words except to note that they are from a wall covered with tiles that were made by children.

I've attempted to capture the feel of the museum. That's impossible with pictures. But the construction of the building was intended to give you the feel of being in a concentration camp, most notably by the brick and bars. Note how the doors were designed to simulate the ovens the cremated millions of bodies in. Update: The blue tile says these words, which are even more biting coming from a child:

Hate; murder; torture; prejedice; propaganda

For anyone who thinks the Jews dwell on the Holocaust, I say: They should as they were nearly destroyed. They do indeed catalogue the plight of others who were subject to genocide. They had a full exhibit tracking the events in Darfur and a remembrance of those murdered in Srebinica. The picture below shows what atrocities were visited upon those people.

Update: The pictures of the Holocaust Museum are a sampling as I felt wrong taking pictures of the exhibits. Please go there and see.

I followed three US Army enlisted men in who were in uniform. They had no reason to visit, they chose to.