Our posting today isn’t about retailing, it’s about Memorial Day, a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation's service.
We both come from families with strong military backgrounds. Both of our fathers served in World War II, we think they may have even been in some of the same places at the same time. Rich’s father, Charles Kizer, served in the U.S. Army and Georganne’s father, William F. Guyan, Sr., served in the U.S. Army Air Forces. And Georganne’s husband, Rob, is a U.S. Marine.
Last August we had the opportunity to speak in the Washington, DC area, so we decided to stay an extra day to visit all of the Memorials. George’s sister, Betsy, joined us and we began our day at Arlington National Cemetery. The hallowed grounds of Arlington National Cemetery is a special place that every American should see more than once in their lifetime. It’s even more special to Georganne and Betsy because their mother, Bette Anne, is interred there.
We spent almost the entire day at Arlington, ending up as we always do, fascinated by the Changing of the Guards: the elite 3rd U.S. Infantry, known as "The Old Guard," who guard the Tomb of the Unknowns around the clock.
It’s considered one of the highest honors to serve as a Sentinel for the graves of the Unknown Soldiers. There is a meticulous ritual the guard follows when watching over the graves: The soldier walks 21 steps across the Tomb. (This alludes to the 21-gun salute, which is the highest honor given to any military or foreign dignitary.) His weapon is always on the shoulder opposite the Tomb (the side of the gallery watching the ritual). On the 21st step, the soldier turns and faces the Tomb for 21 seconds. The soldier then turns to face the other way across the Tomb and changes his weapon to the outside shoulder. After 21 seconds, the first step is repeated until the soldier is relieved of duty at the Changing of the Guards. (Source: Wikipedia.com)
We also visited Arlington House, The Marine Corps War Memorial, The Vietnam Veterans Memorial, The Korean War Veterans Memorial, The Women in Military Service Memorial and the new World War II Memorial. We are returning to speak in Washington, DC again next week and we will once again spend time at each and every Memorial.
If you haven’t been to Washington, DC in a while, we recommend that you plan a visit. Here are a few websites where you can learn more about our nation’s Memorials:
Click here to learn more about Memorial Day:
We both come from families with strong military backgrounds. Both of our fathers served in World War II, we think they may have even been in some of the same places at the same time. Rich’s father, Charles Kizer, served in the U.S. Army and Georganne’s father, William F. Guyan, Sr., served in the U.S. Army Air Forces. And Georganne’s husband, Rob, is a U.S. Marine.
Last August we had the opportunity to speak in the Washington, DC area, so we decided to stay an extra day to visit all of the Memorials. George’s sister, Betsy, joined us and we began our day at Arlington National Cemetery. The hallowed grounds of Arlington National Cemetery is a special place that every American should see more than once in their lifetime. It’s even more special to Georganne and Betsy because their mother, Bette Anne, is interred there.
We spent almost the entire day at Arlington, ending up as we always do, fascinated by the Changing of the Guards: the elite 3rd U.S. Infantry, known as "The Old Guard," who guard the Tomb of the Unknowns around the clock.
It’s considered one of the highest honors to serve as a Sentinel for the graves of the Unknown Soldiers. There is a meticulous ritual the guard follows when watching over the graves: The soldier walks 21 steps across the Tomb. (This alludes to the 21-gun salute, which is the highest honor given to any military or foreign dignitary.) His weapon is always on the shoulder opposite the Tomb (the side of the gallery watching the ritual). On the 21st step, the soldier turns and faces the Tomb for 21 seconds. The soldier then turns to face the other way across the Tomb and changes his weapon to the outside shoulder. After 21 seconds, the first step is repeated until the soldier is relieved of duty at the Changing of the Guards. (Source: Wikipedia.com)
We also visited Arlington House, The Marine Corps War Memorial, The Vietnam Veterans Memorial, The Korean War Veterans Memorial, The Women in Military Service Memorial and the new World War II Memorial. We are returning to speak in Washington, DC again next week and we will once again spend time at each and every Memorial.
If you haven’t been to Washington, DC in a while, we recommend that you plan a visit. Here are a few websites where you can learn more about our nation’s Memorials:
Click here to learn more about Memorial Day:
Click here for The National WWII Memorial:
http://www.wwiimemorial.com/
http://www.wwiimemorial.com/
If you have a loved one who served in WWII click here to search the electronic World War II Registry of Americans who contributed to the war effort, or add the name of a loved one:
Click here to view the WWII Reunion Messaging Center to search the database for other WWII veterans who have submitted their names, or add name(s) and contact information:
Click here to visit the official website of Arlington National Cemetery:
To our Veterans, and to those who proudly serve in the Military, we say Thank You -- we cannot even begin to say it enough.
Georganne & Rich . May 28, 2006
