Memorial Day

It is a special day to thank all the servicemen and servicewomen for their service to their country.

So to every veteran who served their country proudly…Thank you.

Images – WW-II veteran – Scott Ableman, Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Arlington headstones – from personal collection – © 2008 – Jon Rochetti   

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Expect traffic tie-ups on the Mall, and lots of noise, but it’s all for a great cause – the American veteran.

Route – Starting point at The Pentagon, proceeds around the National Mall up Constitution Ave to 3rd St. then down Independence Ave. to south of the Lincoln Memorial.

Dates and Times – Sunday, May 24, 2008 – Noon – 3:00 p.m.

• Ride to and around the National Mall – Noon
• Speakers and Musical Tribute on the stage set up overlooking the Reflecting Pool across from The Lincoln Memorial – 1:00 – 3:00 p.m.

Nearest Metro Subway Station – Federal Triangle or Smithsonian – Blue and Orange lines, then a short walk or use the DC Circulator.

Parking & Traffic – Expect a few rolling street closures around the Pentagon and the National Mall to be closed from about 9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. and traffic to be VERY heavy crossing the Arlington Memorial Bridge around noon as the riders make the circuit around the National Mall.  Parking will also be difficult with motorcycles and spectators everywhere.

Images – crossing the bridge, saluting, at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial,

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The Washington, DC Memorial Day parade boasts nearly 200 elements, including marching bands, all types of active and retired military units, youth groups, floats and hundreds of veterans from all of America’s armed conflicts since World War II.

Bring a small lawn chair for comfortable seating, or grab a curbside seat.

National Memorial Day Parade
Constitution Ave., from 7th to 17th Streets, NW
Washington, DC  (map it)

Date and Time – Monday, May 26, 2008, 2:00 p.m. 

Tickets – FREE

Nearest Metro Subway Station – Federal Triangle, Blue and Orange lines or Archives-Navy Memorial-Penn Quarter, Green and Yellow lines, then a 3-4 block walk or use the DC Circulator.

Parking – Limited street parking is available.

Images – Flickr – flags, Shriners, horse soldier, band

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This year’s list of musical entertainers include one of my favorite female vocalists, the always entertaining Grammy winner, Natalie Cole. I saw Natalie sing last summer at Wolftrap and she puts on a great show.

Also on the list of singers is Josh Turner, who has recently toured with George Strait and Carrie Underwood, jazz singer Jane Monheit and R&B vocalist CeCe Winans. 

Rounding out the show will be the always popular National Symphony Orchestra, the U.S. Army Herald Trumpets, the U.S. Army Chorale, the U.S. Navy Sea Chanters, the U.S. Air Force Singing Sergeants and the Choral Arts Society of Washington.

Expect much pomp and circumstance as the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff will also have a role in the show, as well as color guard teams from each branch of the U.S. armed services.

Plan on arriving early to get in line for the best spot for your blanket. 

And in case you have never seen the very moving Changing of the Guards at the Tombs of the Unknowns at Arlington Cemetery, here’s an interesting clip from Fox News about one of the soldiers who guards the famous tombs.

National Memorial Day Concert 2008
West lawn of the U.S. Capitol Building
Washington, DC (map it)

Date and Time – Sunday, May 25, 2008 – 8:00 to 9:30 p.m., grounds open at 5:00 p.m.

Tickets – FREE, no tickets required. Checkpoints with metal detectors will be set up at entrance points. Entrance to the concert is at the southwest corner of the Capitol grounds.

Nearest Metro subway station - Capitol South, Federal Center SW, Orange and Blue lines, and Union Station Red line.

Parking – Street parking will be very difficult that evening, so use Metro or arrive very early.

Images – Army Herald Trumpets, Natalie Cole,  AF Color Guard

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This tradition, called “flags in ” has been an annual activity since 1948. Flags are placed on more than 260,000 gravesites at Arlington for Memorial Day. After the three-day weekend, the flags are removed.

At the Tomb of the Unknowns you can watch one of the most dramatic and moving military ceremonies, the Changing of the Guard . Guards or sentinels change every half hour on the hour from April 1st through September 30th (hourly October 1st through March 31).

You can take a self-guided tour of Arlington or take an open-air narrated Tourmobile (recommended) which starts at the Arlington Cemetery Visitors Center and makes stops near the John F and Robert Kennedy Gravesites, Tomb of the Unknowns (Changing of the Guard) and Arlington House, the Robert E. Lee Memorial. You can board and reboard Tourmobiles at any of the stops.

Tourmobile tours of Arlington – Cost $7.50 for adults, $1.00 less for seniors and kids 3-11 are $3.50. TourMobiles run 8:30 a.m.- 6:30 p.m. April thru September and 8:30 a.m.- 4:30 p.m. October thru March.

Arlington National Cemetery
1000 North Memorial Drive, at he Memorial Bridge (Virginia side)
Arlington, VA 22211

Tickets – None required and admission to Arlington National Cemetery is free.

Cemetery Days and Hours – Daily from 8:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m., 5:00 p.m. April 1st to September 30th.

Nearest Metro subway station - Arlington Cemetery – Blue line

Parking – Ample paid parking ($1.25 for the first three hour, then $2.00 per hour thereafter.

Photos: Flickr

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