Things have certainly been busy in
the world of park Guide ranger Garrett in Washington DC of late. The
visitors continue to come to the mall and keep expecting me to awe them with
amazing interpretation and inform them of the wonders of this city and
it's memorials. I am kept quite busy nearly every day when I am working
these days.
The last two days have provided
significant and special opportunities to speak to veterans at both the
Korean and WWII memorials. Far more significantly, they have also afforded
me with the chance to both bear witness to and be a part of some truly
special moments. I worked at Korea yesterday and ended up giving
most of the talks, generally to groups of 10-15 people. But when I went out at
11:00 I found quite the crowd waiting for me and ended up giving a full-scale
much longer talk to a group of at least 30 people. When I finished my talk
I was approached by a man who told me that he had served in Korea. I
immediately grew nervous, thinking that he was going to find fault with what I
had said, but he actually thanked me and told me how much he appreciated me
being out there, caring for the memorial, and representing "his war"
to the visitors. He went on to tell me about his experience while in Korea and
as he spoke a crowd gathered around us to listen to what he had to say. He
asked me if he could recite a poem that he had composed about the war and upon
my affirmation he proceeded to do so from memory, relating a powerful picture
of what the war had been like from the perspective of a soldier on the front
lines. As he spoke my eyes filled with tears on several occasions and I had to
work very hard to hold it together. When he concluded the poem he raised his
hand in salute to his comrades and the crowd was completely silent for several
moments before beginning to clap and offer him their hands in thanks for his
service.
Today I found myself stationed at
the WWII Memorial during the visits of 9 different Honor Flight groups. These
groups consisted of as many as 190 WWII veterans (in each group) who had made
the journey together, often with their children, to visit the memorial and pay
their respects to those who had fallen. It was amazing simply to bear witness
to the way these men interacted with the memorial and with each other, many of
them seeing it for the first time and bearing mementos of friends and brothers
who were unable to make the journey. Seeing the way their faces would light up
when people approached them to shake their hands, offer them a salute, and
thank them for their service made me cry on several occasions. Many of these
men thanked me for my service, for being there to protect and watch over their
memorial. It really made me realize, once again, the wonderful gift that I have
been given here in this job.
I was privileged to speak to
many of the men throughout the day and sustain a brief glimpse into their world
during the war. One 91 year old man had landed just west of Casablanca in
Operation Torch and fought in a tank division in every engagement in North
Africa, Sicily, and Italy. He was still in Italy when Germany surrendered in
May, 1945. Another man came into France shortly after D-day, was wounded, and
spent 14 months being transferred from hospital to hospital through Europe
before making it back home once again. I approached two men sitting together in
their wheelchairs and in speaking to them discovered that one had landed in
Normandy and the other at Iwo Jima. They told me about Patton and his drive to
push his men forward, and about MacArthur and how much of a pompous fool he
really was. History was coming alive before my eyes.
I stood at full salute with many of
the veterans as one man sang the Star Spangled Banner in a special ceremony to
honor their fallen comrades. I watched as Colin Powell spontaneously showed up
and greeted the veterans, shaking hands and posing for pictures. I saw one man
approach another brandishing his certificate of service declaring that he had
just had it signed by Colonel Powell. I listened as one of the leaders of the
Honor Flight spoke to a group about how they had saved the world and provided
freedom to so many. It was really a series of one emotionally gripping moment
following another. And it was my job to be there!
I have also been able to take part
in a series of unique adventures in recent days. On Monday
I attended the show "little shop of horrors" at Ford's Theater,
sitting in the shadow of the box where Lincoln had been shot 145 years and 5
days previously, along with five girls I met when I arrived at the theater. On
Tuesday I explored the wilderness of Prince William Forest Park while seeking
to avoid unexploded ordinance left over from OSS training during WWII and then
joined my uncle in sampling some excellent Spanish Paella. On Wednesday I
visited the navy yard courtesy of my roommate who works for the navy, spoke to
several naval historians, got several free books, and visited the national navy
museum, which includes such artifacts as the Trieste, the only manned
vessel that has ever gone into the Mariana Trench.
On Thursday, whilst eating Thai food
with a friend, a man calling himself "Teddy" approached our table and
proceeded to ask us to name random countries so that he might tell us what he
knew about them. It was one of the most creative methods of panhandling
that I have ever encountered and we talked to him for quite a while. Last night
I joined five other friends in cheering on the Washington Nationals as they
successfully defeated the Dodgers. The two exciting home runs sent over the fence
by first basemen Adam Dunn helped redeem an earlier play in which he neglected
to keep his foot on the bag, allowing a base hit that should have been as easy
out. Following the game we ended up in the perfect spot to watch the special
Friday night fireworks show over the Anacostia river.
The opportunities in this city and
in this job are constantly affirming my decision to come here. I continue to
seek to live my life to the fullest in every moment, making the most of this
life that I have been given.
Living always in dangerous wonder...
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