This began when Mr. Jack Moreman and County Judge Dr. John Howard asked me if I would be at the Veterans Day service at the College. When I told them I would be in Washington, DC, Dr. Howard commented, “they do a pretty good program there.”
If you have a “Bucket List” – a list of things to do before kicking “the bucket” – going to Arlington National Cemetery on Veterans Day needs to be on it. I do not have a list at this time. However, when I do I will include it on mine – then I will cross it off. I did not stay for the laying of the wreath by the President. When U.S. Secret Service officers were becoming obvious to see I went back to the hotel and prepared for my meetings.
When I got off the Metro at the Arlington National Cemetery Station I took the escalator to the street level, and the view is spectacular. The drive is six lanes wide and ends at the Women’s Memorial. Behind it on the hill is the Arlington House, the former house of Confederate General Robert E Lee.
I just stood there and took it all in. I noticed several others as well, simply in awe of where we were. Another thing that actually surprised me was the number of visitors to the Cemetery and the lack of noise. This holy place was quiet. Kids weren’t running around like little banshees, people’s conversations were very reserved if they occurred at all.
The shuttle driving us to the Tomb of the Unknown was quiet, you could tell many were former soldiers and were struggling to maintain their composure. A young mother and her young baby were carrying flowers out of the shuttle. I did not ask her why she was there; it was none of my business.
As I walked to the Tomb of the Unknown, it was very emotional as I saw many of the more than 400,000 markers for active duty, veterans, spouses and others that are buried on the 624 acres. I thought of my grandfather, H.B. Riza, who as a 22-year-old Army Air Corp pilot flew B-17s from England to Germany 35 times. Or my uncle USAF Col (Ret.) Brad Riza who saw action in Vietnam and I wonder how many of his friends are buried there or are memorialized on a wall not far from where I was.
The Changing of the Guard Ceremony occurs at the top of the hour. I will not go into the intricacies of the ceremony as I could not do it justice. The relief commander marches out to the Tomb of the Unknown, salutes it, and then turns to the visitors, introduces himself, declares himself a member of the Army’s 3rd Infantry Regiment and explains what you are about to see, and requests that you remain silent and standing. It is a ceremony that is as precise as anything you’ve ever seen before, performed that exact way every hour of every day, no matter the weather. The weapon of the sentinel is always on the shoulder nearest the visitors, to signify they stand to protect the Tomb from any threat.
Most that know me will tell you I am not an emotional person, and because I was by myself on Veterans Day, that reputation will continue. If you have any opportunity at all to visit this sacred site, please do. You will be deeply moved by it.
In the next week or so, I will write about what I was actually doing in Washington, DC. No Clarendon College budget dollars were spent on this trip.
Dr. Robert Riza is the President of Clarendon College.
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