Heroes Live Forever

Tuesday, June 10th
Vacation Post #7

Before we left Washington, DC we had one more stop to make. On this trip we saw many memorials dedicated to the bravery of our military. It was time to visit a memorial that hits a little closer to home: The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial.

"The wicked flee when no man pursueth, but the righteous are bold as a lion."
Proverbs 28:1

So many names on these walls...

Indeed

There was a light mist falling this morning. No one else was there, so it was a quiet place. We walked around, took a few pictures, and then a man came up and offered to take a photo of all 5 of us. He looked like an off-duty officer to me. He probably was.

"This memorial is dedicated to all law enforcement officers in the United States of America.
Inscribed on these walls are the names of those men and women who died in the line of duty."

All Together

We had just enough time to walk a few blocks to the visitor's center and store. Derek bought a hat for himself, and we all picked up a "Heroes Live Forever" bracelet. Except Aaron. He wanted a little toy police car. :) This job Derek has chosen is a way of life for him. It is also a way of life for our family. So much of who we are is wrapped up in the thin blue line. Next year a National Law Enforcement Officers Museum will be opening. That alone is a great reason for Derek and I to return some day!

The Visitor's Center and Store

Back at our hotel, we loaded up our vehicle and began the drive to Gettysburg, PA. It was pouring rain, and we were glad to be on our way! The drive was not very long, maybe an hour and a half or so. We listened to our book on CD and I navigated Derek the driver to our new hotel. :)

We arrived at 2:00, checked in at our hotel, and decided to see what we could find. We wandered around the national park and learned what we needed to know for tomorrow's day-long Gettysburg experience. We stumbled upon a park ranger program beneath a tent and learned all about Civil War surgeons. The ranger was great with the kids, making it a very hands-on experience. It was one of my favorite parts of this day.

Just Abraham Lincoln with Kaleb and Aaron :)

Kaleb had his leg amputated Civil War style.

For supper we found a small diner where the waitresses know their customers by name. It was great! Aaron even ordered something other than mini cheeseburgers--fried haddock with dip-o sauce. :)

His fishhook french fry :)

That evening we decided to drive around some of the historical battlefields and look at monuments. We followed part of the auto route, without the CD's, since tomorrow we planned on taking the bus tour. Without really knowing what we were looking for, we ended up finding quite a bit.

Aaron LOVED the cannons

Kaleb stands at the Eternal Light Peace Memorial which was
dedicated on the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg.

This barn and house behind it were there during the battle. The train tracks were not. :)

A few of MANY monuments symbolizing the various brigades/divisions/corps/battalions

We saw a double rainbow in the sky and the wild honeysuckle smelled so good--I wanted to bottle it up and bring it with me. We all loved wandering around. Braylen let Kaleb take pictures with his camera and Aaron had our camera for a while. It was peaceful and I loved every minute of it.

See the rainbow? I am on the left taking a picture of it.

 Kaleb took the rest of these pictures. We have another photographer in our family!

honeysuckle

This looks like a postcard to me.

When the sun set we knew it was time to call it a day. We treated ourselves to blizzards from DQ and looked forward to a full day at Gettysburg tomorrow.