Road Trip To DC
Work hard. Play hard. So after class on Friday we stashed the books and headed out for some fun. CW4 Randy, a laid-back Hoosier who speaks fluent German, and I stayed out late to take in the Davisson Brothers Band who put on a rowdy Southern-rock, bluegrass show.
Saturday morning, Randy and I were joined by Major Gene for a road trip into DC. Gene is slated to be our Company Commander in Iraq and proved to be quite the tour guide. We stopped off in Harpers Ferry, WV for lunch at the Secret Six Pub and a look at John Brown’s Fort. That is where Brown made his stand against slavery in 1
859; at least until Lt. Colonel Robert E. Lee troops came in and wiped out the resistance. If John could do it over again, I bet you he would establish his fort on the high 
ground. We then hiked up to Jefferson Rock where in 1783 Thomas Jefferson described this location as “perhaps one of the most stupendous scenes in nature”. It is the point where the Potomac River meets the Shenandoah River and is set against the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Next stop was Arlington National Cemetery where we witnessed The Changing of The Guard at The Tomb of the Unknowns. The Tomb of the Unknowns is guarded 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and in any
weather. The Tomb Guard is changed every hour on the hour. The Tomb Guard marches 21 steps down the black mat behind the Tomb, turns, faces east for 21 seconds, turns and faces north for 21 seconds, then takes 21 steps down the mat and repeats the process. After the turn, the sentinel executes a sharp "shoulder-arms" movement to place the weapon on the shoulder closest to the visitors to signify that the sentinel stands between the Tomb and any possible threat. Twenty-one was chosen because it symbolizes the highest military honor that can be bestowed -- the 21-gun salute.
I last witnessed this ceremony while on an 8th grade school trip. It is a moving tribute that honors all American service members who are "Known But to God." To lighten things up, we drove over to the Georgetown area to walk the historical district and along the C & O Canal. Georgetown was formed in 1751 along the bank of the Potomac River in honor of King George II.
For dinner and a little nightlife, we drove back over the river to Old Town section of Alexandria, VA. After a seafood gumbo dinner at the Union Street Pub, we camped out at Murphy’s Irish Pub and joined in for rousing renditions of “O Danny Boy”.
The night was spent in the Officer Quarters at Bolling Air Force Base, which only reinforced my theory that the Army motto will one day become “Should’ve Gone Air Force”.
Saturday morning, Randy and I were joined by Major Gene for a road trip into DC. Gene is slated to be our Company Commander in Iraq and proved to be quite the tour guide. We stopped off in Harpers Ferry, WV for lunch at the Secret Six Pub and a look at John Brown’s Fort. That is where Brown made his stand against slavery in 1
859; at least until Lt. Colonel Robert E. Lee troops came in and wiped out the resistance. If John could do it over again, I bet you he would establish his fort on the high 
ground. We then hiked up to Jefferson Rock where in 1783 Thomas Jefferson described this location as “perhaps one of the most stupendous scenes in nature”. It is the point where the Potomac River meets the Shenandoah River and is set against the Blue Ridge Mountains.Next stop was Arlington National Cemetery where we witnessed The Changing of The Guard at The Tomb of the Unknowns. The Tomb of the Unknowns is guarded 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and in any
weather. The Tomb Guard is changed every hour on the hour. The Tomb Guard marches 21 steps down the black mat behind the Tomb, turns, faces east for 21 seconds, turns and faces north for 21 seconds, then takes 21 steps down the mat and repeats the process. After the turn, the sentinel executes a sharp "shoulder-arms" movement to place the weapon on the shoulder closest to the visitors to signify that the sentinel stands between the Tomb and any possible threat. Twenty-one was chosen because it symbolizes the highest military honor that can be bestowed -- the 21-gun salute.
I last witnessed this ceremony while on an 8th grade school trip. It is a moving tribute that honors all American service members who are "Known But to God." To lighten things up, we drove over to the Georgetown area to walk the historical district and along the C & O Canal. Georgetown was formed in 1751 along the bank of the Potomac River in honor of King George II.For dinner and a little nightlife, we drove back over the river to Old Town section of Alexandria, VA. After a seafood gumbo dinner at the Union Street Pub, we camped out at Murphy’s Irish Pub and joined in for rousing renditions of “O Danny Boy”.
The night was spent in the Officer Quarters at Bolling Air Force Base, which only reinforced my theory that the Army motto will one day become “Should’ve Gone Air Force”.
posted by Mission First at 3:09 PM
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The C-23 Sherpa is made by Short Brothers of Northern Ireland and modified for military use. The civilian version of the aircraft is called a Shorts 330 (SD3) and doesn’t have the aft cargo ramp. The Army uses the C-23 for cargo and passenger transport with paradrop and medical evacuation capability. With the need for operational security, I'm not able to get more specific.
