Somewhere in the Middle East there is a mom fighting in a foreign war. The gunpowder smoke coagulating in her lungs, hearing the cries for help, and not knowing if she’ll ever see her 2 year old son again. Soldiers everywhere do this every day not knowing if they are going home ever to see their loved ones. They do this because they are selfless and are heroes. That’s why an American I believe in is made possible by the sacrifices of our military.…
Washington, DC is an amazing place. When I first went to DC, I was in shock of everything I saw including the historical places. The fact that the monuments and history is there is what makes the capitol such an awesome place to visit. The beautiful white walls made of marble and all of the people surrounding it was really a great sight. When I arrived at the location a strange feeling came over me. I was looking at history in a different level than before. When I think about a memorial, a word that comes to mind is remembrance. Seeing the statue of Abraham Lincoln made me think of history class and evoked thoughts of what it would have been like to be him or in his shoes.. I was surprised by how big the statue was and how grand Abraham Lincoln…
I grew up in Titusville FL, a small town know for being the perfect viewing spot to watch the space shuttles launch from Cape Canaveral. The town was so small I could walk from one end to the other with in an hour. My favorite thing to do was to walk to a nearby lake and relax with with my friends, we would fish and climbed tree for…
Hi Amber, great to "see" you in another class! Thank you and your family for the years of service. The military life has its own culture, but as you have mentioned the frequent moves allow you to experience numerous geographical locations and their cultures. My grandparents immigrated through Ellis Island from Scotland and I have been fortunate to visit where they lived several times.…
I am a “boot” adjusting to my new life in kilo company, and corporal has recently returned from a nasty deployment in iraq. He says that he is my father and that he knows what’s best. he kicks sand at me while i am timed to see how fast i can pick up all the yellow cigarette butts he dumped on the floor to “fix” my attention to detail and remind me of my ignorance, as he yells, “you are going to war soon, and I won’t be there to babysit you!” During the deployment workups in the states, we spent weeks patrolling, looking for something that we knew wasn’t real. Digging into defensive positions and waiting the night out for an enemy we knew would never come. Spending rainy nights in muddy holes, fearing what our leaders might do to us if we fell asleep. Firing machine guns, shooting rifles and launching grenades at little green targets…. All of it was just training ops.…
Saigon, a small city situated in South Vietnam, is where I grew up. It’s not a big city; however, its population has been growing rapidly in the past decade. New immigrants from different part of the country keep coming toward us for higher-paid jobs and modern technologies. Unlike the U.S, Vietnam is not a developed country. We have low standards living condition; some parts of the country even have no electricity; crimes and violations happen frequently because people want to escape from poverty; etc. Growing up in a country consisted of those characteristics, I was taught to be ambitious and to push myself hard enough to reach higher goals. It is the bad condition in my country that harbors my dreams to come to the US and to get access to…
The Civil War legacy still has an impact on Americans today. Today, most Americans look at the Civil War in an awe-inspired perspective. People try to skip over the blood and ugliness that resulted because of it, and instead try to focus on the courage and heroic deeds that soldiers performed. Many today are more likely to view the war as a fight for black freedom instead of for state’s rights, which is what it had previously been known for. The South still seems proud of the Confederate flag, even though it is the cause of a lot of controversy. Some people view it as part of their heritage. Certain topics of the Civil War are still well-known throughout society. Abraham Lincoln, the Gettysburg Address, and the Emancipation proclamation are all examples of what people associate with the Civil War. People try to remember iconic people and images like these, instead of the blood, gore, and hate that took place.…
When I walked up the stunning white marble steps, I began to reminisce about the incredible history behind this memorial and our 16th President. I pictured in my mind Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. on those steps, continuing the fight for equality started by President Lincoln. The solemn but buoyant environment surrounding the memorial gave me a chance to remember and honor Lincoln’s achievements and how he led us through one of the toughest times in America’s illustrious history, and I felt a greater connection to Lincoln as a whole. I have always admired Lincoln, but the beautiful placement and design of the memorial gave me a suitable shrine to my hero. In addition to this, my tour guide told many mny interesting facts about the memorial in general. Firstly, it was a long road for the memorial to be completed. The planning for the memorial began right after Lincoln’s assassination, but construction was halted for years because of disputes over the design and the outbreak of World War 1. In the end, it took nearly 50 years to create the memorial! Another interesting fact is that the location was very controversial, since some thought Potomac Park was a “swamp”. Also, Lincoln’s statue’s size was also increased from a paltry 12 feet to a towering monument 19 feet tall. In all, my trip to the Lincoln Memorial was an incredible experience that allowed me…
When you are someone’s support system you take on multiple roles that indirectly deteriorate your self preservation. Being a listener or a shoulder to cry on, requires sacrifices that, in the moment, you do not even recognize as imposing. Voluntarily and willingly being there for someone begins with the unwavering doubt that you and your own problems cannot and will not prevail over your person’s immediate crisis. Depending on the duration of your duty, a somewhat selfish thought of inconvenience is bound to surface. But, that wave of retraction is almost always combatted by a riptide of dedication and loyalty that brings you back to sea, where all you can do is tread. In turn, the suppression of self regarding issues regularly comes with a layer of obligation and a sting of bitterness.…
The night of April, 18, 1775 I was abruptly woken up by some random man running through Boston yelling “The British are coming, the British are coming!” I was not very happy of getting less than a hour of sleep. This weird man came through around 10:30 PM and woke everyone in the town from there sleep. At first when I heard him say that phase I did not know what he meant by it. I then gathered with my neighbors outside and was told if I wanted to fight the British I had to sign my name on the books in the city hall later that evening. When I went to that meeting later that night they told me to go home get a pound of bread a flask of water and my gun, and to also get a little rest and when the drums sound go stand on the green. So I went home and rested a little and then said my goodbyes to little Johnny and Benjamin. Until we all heard the drums. I then went with my…
My dad always told me that my imagination and ideas are wild. I never quite knew what he meant until a few years ago. Even though you may be terrified of certain things it is important to face them and widen your comfort zone and become fearless.…
"I don't know what to do. I have a husband and my family here, but the Nazis are taking power. I don't know if I can stay here any longer. I have heard about good things happening in America, so maybe I will go there," I explained to my family before I decided to leave my home country of Austria.…
First, and maybe the utmost important, why are we barraged with daily scenarios that have lies intermixed with the communication? Either Trump lied about the "real Purple Heart", or the retired veteran initially lied to Trump. Thye item handed to Trump was a copy!…
My experience this year in DC was more laid back than last year. I felt that I knew the basics of what we were going to do so I could enjoy it more. This is certainly not my first time going to DC, and not going to be last. I enjoyed most of the places we went to even though I have seen a good amount of it before, it is still good to go and learn some things I might not of learned the year before. I got to go to the White House this year as opposed to not going last year; however I did not get to see the Pentagon due to some problems on Cleveland’s side of the trip. We got to see many of the monuments and memorials including the Washington, Lincoln, Korean, World War II and Iwo Jima memorials. We also got to take in some of the experiences that you might see if you lived in Washington, DC yourself.…
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is the most outstanding national monument, viewed daily by thousands of people with both traditional views and modern opinions. This particular monument has influenced me by its unique atmosphere and the indelible mark it leaves on a person.…