Recent Arlington Cemetery Visit and Upcoming Corregidor Trip
Nov 24, 2013 12:38:19 GMT 8
beirutvet likes this
Post by rlbj25 on Nov 24, 2013 12:38:19 GMT 8
November 10 was a beautiful Fall day in the DC area, so with my parents in town and my son's 1st birthday party taken care of on the 9th, we decided to make a trip to Arlington Cemetery. My good friend and Arlington expert was with us, so we had the opportunity to visit several important graves and sites, several of which were Pacific war significant. I'll share a few photos here, but more can be seen at s1168.photobucket.com/user/rlbj25/library/Arlington%2011-10-13?sort=6&page=1
Our first stop was Renee Gagnon, one of the raisers of the second flag on Mt. Suribachi (the Rosenthal photo). While there we had the chance to chat with a Marine Vietnam veteran who happened to be nearby.
We then made our way to the Lee's Mansion area, where a friend of mine, Adm. Robert Craighill is buried on a spot with an incredible view of DC and the Pentagon. A church I attended in Arlington in the '90s had been more-or-less formed by WWII veterans and I had the opportunity to meet many. I was referred by one to Father Craighill, who was 91 at the time and retired, but lived nearby. I was fortunate to spend many afternoons with him. He relayed his memories of being a small man with scoliosis trying to get into the Naval Academy (which he did), his first cruise on the then-new carrier Lexington, serving as the AA gunnery officer on the USS Vincennes, with a front row seat to the Doolittle Raid, Midway, and Savo Island, and then commanding the destroyer USS Brown off Okinawa where she would be the only one of the original picket destroyers to escape major damage, his expert ship handling during one attack earning him the Navy Cross.
One more photo I'd like to share here that I'm sure will be of interest to everyone- the final resting place of Col. Edwin Ramsey. I witnessed his internment from a distance back in June, where I was able to briefly meet Victor. This was my first chance to return and now the headstone is in place.
Other photos include Lee Marvin, Joe Louis, and Pappy Boyington, all of whom are located within feet of each other. We also found memorials to the American Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor and the 511 PIR, which fought in Manila.
I have it on my to-do list to do an Arlington visit just for Philippines veterans. If anyone has any suggestions or requests, please let me know.
On another note, I am excited to be returning to the Philippines in 3 weeks. While I will be mostly in Quezon Province for the holidays, I have set aside 3 days to visit Corregidor on the 20th thru 22nd. EXO and fots2 have been kind enough to share their expertise, which is much appreciated. If anyone else plans to be there at the same time, please let me know.
Our first stop was Renee Gagnon, one of the raisers of the second flag on Mt. Suribachi (the Rosenthal photo). While there we had the chance to chat with a Marine Vietnam veteran who happened to be nearby.
We then made our way to the Lee's Mansion area, where a friend of mine, Adm. Robert Craighill is buried on a spot with an incredible view of DC and the Pentagon. A church I attended in Arlington in the '90s had been more-or-less formed by WWII veterans and I had the opportunity to meet many. I was referred by one to Father Craighill, who was 91 at the time and retired, but lived nearby. I was fortunate to spend many afternoons with him. He relayed his memories of being a small man with scoliosis trying to get into the Naval Academy (which he did), his first cruise on the then-new carrier Lexington, serving as the AA gunnery officer on the USS Vincennes, with a front row seat to the Doolittle Raid, Midway, and Savo Island, and then commanding the destroyer USS Brown off Okinawa where she would be the only one of the original picket destroyers to escape major damage, his expert ship handling during one attack earning him the Navy Cross.
One more photo I'd like to share here that I'm sure will be of interest to everyone- the final resting place of Col. Edwin Ramsey. I witnessed his internment from a distance back in June, where I was able to briefly meet Victor. This was my first chance to return and now the headstone is in place.
Other photos include Lee Marvin, Joe Louis, and Pappy Boyington, all of whom are located within feet of each other. We also found memorials to the American Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor and the 511 PIR, which fought in Manila.
I have it on my to-do list to do an Arlington visit just for Philippines veterans. If anyone has any suggestions or requests, please let me know.
On another note, I am excited to be returning to the Philippines in 3 weeks. While I will be mostly in Quezon Province for the holidays, I have set aside 3 days to visit Corregidor on the 20th thru 22nd. EXO and fots2 have been kind enough to share their expertise, which is much appreciated. If anyone else plans to be there at the same time, please let me know.