My family had a great week in Washington DC! As I had mentioned before, I had never been to our nation’s capital. It had been a long time since Ann went in grade school. I also wanted to make sure we gave our kids an opportunity to see the nation’s capital while we still had a bit of their attention. (The distracting teen years are about to begin in earnest!)

I took a lot of photos. We were lucky enough to tour the White House, get a private tour of the Capital, the White House (that is us at the White House above), the Air and Space Museum, the American History Museum, the FBI building, the Spy Museum, National Archives, Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials. It was an overload of history. It was overwhelming to stand in the same place as many had through history. There were many buildings that we did not get to see. Perhaps another visit.

On our final day we visited the Vietnam Veteran Memorial.

We live in Winchester, NH. Before we left, I learned that two soldiers from Winchester died in Vietnam. I copied down their names hoping that we would have the time to find them on Vietnam Veteran Memorial Wall which sadly lists over 50,000 names. Without a directory of where to find a name, we would have been lost. Luckly there is a directory that will lead you to the panel and line where you can find a name.

We found both names.

I wanted to show my kids that war can hit close to home. I ended up showing myself how many have given their lives so that we can live in this great country.

-Kevin