granddaddy's trip of honor: the air force memorial and iwo jima

Since the World War II Memorial was built on the National Mall several years ago, WWII vets have been taking "Flights of Honor" in large groups to come see the monument and join in remembering the ones who never made it back.  Since my grandfather does better in the car (and, let's be honest, our whole family wanted to be there), my parents, my aunt, and my uncle drove up this past weekend so we could all take him to the Air Force Memorial, the Iwo Jima Memorial, the WWII Memorial, and the National Law Enforcement Officers' Memorial. 

He flew a B-24 Bomber over Europe during the latter half of the war, when he was just over 20 years old.  He originally wanted to fly a small fighter jet, but his legs were so long that the Army Air Forces needed men his height to work the rudders as pilots in the enormous bomber jets.  To his credit and with God's protection, he and his entire crew made it back home safely!  This was his first trip to any of these memorials, and it was just so special to share the experience with him.  Even though I drive and walk past these memorials everyday, they really never stop being moving.

The Air Force Memorial.

Dad and Granddaddy checking it out...

Washington, DC from the Air Force Memorial.  You can see Arlington Cemetery there in the middle, too.

Etching in the glass memorial wall.

This is supposed to represent a runway...

The Iwo Jima Memorial in Rosslyn.

If you're ever there, make sure you count the number of hands in the statue.  There are six men, but thirteen hands, because the thirteenth is meant to represent the hand of God!

  
It was so wonderful to hear all of Granddaddy's stories as we walked around the memorials.  So much more emotional than history class!  Come back tomorrow for our trip to the WWII Memorial!