The White House: This imposing building has symbolized the Presidency, the government of the United States, and the American people for well over two centuries. President George Washington was responsible for choosing the site for the Presidential residence located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. The first cornerstone was laid in October of 1792 and the building was completed in 1800 when President John Quincy Adams and his wife, Abigail moved in.

Grave of John F. Kennedy: Visiting the grave of John F. Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States, was a very poignant and emotional experience. There were some forty people standing around the gravesite but not a word was spoken. It was a very hot and still day and only the twittering of birds and chirping of crickets broke the profound silence.

During his term of office, President Kennedy visited Arlington National Cemetery many times - the last time on November 11, 1963, just eleven days before his assassination. Earlier, on a spontaneous visit to Arlington House, he had commented on the beautiful vista of Washington, D.C., saying, "I could stay here forever."

The gravesite overlooks the nation's capital with its magnificent monuments, and across the Potomac River, the view that the late president had admired earlier. Later, the President's two deceased children, Patrick Bouvier Kennedy and an unnamed infant daughter, were reinterred by his side.

Along the ellipse are inscribed quotations from President Kennedy's Inaugural Speech of 1961. His grave lies on a slightly elevated terrace, marked by a marble tablet which simply proclaims:

John Fitzgerald Kennedy
1917-1963

Kennedy's legacy lives on four decades later while an eternal flame continues to illuminate his final resting place. The grave of his wife, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, is next to his. Nearby is the grave of his brother, Robert Francis Kennedy (1925-1968), also the victim of an assassin.

Lincoln Memorial: The Lincoln Memorial is a tribute to President Abraham Lincoln and the nation he fought to preserve during the Civil War (1861-1865). The Lincoln Memorial was built to resemble a Greek temple. It has thirty-six Doric columns, one for each state at the time of Lincoln's death. Inscribed on the south wall of the monument is the Gettysburg Address. Etched into the north wall below the mural is Lincoln's second inaugural speech.

This 19-foot marble statue depicting President Abraham Lincoln (1812 - 1865), dominates the Lincoln Memorial. Created by Daniel Chester French, the leading American sculptor of the day, it was dedicated in 1922. The statue's inscription reads, "In this temple as in the hearts of the people for whom he saved the Union the memory of Abraham Lincoln is enshrined forever."

Washington Memorial: George Washington earned the title "Father of his Country" in recognition of his leadership in the cause of American independence. With the erection of this monument, the citizens of the United States show their enduring respect to their first President.

 

Vietnam Wall: Congress authorized a plan to create a Vietnam Veterans Memorial that would honor the nation's fallen warriors without commenting on the reasons for or against the Vietnam War. Examining hundreds of prospective designs, Yale University student Maya Ying Lin was given the assignment for her black marble wall with the name of each serviceman who died during the Vietnam War. Lin's design was a black granite angled wall with the names of all the veterans who died in Vietnam.

Commonly referred to as "The Wall", the Vietnam Memorial was built in 1982. Each section of the Wall is nearly 248 feet long and made of black granite with 57,939 names inscribed in one-inch tall lettering. More names have been added to the Wall since 1982 as the remains of those missing in action are identified and returned to their families in the United States for proper burial. One end of the wall points toward the Washington Monument and the other points at the Lincoln Memorial. This memorial truly gives visitors pause for thought.

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