Outdoors With The President

There are a few things that occasionally get in the way of my hunting and fly fishing; one of those was my recent class trip to Washington DC. Eight of my students along with my wife Vickie and another chaperone loaded an activity bus on November 9^th and headed west for the ultimate destination, our Nation’s Capital.

Early on the morning of November 10^th found us in Wheeling, West Virginia at the Cabela’s store located in the sliver of WV located between Ohio and Pennsylvania. We were greeted by our hosts for the morning, Sandy, as she toured our group around the store showing us the 5500 gallon aquarium, the African Wing, the Whitetail Wing, Alaskan Mountain and several other intriguing parts of an amazing store. The kids got to sample some fudge, shoot at a few ‘critters and finish up with a Cabela’s T-shirt that was sponsored by a fellow Edgewood teacher.

We hit the road at 10am and 3 ½ hours later pulled into Antietam National Battlefield. We were led in a Ranger led discussion of what types of clothes were worn during the time period of the Civil War. The discussion was very interesting and all attending learned much about the time frame and the tragic battle of Antietam that left over 23,000 dead or wounded in one day!

The next morning found us up early and on our way into Washington DC to visit Arlington National Cemetery. We started with a stop by the Marine Corps Memorial which is both awe inspiring and grandiose. The memorial commemorates the WWII battle of Iwo Jima; if you visit DC please make sure that this is a stop on your list.

We loaded up the bus and moved a mile or so up the road to Arlington and a very special Veteran’s Day service. The day was cold, blustery and brisk; it involved a quick walk up to JFK’s burial site along with a Visit to the Arlington House perched high atop the grounds…all before loading up in a shuttle bus to be swept to the top of the hill where we arrived amongst over 5,000 other American’s who were there to share one of those brilliant life altering moments.

There, our group of 11 sat, waiting along with the others….all just taking in the incredible patriotism that was pouring over the crowd. It was announced that the president was present and would soon lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The outdoor auditorium became very quiet as all knew that the President was ‘in the house’. The military band and men’s choir had already sung and played a few rousing songs…but in these few minutes this large crowd was quiet. The speaker approached the podium and in seconds, there before us, was our 44^th President of the United States, Barack Obama.

I must say that this was one of ‘those’ moments that a wave of spirit passed over me and quite frankly, I felt it pass over the entire crowd. The many American flags were being whipped around in the breezes of the morning as the President began to speak. I had heard that he was a brilliant speaker and will readily admit that this is in fact the case. He spoke of the many men that had put their lives on the line for our freedoms as well as the many that hadn’t ever made it home alive. He asked that all American’s strive to do their part. He told of a recent letter that he had received from a mother that had served in Viet Nam and had a son with Down’s Syndrome; her son couldn’t be in the military but desired to ‘serve’ his country and did so by helping a group of Veteran’s pick up trash on a stretch of road in his local community. This young man worked all day long and had only one question…he wanted to know if President Obama would be proud of him? It was obvious to all in attendance that the President was indeed proud of this young man. The story hit home with all and proved the point that everyone has the potential to do good….you just have to look for your opportunities.

I have spent many cold, blustery days in November hunting birds and catching fish but this was a day that I will long remember as I was able to share with our group of students a very special time of patriotism. I hope that you have visited and attended Arlington but if you haven’t, please adjust your finances as well as your schedule and make the journey to Washington DC. Grab your camera and set out as you for sure will Enjoy the Great Outdoors.