Day 6

Happy Birthday Cherokee!! This morning we visited the Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial, and Arlington National Cemetery. At the FDR Memorial our PA Michelle explained to us that the four rooms with the memorial represent his 4 terms at president. This was because He wanted a memorial that was no bigger than his desk. So his memorial was to focus on his presidency, not just on him. We all wanted to take so many pictures that we left eight minutes late, Marietta and Michelle weren’t pleased. At the Arlington National Cemetery, our amazing tour guide pointed out vast amounts of information about the cemetery. He showed us all the sections within the cemetery that were just for: the Vietnam War, World War II, Nurses, Civil War, and a section for unknown soldiers. And very detailed information on how the cemetery was formed. Every direction you looked there were tombs and markers and in the newer sections they were aligned perfectly. After that we went to see the changing of the guards at the Tomb of The Unknown Soldier. It was absolutely still and silent while we watched them, with exception of cameras clicking like crazy. I was personally awed by the dedication and commitment the guards have to their job. Next thing we visited in the cemetery was the John F Kennedy Memorial. We saw the eternal flame and the graves of the Kennedy Family. At the top of the steps at the JFK Memorial we also had a little surprise. Someone had puked and it hadn’t been cleaned up yet. YUCK!
This afternoon we had bill writing workshops, and the Derby. The Derby was when everyone went outside and we all played games and burned off some energy for an hour. We played bucket ball, ships and sailors, sharks and minnows, and queen of the courts. It was a lot of fun but it sooooooo humid so we all sweated! We also got our briefing for Capitol Hill Day tomorrow and we are all very excited :-)!

Elaina Haberer
Russell County