DC Trip

What a week! Lily had so many 'firsts' this week that we're splitting 'blogging' duties. Lily traveled to the jungle of Northern Virginia for the first time this past weekend to help celebrate Liston's first birthday. Liston is the son of Tom (one of Dave's groomsman, for reference) and Cristy Goff. Details and pics on this to follow.....

But while we were celebrating AND getting to hang out with Uncle Chipper and Aunt Ashley, we took advantage of proximity and visited the WWII memorial. Construction of the monument began my last year at GW and due to the nature of things, I have not been back to see the finished product.

My grandfather was a WWII veteran from East Point, GA. I have such vivid memories of him telling of his time in the Army. I always loved his stories, and at a young age I remember trying to imagine what Italy and Africa are like.

He was awarded the Purple Heart and despite himself, his pride gleamed in his eyes when he would show it to us and tell how he came to receive it. I hope he would be pleased with the permanent symbol that honors what he and his fellow servicemen gave for this country.

A wonderful addition to this memorial is the registry of servicemen which can be found at http://www.wwiimemorial.com/ . It was such a treat to see Grandaddy (aka John Harkey) so young and handsome in his uniform.