Rosy Glow - Happy Veteran's Day

By

Andrew DeMarco

On a recent trip to Virginia my wife and I decided to stop on the way home in Washington D.C. We had been to D.C many times but we felt we needed to make this stop especially since the government shutdown had just ended. The “District” as it is referred to is an incredible place in that it was the first city built to be a nation’s capital and quite ironically with all the nonsense going on in Washington the product of a compromise. To state it simply Alexander Hamilton’s supporters who consisted of bankers, financiers and merchants wanted the capital based in the northeast while Thomas Jefferson and his agricultural supporters preferred the south. Due to a detailed compromise which at the time benefited both sides the capital was carved out of both the north and south and the District was established.

This is where George Washington and Pierre L’Enfant built their city with the intent to “awe and inspire” and thus the capital building was built on the highest point to look out onto the country. But I digress and let me get to the real point of this Rosy Glow. My wife and I arrived on the National Mall via the Metro just in between the Capital and Washington Monument and since it was a beautiful fall day we decided to walk down the Mall to the Martin Luther King Memorial, since it was one memorial we had not yet seen. We started out on Constitution Ave, so we can get a view of the White House on the way, and then cut across to the World War II memorial.

We both had been to the World War II memorial before and although grand, it did not really awe and inspire us in the way the Vietnam or Korean War memorials  had. But this time was different and at first my wife and I could not tell why. Suddenly it came to us the memorial was filled with members of the “Greatest Generation.”  It seems that busloads of veteran’s from 4 states (Virginia, Ohio, North Carolina and Pennsylvania) were taking in their memorial. Many of these vets were in wheelchairs, had walkers and canes and were accompanied by their family members. They surrounded the fountain which is at the center of the memorial. This got me thinking about my father and my uncles who were members of this greatest generation and I have to admit I got “misty.” However the best was yet to come.

Suddenly in the background you could hear the roar of motorcycles and the distinct sound of Harley’s. Next thing you know Vietnam vets are pouring in through the Pacific and Atlantic Archway’s of the memorial carrying flags and lining up in front of the old-timers and saluted them, in what was to me the ultimate sign of respect. They then mingled and shook hands and hugged and at that point even my wife was losing it. When they were done it was amazing to watch the other visitors to the memorial, going up to these veterans and asking questions about their service and thanking them for their sacrifices.

Now remember this was just two days after the shutdown ended and maybe there is a lesson that those 535 members who work in that building that George Washington wanted them to be inspired by can learn from these vets. If those “535” had seen what my wife and I saw maybe they would be inspired to keep our memorials open during a future shutdown and to sacrifice their pay to do so, a minor sacrifice compared to those made by our veterans. Maybe they will be inspired to compromise, especially since they work in a city that was built due to a compromise. Maybe they would be awed by the camaraderie of men from different eras who share a common bond of true dedication and sacrifice to their country and inspire and respect one another and learn to work together for the benefit of everyone. Maybe they would learn that because of these vets they were given the privilege of serving “We the People.”

My wife and I did make it to the Martin Luther King Memorial and that will provide me with another Rosy Glow that I hope will awe and inspire.  In the meantime let me wish a Happy Veteran’s Day to Carmine Capozzola, Robert Capozzola, Chris Walsh, Joe Mariniello, Jim Fogarty, David D’Andrea,  Pete Ballo, Vincent Cartelli, Vincent O’Connell and anyone I know that I might have missed and to all you veterans out there, enjoy your day. Know this, that after seeing what we saw that day at the World War II Memorial, George and Pierre would be proud because their vision for their city, our city and country did indeed awe and inspire and also gave me and my wife that feeling that Cousin Bob (another veteran) would call that …. Rosy Glow.