Washington DC

Over the weekend, Jed and I took our first family trip with Ellie to Washington DC. It wasn't just an ordinary family vacation, however, we were on a mission. A mission to be there for my grandpa who was a part of a group of Minnesota WWII Veterans that came to see the WWII Memorial in Washington DC.

Last year for spring break, Jed went to DC to explore for a few days and saw a few tour groups of veterans who were a part of a program designed to get all WWII vets to see the Memorial honoring them and their years of service. They fly veterans out to DC for a day, tour them around the city on charter buses, and provide meals and all other needs - with no financial cost to the veterans at all. Jed mentioned this to my grandpa after he was there for spring break, and who knew that about one year later, we would be there with him to be a part of such a special day.

Jed, Ellie, and I flew out to DC on Friday night, and met up with my grandpa around noon on Saturday. We accompanied him to the Women's Memorial. It brought tears to my eyes to see my grandpa get off of his bus full of reflection and happiness about what the day had already meant to him.

At the Women's Memorial, we got a picture of the four of us in front of the Minnesota flag. Ellie was cashed out for this part of the experience.


Then, we had to part ways for a little bit again, and we brought Ellie over to the Lincoln Memorial. Jed took this picture of her - she's kind of looking in the same direction as the Lincoln Statue...maybe we have a future president on our hands? Just kidding.


We met my grandpa back at the buses - they were dropping the veterans off at the WWII Memorial. This is the first time that he got to see Ellie awake. She loved seeing and spending time with her great-grandpa - GG.

The veterans were all assembled for a picture. It really struck me as they were all posing in salute as taps were being played that this is such a huge part of history that I was getting to witness. I think that today's generation has no idea exactly what it was like for these fine men and women to go through what they did with war and the sacrifices and hardships that they had to face. I know that I don't. But, this put things in perspective for me, even just if it was for a few thought provoking moments.


How proud I am of my grandpa and for the others that served and continue to serve our country. What an amazing thing to be a part of such a day of honor for my grandpa!