Captain Cooper Goes to Washington

I [Jared] was TDY in Washington for the last two weeks ('TDY' is military jargon for 'business-trip') getting some specialized training on deployment-related psychological issues (e.g. PTSD, marital problems, amputee issues, etc.). Air Force, Army, Navy, and various guard units were represented, and it was interesting to see how different the approaches and mental health resources were between different branches of the military.

We toured a really fancy hospital that treated amputee veterans. One of the amenities was an indoor virtual shooting range where amputees could re-qualify on the M16 or M9. For better or worse, proficiency with weapons is a significant part of many soldiers' self-image, and regaining those skills (even with prosthetics) helps re-establish self-efficacy. In the picture below (top-center), you can see a C-shaped attachment which allows someone with a prosthetic-arm to hold an M16. On the weekend, I went to look at all the old buildings. I saw the Washington monument...

I saw a huge turd in front of the Washington Monument...

I saw the Great Emancipator. You have to get up early in the morning to get the cool Sun rays-on-the-Statue shot...

I saw the Vietnam War Memorial. For those who haven't been, it's an L-shaped wall which is widest at the angle, and narrows toward the ends. Notice how in the photo below, perspective and the increasing height combine to create an optical illusion of uniform height from end to middle.

Geeky, I know. Shut up.

I really liked the reflections and light in the pictures below, not bad for a camera phone!

There's no way to overstate the heavy, sober feeling at the wall. As you walk along its length, you see one name (on the shortest end of the wall) followed by five, then fifty, then hundreds, then thousands. The last few Americans had already been evacuated from Saigon by the time I was born, and it was still overwhelming. Notes and flowers from school children and surviving veterans line the bottom of the wall. I was particularly struck by the note pictured below, which reads "I see my name on this wall and my reflection and I imagine someone laying a flower in front of my name - Clark, 2009."

When the Vietnam War Memorial was first unveiled, many veterans thought it was too bleak and artsy, so a second Memorial was commissioned, depicting three soldiers marching near an American flag. The base of the flag represented the five branches of the military. The Marines keep their seal polished and clean. Ooh-rah!

On Sunday, I visited Arlington Cemetery. I broke away from the throngs of tourists, and found a nice hill with a tree and three memorials for Chaplains who were killed during World Wars I and II. I read a spiritual/patriotic talk, said a prayer, and reflected on the sacrifice of so many Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines.

I was overwhelmed by the number of museums, so I concentrated on the coolest one: the National Air and Space Museum! I saw the X-1, the Spirit of St. Louis, and the Apollo 11. I touched a moon rock, saw a Space Shuttle urine transfer tube (display only), and shook hands with one of the surviving Tuskegee Airmen (in the red jackets below). I was so excited about the Apollo 11 that I actually developed a lazy-eye!

I wore my uniform on the plane back to Texas. On the first leg, someone in 1st class bought me a cocktail (I politely explained that I never drank while in uniform), and on the second leg they bumped me up to 1st class! I never got that kind of treatment when I wore my work-clothes before I was commissioned!