D.C. Day 3: Honoring Our Military, Lincoln and Kyra

The American flag and the POW flag at the WWII Memorial

Sunday May 1st was our nicest day-- sunny, warm, and breezy.

We visited the World War II Memorial-- very nicely done, in a good location, a most fitting tribute to the men and women who went to battle for us.

The Battle of Midway, June 4-7, 1942

They had no right to win, yet they did, and in doing so they changed the course of a war... Even against the greatest of odds, there is something in the human spirit - a magic blend of skill, faith and valor - that can lift men from certain defeat to incredible victory.
- Walter Lord -

Steven and Sean stood in front of one of the fountains on the interior of the memorial, and you can see a very small Lincoln Memorial off in the distance. Sean's legs had mostly recovered from the day before so we walked from the World War II Memorial down to the Lincoln Memorial along the reflecting pool.

To prove we made it all the way down there, they stood in front of the Lincoln Memorial looking back toward where we had just walked from.

The Lincoln Memorial was impressive. I'd only seen photos before, and the "Great Moments With President Lincoln" at Disneyland.

We walked back toward the Capitol and walked by the Viet Nam Memorial. I took photos but did something bad with the camera so we don't have anything to show for it.

We walked down to the National Mall and went to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, which houses the Wright Flyer, the original plane the Wright Brothers flew at Kitty Hawk.

Then it was time to return to our hotel for the North American Brain Tumor Coalition reception to kick off Brain Tumor Action Week.

After Kyra died and before Steven was diagnosed, I used to volunteer for the coalition, I served on their website committee and used to help with some of the planning for their Brain Tumor Action Week events, but I'd never attended.

I got the opportunity to meet some of the people I've corresponded with for so long and it was an emotional experience. Sunday May 1st is also Kyra's birthday, she would have been fourteen.

We got to meet brain tumor patients, members of the coalition, and families of brain tumor patients, many of them bereaved.

Brain Tumor Action Week is an opportunity for people to get together and remember and honor those who have been afflicted with brain tumors and to lobby our legislators to support legislation that will further necessary research to find a cure.

We were given appointment times to meet with our representative, Randy Duke Cunningham, and our senators Boxer and Feinstein. We met another woman from California, who would be accompanying us to our visits and we received printed information to leave with their aides.

And we socialized and many hugs and tears were exchanged.

To be continued...

- Kathleen