D.C. and Hawaii 2020
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Lasting Legacy of World War II

Washington, DC and Hawaii

Hawaii 3/12

3/13/2020

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Our last on this wonderful trip! This two-week trip has been an excellent opportunity for our kids to further their knowledge of World War II and the impact it had on the world by going to some very important sites, museums, and memorials. To start our last day, we decided to take the kids on a nice hike to take in the scenic views of Oahu’s shore line.
 
At 8:00, we had the kids meet us in the lobby and make our way to the Makapu’u Point Lighthouse Trail. The trail was a relatively easy hike. The whole two miles up it was along a paved road, but stopped at some beautiful lookout points. Some lookouts gave us a beautiful view of Oahu, while others offered a look out into the Pacific Ocean and other islands of Hawaii. For some kids their favorite view came when they saw a whale’s tail pop out of the ocean! At the top of the hike, the view was breathtaking. At the very peak of the hike, there was a beautiful 360-degree view of Oahu where you could see Hanauma Bay, the islands of Maui and Moloka’i, and Koko Crater. There was also a section of our hike where the kids go to explore some abandoned army pillboxes that gave them a great and even higher view of Oahu. We got our hike in at the perfect time because of the weather. As we started to head back down the trail, a wave of fog started to come in followed with some overcast. Everyone was very happy that we got the hike in before the weather turned on us.
 
After the hike we made our way back to the hotel to change out of our hiking clothes and head to lunch before the United States Army Museum of Hawaii. The museum was a short walk from our lunch spot and it was a lot bigger than we first had expected. The museum is in the old building of Fort Derussy, which was built in 1911 and was known for its “disappearing guns” on the base. The museum was very interesting as it took our kids through the history of the U.S. Army in Hawaii but also what Hawaii was like before the annexation with the United States. The museum had a very extensive World War II collection, as expected, and had a lot of interesting things in the museum from war bonds and pins, different types of American and Japanese weapons, and a fragment from a Japanese plane during the attack on Pearl Harbor.  The museum also had a great exhibit on the Medal of Honor recipients from Hawaii. On the outside balcony of the museum, they had a AH-1 Cobra helicopter on display, which was some of our kids favorite thing to see, and one of the “disappearing guns” that the fort was known for. The museum offered a to of information about the US Army for our kids to know about and had even more topics for our kids to learn about during World War II and beyond.
 
After the museum, we gave kids time to write their final assignment for us which is to respond to a series of writing prompt and our guiding questions for this trip. The questions were How should we remember the past? What impact do memorials and monuments have on the way we think about History? We also have them writing about which monuments, memorials, or museums they found to be the most impactful and why. We are very excited to read their responses to it!
 
For our last meal together, we took the kids to the well-known Duke’s Restaurant, where we got to sit on the beachside patio and soak in our last night. This was a great chance for our kids to interact with each other and enjoy a really nice meal in out last night in Waikiki.
 
Tomorrow we have a bit of a sleep-in day before we head over to the airport for our flight back home. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the parents. Given the climate of everything surrounding COVID-19 and a switch of plans for Vietnam, we want to thank you all for your patience and understanding in us switching plans for this trip. We also want to thank you for having such great children! We had a blast with this group and we truly couldn’t have asked for a better group to travel with. We hope you all have a safe and healthy spring break!


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Hawaii 3/11

3/12/2020

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Today was one of our more laid-back days so far on this trip. We used today to explore the different things that Oahu has to offer, the well-known Aloha Stadium Swap. We started the day with a bit of a sleep in and meet in the lobby at 9:30 to get breakfast and get to Aloha Stadium. For those who don’t know, Aloha Stadium is the home field of the University of Hawaii Rainbow Warriors and home of the NFL Pro Bowl game.
 
When we arrived at the stadium, we saw the line of local vendors stretched out around the outskirts of the parking lot. It was really amazing to see all of the local clothing, jewelry, food, and art that was put out on display and for sale to everyone. The most common shops along the market were t-shirts and the famous Hawaiian shirts, the Hawaiian shirts were by far the most common purchase of the day with our chaperones and our kids. One of the local vendors was even selling a tie with the Iwo Jima statue on it which was pretty cool, Mr. Grassi regrets not getting the tie. Harrison day might have had the purchase of the day with a red and gold kimono, black and silver changshan shirt, and a giant pair of circular sunglasses. Emme Wooley wrote about her experience at the swap meet, “After we got breakfast we went to a huge flee market. It was really cool, because there were all types of Hawaiian food and treats, homemade necklaces and rings, and funky t-shirts. I spent most of the day walking with Henry, Mila, Walker, and Luke. Henry gave me a dollar so I could buy a cool bracelet that says ‘Hawaii’ on it… Today was a really fun day!”
 
 
After the swap meet, we stood a scenic drive up to the renowned North Shore of Oahu. The North Shore is known for it’s beautiful landscape, amazing beaches, and the famous Dole Plantation (which we passed on our drive up). Our destination of our North Shore road trip was Waimea Bay. The beach at Waimea Bay was beautiful and lined with golden sand. The water was a whole different beast than what we have been used to. The water had a very strong current and at times felt like it was throwing us around like it was nothing. Thankfully all of our kids did a great job of not going out too far and recognizing when it couldn’t be dangerous with the undertow. The whole time on the beach everyone kept amused with either tanning, trying to body surf the waves coming in, and throwing the football. This was a lot of fun for our group and was just what we all needed. Ryan Capozucca talked about his time back in the North Shore, “I have been to the North Shore before and it is one of my favorite places in the whole world. I love all of the surfing history there and the evolution of surfing that has taken place at Waimea Bay and the rest of the North Shore. When we stated to get close there were mountains on one side and on the other side was the ocean. When I saw the ocean, I could remember when I was here last and how amazing it was. I love all things about the ocean and the North Shore is known as one of the greatest stretch of beach and waves in the whole world.
 
 
After the beach trip, we made our way to dinner to a local taco place called Killer Tacos. We filled up on tacos, burritos, chips and guacamole. It was the perfect way to fill our stomachs after a long day in the sun. Tomorrow will be our last full day here in beautiful Hawaii. To savor the last full day, we will be going out early at 8:00 am for a hike then end the afternoon at the Hawaii Army Museum Society to close out our in-depth look into World War II. We look forward to ending Hawaii on a high note and check back in tomorrow to see our last day recap!!

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Hawaii 3/10

3/11/2020

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Today we hit the ground running with an early wake up before heading back to Pearl Harbor to the USS Missouri and USS Bowfin. Before our trip back to Pearl Harbor, we made our way to Lox n’ Bagel which is a bagel restaurant where our kids got a variety of bagels with cream cheese, BLTs, BEC (bacon, egg, and cheese), and the always popular toasted bagel with butter. The Lox n’ Bagel had a variety different kinds of bagels and different colors as well. The two colorful options of bagels were tarro bagels, which had a purple color to them, and a strawberry bagel, which had a pink-reddish tone to it. After we ate of fill of bagels and breakfast sandwiches, it was finally time to head back to Pearl Harbor.
 
 
Having another day at Pearl Harbor was a must after a long day at the USS Arizona yesterday. There is so much to do and see that we thought it would be best to take our time with the USS Missouri and USS Bowfin on their own today. Our first stop was the USS Missouri. We took a shuttle from the welcome center at Pearl Harbor to Ford Island, which is still an active U.S. military base. As we passed through the security checkpoint, you could see the Missouri getting bigger and bigger. When we got to the entrance of the ship, it was astonishing to see how massive the ship is. It seemed to go up and tough the sky from standing right at the bottom of it.
 
On the USS Missouri, we took a free 35-minute guided tour of the ship that showed us all of the famous stories and facts about the ship. One of the reasons why we took the kids on this ship is because of a very important piece it played in to end World War II. On the USS Missouri, the formal surrender of the Empire of Japan was signed on its deck. There were amazing pictures all around the deck, showing General MacArthur and the representatives of Japan sitting at the desk and signing the treaty to formally end World War II. To commemorate the signing of the treaty, the ship has a giant brass casting where the desk originally was. After the tour we got to explore the ship on our own and were able to go below deck to check out all of the different sections of the ship. Mila Bostick talked about some things that stood out to her during our trip to the Missouri, “We got to look through the whole inside of the ship which was really interesting to see how the navy sailors were living and doing so in such cramped conditions. Seeing Mr. Strawson trying to get around the ship showed how hard it must have been for the soldiers the get through. The beds had no space and there were three stacked on top of each other.”
 
 
After the USS Missouri, we crossed back into the main area of Pearl Harbor to go see the USS Bowfin. The USS Bowfin was a submarine used by the United States Navy. It was dubbed as the “Avenger for Pearl Harbor” because it was launched exactly one year after the Pearl Harbor attack. For the Bowfin, we were able to walk through the submarine and see what life on a submarine was like. We walked through the torpedo room, control room, engine room, the kitchen, and the bunks for the crew. It was amazing to see how many sailors were able to cram into a submarine and be able to live there for months on end. Lorenzo Lauria talked about his time in the USS Bowfin, “Being in the submarine (USS Bowfin) was a really cool experience. They had all types of gun turrets on top of it. We got to go inside of the submarine and it was really tight as the walls weren’t very wide. Also, the bunkers inside the submarine were really small and close together. Other than that, my overall experience at Pearl Harbor was really educational and intriguing.”
 
The past few days had Pearl Harbor have been extremely special for our group. We all got to learn so much about the events that happened on December 7, 1941 and the ever-lasting impacting of those decisions made on that day. We are all very proud of our students for how they have conducted themselves trip with being in so many memorials and logging in so many miles walked. Check back in tomorrow for the recap of the day!


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Hawaii 3/9

3/10/2020

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Today was one of our busier days of the trip. We started with an early wake up and met the kids at 8 am to go on a hike of Diamond Head State Monument. Diamond Head is a giant crater that expands over 350 acres and offers up some of the most beautiful views of Honolulu. The pictures below do not do the views justice! Diamond head also has some military significance to it. In 1905, the U.S. government purchased the crater and developed it into Fort Ruger. There are tunnels all in the crater and some of them lead to old Army bunkers that offer beautiful views of the Hawaii coastline. Our kids did an excellent job on the hike and went through it at a great pace! We also got some great pictures of the kids at the very top of the hike that are below!
 
After the hike, we stopped at Diamond Head market to pick up some much-needed breakfast after completing the hike. The hole-in-the-wall breakfast stopped gave us delicious meals like French toast, pancakes, egg platters, and fried rice breakfast combinations. All of which were so delicious and fueled us up to continue the rest of the day!
 
For the second half of the day we journeyed a half-hour north of Honolulu to visit Pearl Harbor and the USS Arizona Memorial. Pearl Harbor is one of the most famous locations when one thinks about World War II. When you think about how the United States entered World War II, you immediately think of December 7, 1941 and the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. It was erie walking into the welcome center at Pearl Harbor. The memorial center is open with different information panels that talk about the different ships on Battleship Row, museum exhibits on the attack and the aftermath of the attack, the names of every person that was killed during the attack, and so much more. Before heading to the USS Arizona Memorial, we lined up to watch a mandatory 25-minute video that goes over everything that happened leading up, during, and after Pearl Harbor. It was a well-done documentary to help provide our kids more background information of Pearl Harbor and the impact and lasting legacy of it.
 
When we arrived to the memorial, it was almost breathtaking how beautiful the memorial is. Being able to look out of the memorial center and see the USS Arizona right below you and know how many people lost their life on and were trapped in that boat is something that is tough to put into words. You also don’t realize how big the USS Arizona was. Buoys on either side of it mark the 603 feet long boat and the memorial center marked its width at 108 feet. Along the back wall of the memorial was the list of names of the sailors who lost their life on the USS Arizona. In that room, you could hear a pin drop. Everyone fell silent when they realized how many people were killed on the USS Arizona. Bo Conannon reflected on his time at Pearl Harbor, “As I glanced over the harbor I was washed over with a sense of sadness and sorrow for the people that fought for our country and what they went through protecting our free rights. After I was able to learn about how Japan attacked them, and exactly where they attacked the U.S. I then continued to the movie room to witness the events that took place in real time on that tragic day on December 7, 1941.”
 
 
Tomorrow we actually will head back to Pearl Harbor to head to the USS Bowfin Museum and the USS Missouri. Check back tomorrow for more updates!!


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Hawaii 3/8

3/9/2020

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Today was our first full day here in Hawaii. We started off the morning with a little bit of a sleep in and had the kids meet us at 10 to go and grab breakfast. There were some early risers in the group that went to grab coffee at the Starbucks in the hotel and a bagel from the store next door. For breakfast, we went two blocks down to the IHOP restaurant to get our fill of eggs and pancakes! After eating our fill of breakfast foods, we went back to our hotel, our drivers for our snorkeling trip was waiting for us in the hotel parking lot.
 
Everyone was ready and eager to get going on snorkeling! On our way to the famous Hanauma Bay. Our drivers to the bay were great in explaining some of the history of the island of Oahu and showed us some famous sights around Hawaii like Diamomnd Head Crater, Stairway to Heaven hiking path, and even Jackie Chan’s house on the island! After a short 20 minute drive, we finally arrived at Hanauma Bay and the view was beautiful. The parking lot was on a ledge looking over the bay, so we got a good look to see the different areas we would be snorkeling and look over where the coral reefs were. As we made our way into the bay, we first had to watch a 15 minute video explaning the significance of Hanauma Bay. The video talked about how the bay is a nature preservative, which means that you can’t touch the animals, coral reef, and you can’t take anything out of the bay like shells, rocks, etc… Our kids did an excellent job with this! None of them stood on the coral reefs or touched any of the fish. We even spent almost two hours in the ocean snorkeling and exploring the marine life in the bay. Peter Bonczek talked about the snorkeling trip in his journal entry for that day, “Luke and I went exploring and during that time we saw so many different types of fish and also coral. I am so happy that I brought my GoPro because I don’t think I would have got the videos that I got. The thing that scared me the most was how I needed to cross over an area where the coral reef was so close to the water surface. I thought that I was going to cut my stomach, but I didn’t.”
 
 
After about two hours, it was time to make our way back to the busses to head back to the hotel. It was safe to say that everyone was very tired from the snorkeling trip and underestimated how much of a workout it can be! When we got back to the hotel we allowed the kids to start their journal entries for the day and take naps before heading to dinner tonight. For dinner we made our way to the Waikiki Yokocho Japenese Food Hall. This food hall is on the bottom floor of the Waikiki Mall which only has authentic Japanese cuisine restaurants. There were different things to pick out between dumplings, ramen dishes, sushi, much more! The most common dish picked by our kids were the ramen dishes!
 
Tomorrow we have a busy day with an early morning hike of Diamond Head hiking trail and a trip to Pearl Harbor and the USS Arizona. Check in tomorrow for more updates!


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Hawaii 3/7

3/9/2020

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We are off and running on our journey to the island of Oahu! Today might have been the first time we had the whole group in the lobby on time for our taxi’s to the airport, big thanks to Ms. Fenton for schedule wake up call to all of our rooms at 3:30 am! By 4:15 am, we were out of the Hilton Garden Inn, piled up in our taxis, and headed for our 7:00am flight out of Dulles!
 
Everything went by very smoothly on our journey to the big island. We caught some great headwinds on our first leg of our flight to LAX and made it to our gate almost an hour earlier than expected. That gave us plenty of time to get our fills of lunch and/or breakfast depending on how we were feeling after the time adjustment! Our layover at LAX was nice and easy as we were just going back on the same plane we arrived on, so we didn’t have to worry about changing gates or running to catch another flight which was very nice. While at LAX, we had the kids re-up on their favorite plane snacks, a good mix between savory and sweet snacks is always the way to go, and plenty of water as we head on the next leg of our trip. With only another 6-hour flight left, it was easy to see the excitement on the faces of the kids. For most, it is their first time going to Hawaii so the jittery excitement is very understandable! The last leg of the flight consisted of a lot of naps, snacking, and movies to make the time go by as fast as it can. Good thing Alaskan Air provides a great selection of movies for us to watch! 
 
Six hours later we finally arrived on the big island of Oahu! Our arrival brought great weather along with it! When we touch down, it was high 60s to low 70s, sunny, with beautiful views all around us. After some much-needed time of un packing and going out for dinner, we thought a nice low key night was much needed after a long day of travel. To get us settled in here in Hawaii, tomorrow we do some snorkeling!


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Washington, D.C. 3/6

3/7/2020

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Our last day in D.C.! We started our last day in the nation’s capital with a little bit of a late start at 9:30 and made our way to our favorite breakfast stop, Orange Spoon. Some of us decide to veer off from the usual breakfast sandwich and got avocado toast, French toast, and dipped into the fruit bar. After breakfast we started our journey to Chantilly, Virginia to go to the famous Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. The Udvar-Hazy Center is part of the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum that houses some of the most famous aircrafts in history.
 
As we made our way around the massive hangers, we all got to witness so much history in regards to aviation. One of the main attractions, especially to World War II history, was the B-29 Superfortress named the Enola Gay The Enola Gay has so much significance to it because it was the plane that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima in August 1945. It was eerie to be in the presence of an aircraft that changed the world forever and it really makes you think if the United States should have used the atomic bomb on Japan… Other than the Enola Gay, the hanger’s had the different types of fighter planes used by both the Allied and Axis Powers during the war. There were various planes used by the United States, Japan, and Germany. It was so interesting to see the changes in aviation and combat planes from WWII to the Cold War and compare it to the planes now. We also issued a challenge to our kids to take a picture with only plane in the museum that was stationed in Pearl Harbor during the attack. Harrison Day, Dontae Thomas, Peter Bonczek, and Ryan Capozucca were the only ones successful in their scavenger hunt! Andrew Cox wrote about a particular plane in the museum that really caught his eye, “Today at the Air and Space Museum I saw many planes that have been around for centuries. One plane that I saw was the Kugisho MXY7 Ohka Model. The plane was made by the Japanese for war. The plane was meant for pilots in the navy who had minimal training. The plane would be dropped from a high altitude. The pilot would direct the plane, to aim for an aircraft carrier.”
 
 
After the trip home from the Udvar-Hazy Center, we journeyed home to allow some time for everyone to get packed up for our early flight in the morning. As the kids packed, we ordered them pizza and got them excited for a night at the Washington Wizards game. With as little free time as the kids had in D.C., we thought it would be a great bonding trip between the kids to watch the Washington Wizards face off against the Atlanta Hawks. It was so much fun to see the kids enjoy the game with each other and collect their free fanny packs and shirts they got upon entrance to the arena. For some of our group it was their first time at an NBA game and arena, so it was awesome to see them experience it for the first time. It was also a bonus to watch a good basketball game and a Wizards win!
 
Tomorrow we have a very busy day with an early wake up for a 7:00 am flight to Los Angeles to start our first leg of the trip. In our first blog post, all of the airline times and flight numbers are on it for you to get updates and track our flights. Check back in tomorrow to read about our first day in beautiful Hawaii!!


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Washington 3/5

3/5/2020

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Today, our morning started a little later than usual with a 10:00 am wake up. The kids loved to have a bit of a sleep in today to get their batteries recharged for a long day of walking. To start our day we went to breakfast at the same place as yesterday and the kids ate their fill of breakfast sandwiches and grinders. After breakfast we made our way to the Dupont Circle station to make our way across town to see the National Japanese American Memorial.
 
The National Japanese American Memorial serves a memorial to Japanese Americans that were held in internment camps during World War II. While there, we had the kids read printed out information posters in groups to know the background behind the internment camps. The center piece of the memorial was this beautiful statue of two cranes with barbed wire around them and in their mouths. Surrounding the cranes were names of the locations of the internment camps and how many people were detained in them. There were also quotes scattered around the memorial that related to Japanese internment that were quoted from President Truman, President Reagan, former detainees, and family members of those detained in the interment camps. When we got back to the hotel in the afternoon we posed them a very thought-provoking question regarding Japanese Internment. The questions were, “Do you feel that the Americans had their own concentration camps with the Japanese Internment Camps and was it constitutional? Was the American Government right to segregate and remove Japanese Americans from their families and homes? What is more important national security or personal liberty?” Andrew Pecora had a very interesting take in his reflection of the memorial, “The Japanese American Memorial was very interesting. I don’t think separating the Japanese from the rest of the country was the right thing to do. I can’t imagine what being a Japanese American was like in the time of WWII. I think it would be similar to what Middle Eastern American experienced after 9/11. I think even though there was a war between the U.S. and the empire of Japan, Japanese Americans should not have been treated the way they were.”
 
 
After the memorial, we made our way to lunch before the Chinese American Museum. On the way there, the group got into a good debate on condiments. The question was “If you could only use one condiment for the rest of your life, what would it be?” This really split the group up as Ms. Fenton and Ryan Capozucca went with ketchup, Luke Fitzpatrick went with hot sauce, and Mr. Strawson and several others went with honey mustard. As we started to talk about condiments, we figured it would be the perfect time to stop at Potbelly before the museum to get our fill of sandwiches. After lunch, we explored the Chinese American museum. In the exhibit, we read about how European Jews were fleeing Nazi occupied areas to Shanghai, China and how they assimilated into life in Shanghai. Along with reading first hand accounts, we got to see the stories of Chinese American women serving in the armed forces during World War II and the impact they had. It was so great to hear how interested the kids were in a story that some of them never knew about.
 
We have our last day in D.C. tomorrow where we will be going to the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center to go look at real World War II aircrafts, including the famous “Enola Gay”. Check back in tomorrow for more updates!


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Washington 3/4

3/4/2020

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This morning we started with an early wake up to get a move on to Arlington National Cemetery. We started off by walking around the corner to a breakfast place that had a variety of options from breakfast plates, breakfast sandwiches, chicken and cheese grinders and poke bowls. Yes, one of our kids had a poke bowl for breakfast. After breakfast we made our way to the Foggy Bottom metro station and took the blue line over to Arlington National Cemetery.
 
On Tuesday night, we gave the kids the assignment they had to complete for the day today. They had to pick a name out of a hate that represents someone who is buried in Arlington and has a connection to World War II. While in the cemetery, they had to take a picture of the headstone and then create a 5-slide presentation about their person. While at Arlington, the kids got to see the notable grave sites of John F. Kennedy and the Kennedy family, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, various members of the Tuskegee Airmen, James Dootlittle and other Medal of Honor recipients. Along with their assignments, the kids had the chance to see the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. A lot of kids, and even the adults, sat and watched silently at the changing of the guard and were amazed by it not only because it is one of the biggest attractions there, but how everything was done with a purpose and was precise to the smallest detail. Dontae Thomas reflected on his time at Arlington, “ I will forever understand the roles they (soldiers buried at Arlington) played into making life what it is now for all of us. They have made the ultimate sacrifice to make the generations behind them better forever.”

After Arlington, we hopped back on the Metro to get some much-needed lunch and down time. Half of us rushed into Chopt, which is a salad food chain, and the others went into B, which is a burger place. We enjoyed the beautiful weather outside by the Navy memorial and ate our lunch across from the National Archives. After lunch we made our way through the Smithsonian Museum of American History, where we went through exhibits about D-Day, World War II, World War I, Vietnam War, Pop Culture, History of Food, and much more! The kids even got to see the original flag that was the inspiration of the Star-Spangled Banner from Fort McHenry.
 
Today was the most tiring day for all of us as we all walked about twelve miles in total today! Tomorrow will be a bit of a sleep-in day tomorrow before we head to the Japanese American National Memorial to learn more about Japanese internment during World War II and the Chinese American Museum to learn about the story of Shanghai taking in Jewish refugees during the Holocaust. Check back tomorrow for more updates!


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Washington, D.C. 3/3

3/3/2020

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Today was a very exciting day as we started our first trip to the museums around D.C. We started off with one of the best museums there with the United States National Holocaust Museum. Before going to the museum, we made a quick stop for bagel sandwiches and some much-needed coffee. After filling up, we made our journey across the national mall to the Holocaust Museum.
 
As soon as we walked into the museum, there was a type of aurora that was felt by everyone. As we made our way to the start of the exhibits, picked up the “Identification Cards”, and got into the elevators, everyone got really quiet as the elevators opened to the first exhibit. We were all very impressed with everyone of our kids by how they took their time going through the exhibits and asked questions to us about the different things they saw. Harrison Day talked about a quote throughout the museum that really stuck with him, “This quote made me realize that staying quiet and not interfering with other nations' or people’s interests is bad for our world's society. We all need each other in order for our world to flourish. In the end, the thing I took away from this quote is that it is so important for people to look out for each other, no matter what background you come from. This quote made me think about how our world stands right now with our international peace organizations. It also helps me to better understand how important it is for something like this to never happen again.” Harrison was also on the receiving end of a random act of kindness. Harrison spent some time in the “Daniel’s Story” exhibit where he talked about the Holocaust with someone visiting. After having a 20 minute conversation, the man bought Harrison a book that asks and answers questions surrounding the Holocaust.
 
At the end of our museum walk, we had the privilege to talk to a Holocaust survivor. Alfred Munzer, who is a volunteer at the museum, had a booth where people could go up and hear his story about surviving during the Holocaust in Nazi occupied Amsterdam. We were briefly interrupted by the Austrian EU Minister to meet Mr. Munzer, but we still had time to ask questions. Luke Fitzpatrick asked an excellent question about if Mr. Munzer still had any anger or resentment towards the Nazis and the men who separated him from his family. With Alfred saying no, it really made our group think about forgiveness.
 
After the Holocaust Museum, we journeyed over to the Air and Space Museum to have lunch and to get ready to go through the exhibits. To our dismay we found out that all of the World War II planes and exhibits got moved to the Stephen Udvar Hazy Center, which is where we will be going on Friday. The kids really loved the flight simulators, where they were pilots and gunners with the object of the game to take out as many enemy planes as possible. The two winning groups with a high score of nine were Harrison Day + Emme Wooley and Walker Regalbuto +Will Brooks.
 
To finish the night off we brought the kids back to the apartment to write their daily journal entries and to rest up before dinner. Tomorrow we have a busy day with heading to Arlington National Cemetery in the morning and the Smithsonian Museum of American History in the afternoon. Check back tomorrow for more updates!



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