Proud to be an American
I decided to road trip with friends this past weekend up to our Nation's Capital. I wanted to see my good friend and Brother MechaSteve who lives in Fredericksburg, I wanted to see the National Museum of the Marine Corps and I wanted to spend time in the Capital on the Fourth of July.
The trip up was surprisingly fast, though we didn't really stop to have any side adventures. We got there Friday evening and had dinner in Fredericksburg. We woke up the next morning and headed to the NMMC and got there at 1000. The tour guide, a Marine Corps Sergeant Major was awesome and took us through some very nice exhibits. My favorite part of the tour was when he asked me where I was stationed. I politely and graciously explained that I wasn't a Marine yet but hoped to be after next summer. He said he worked at The Basic School which is where I'll be going after becoming an officer. My second favorite part was getting to meet an actual survivor of the Battle of Iwo Jima. My god. I can't even explain how incredible the experience was. The whole thing. I won't try here. It was powerful though.
The Capital was equally awesome. We got in around 1500 or so and dicked around in the Smithsonian for a while. Had some drinks at a bar called the Hawk and Dove and then went out onto the Mall to watch the show. There is nothing finer than being drunk and smoking a celebratory cigar on the National Mall on the Fourth of July and singing patriotic songs with your patriotic friends. I will go again next year, if I'm on Liberty.
The trip up was surprisingly fast, though we didn't really stop to have any side adventures. We got there Friday evening and had dinner in Fredericksburg. We woke up the next morning and headed to the NMMC and got there at 1000. The tour guide, a Marine Corps Sergeant Major was awesome and took us through some very nice exhibits. My favorite part of the tour was when he asked me where I was stationed. I politely and graciously explained that I wasn't a Marine yet but hoped to be after next summer. He said he worked at The Basic School which is where I'll be going after becoming an officer. My second favorite part was getting to meet an actual survivor of the Battle of Iwo Jima. My god. I can't even explain how incredible the experience was. The whole thing. I won't try here. It was powerful though.
The Capital was equally awesome. We got in around 1500 or so and dicked around in the Smithsonian for a while. Had some drinks at a bar called the Hawk and Dove and then went out onto the Mall to watch the show. There is nothing finer than being drunk and smoking a celebratory cigar on the National Mall on the Fourth of July and singing patriotic songs with your patriotic friends. I will go again next year, if I'm on Liberty.