Veterans Day is coming up, with parades and solemn observances you can attend in Washington, D.C., and elsewhere around the nation. You just have time to make your travel plans with a little help from the Internet.
www.arlingtoncemetery.org
www.va.gov/opa/vetsday
Just outside Washington, D.C., in northern Virginia, Arlington National Cemetery will be the site of a ceremony in honor of present and past military personnel on Nov. 11. Details on the ceremony can be found at the Department of Veterans Affairs Web site for Veterans Day under “National Ceremony.” The VA Web site also has history of the holiday, resources for kids and other information.
While you’re at Arlington, you can visit the Tomb of the Unknowns, the graves of President John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy, the Space Shuttle Challenger Memorial and others. “Visitor Information” is right at the top of the cemetery Web page, and you might also want to click on “Historical Information” for details on some of the people buried here.
tinyurl.com/2m3d72
Arlington is just one of the memorials that will be a focus of Veterans Day in northern Virginia. The state’s official travel Web site has a handy outline of events with links to Web sites, including the Air Force Memorial next to Arlington Cemetery and the Freedom Museum at Manassas. For travel information and places to stay, go to the top of the page and click on “Virginia is for Lovers” to get to the home page of the state travel Web site.
www.nps.gov/vive
tinyurl.com/2yr3sk
Inside Washington, D.C., spend some quiet moments at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and attend the wreath-laying ceremony on Veterans Day. On Nov. 10, Vietnam Veterans of America is holding a parade for the 25th anniversary of the dedication of the Wall.
dc.about.com/od/hoildaysseasonalevents/a/VeteransDay.htm
The Wall is among several places in Washington, D.C., where observances will be held. The folks at About.com have put together a guide with times.
www.washington.org
Learn your way around Washington, D.C., with help from the maps at the city’s official Web site for visitors and click on “Visitor Information” to get their guides to hotels, restaurants and sightseeing. Click on “What To Do” and then “Attractions” for connections to the Smithsonian and other museums, plus historic places and military sites such as the Iwo Jima Statue.
You can also honor the nation’s defense heritage by visiting one of the many armed services museums.
www.usmcmuseum.org
www.army.mil/CMH/Museums/links.htm
tinyurl.com/3cqrtg
www.nationalmuseum.af.mil
Southwest of Washington, D.C., on Interstate 95, the National Museum of the Marine Corps is planning to observe the holiday with oral history interviews of visiting veterans. The Army has a list of its museums, and the Navy has its own guide. The Air Force’s official museum is at Wright Patterson AFB in Ohio.
Roger Petterson, Associated Press
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