August 13, 2010
Controversial Moment at a War Memorial
The World War II Memorial is one of my favorites in Washington D.C. I am so struck by the amazing detail. I first saw it when I went to D.C. to learn about the many beautiful attractions usually included in educational student tours. I thought of my grandfather while I was there, wishing he could be with me. And I couldn’t wait to get home and share the pictures with him and then read all about the memorial and the significance behind each and every part.
We went at night, and it was breathtaking. But I would have liked to see it during the day as well, because I didn’t want to miss a thing.
As we left, a group of people stood by the water’s edge, and some girls danced into the water in pretty, red dresses. I thought it made an amazing picture, and I snapped it before I thought.
Behind me, a coworker grimaced. He couldn’t believe the disrespect of these girls, to prance around in the water of a memorial dedicated to men who’d given their lives in such a devastating war. I was taken back by his response; it hadn’t been mine. And I certainly understood what he meant. One of the beautiful things about the memorials in D.C. is that generally people do show great respect there. You won’t usually find chaos, laughter, or loud conversation. They’re each places of reflection in their own way, and visitors usually feel that and observe it.
But after thinking about it for a while, I still stand by my initial reaction that the scene was a beautiful one. I have to hope that on some level the girls realized they would never be free to dance there without the sacrifice of the people the memorial celebrates. Even if they don’t exactly realize it, isn’t it true? Isn’t it sort of beautiful that generations after that horrible era, young people are so free? It’s a beautiful thing to me.
What do you think?
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