We are a great story

July 18, 2010 at 12:00a.m.

Power of Washington, D.C., isn’t just in its buildings

By Michael Landauer

Dallas Morning News

WASHINGTON

Howard just doesn’t talk about Vietnam. When I asked my father-in-law how he earned his Distinguished Flying Cross, he said, “By being at the wrong place at the right time.” And that was the end of it.

So when my wife and I told him we were going to Washington, D.C., and he asked us to look up a buddy on the Vietnam Memorial, our general idea of a patriotic pilgrimage suddenly became more of a specific quest.

My wife’s parents had introduced Howard’s flying buddy from pilot training to a college friend, and the romance took off. But just weeks before he was to come home and be married, the pilot was shot down and killed.

Born in the mid-1970s, I never dealt with anything like that in my 20s. I can’t even imagine.

So on a beautiful day in April, we descended on the Vietnam Memorial. We looked up the name in the nearby book and located the panel. I snapped dozens of pictures, capturing the reflection of the clouds in the memorial’s dark marble. A volunteer loaned us a pencil, and my wife rubbed our family friend’s name onto a slip of paper we would give to her father.

As we walked away, I overheard a couple of strangers talking.

“Do you think there’s a name on that wall that has never been rubbed, never been visited?”

“Probably not,” the other answered.

I hope not, I thought to myself.

changing times

Dan Brown’s latest mystery novel includes a diatribe from the book’s professor-hero about how Americans travel to the great cities of Europe but rarely consider their own capital as a destination. That might be changing.

Maybe it’s the tea parties; maybe it’s the historic nature of the Obama presidency — but Yahoo! reports that searches for “Things to do in Washington DC,” the “Lincoln Memorial” and “Washington Monument” are up about 70 percent.

Those monuments don’t disappoint, of course, and neither does the World War II Memorial, which opened in 2004 and sits between the Lincoln and the Washington tributes. Families can easily spend an afternoon traveling from the Lincoln, along the reflecting pool, through the World War II Memorial and on to the Washington Monument.

But beware: The Washington Monument is the only one you cannot just walk into (www.nps.gov/wamo). It’s free, but you need to line up early to get a ticket, sometimes by 7 a.m. during the peak season. For only $1.50 per ticket, however, you can reserve tickets online or by calling 877-444-6777.

hidden gem

Off the mall, the hidden gem among the great monuments is the Marine Corps War Memorial.

The what?

The “Iwo Jima Memorial.”

You know, the statue of the Marines raising the flag at Iwo Jima. The memorial, which is dedicated to all Marines who died in campaigns dating back to 1775, sits in a beautiful park near Arlington National Cemetery. From its hilltop, you can take in the vast showcase of our history carved in marble and stone, from the Lincoln, to the Jefferson, to the Capitol — and above them all, right in the center, the Washington.

Perhaps one reason Americans don’t feel compelled to visit the monuments, memorials and museums is that we are, as a nation, a great story, not just a great place.

newseum

While the free Smithsonian museums do a fine job of housing our important artifacts, I believe the Newseum on Pennsylvania Avenue (www.newseum.org) does an unparalleled job telling our nation’s story.

Opened in April 2008, it’s the product of several major news organizations generously sharing resources and artifacts. About halfway between the White House and Capitol Hill, the Newseum is six floors of interactive history encased in glass and steel. With its 14 major galleries and 15 theaters, it’s a lot to take in, so it’s helpful that the $19.95 adult ticket buys two consecutive days of access.

Whether it’s the interactive touch-screens of the Newseum or the somber beauty of the stone-and-bronze memorial to the heroes of the Greatest Generation, the newest additions to the nation’s capital have stories to tell.

They are our stories. They cannot be internalized through websites, photographs or even articles such as this one. As with the older monuments that form the backbone of Washington, D.C., these places have to be seen in person — and even touched.

In some way, this city is not just a destination, it’s a duty.