Arlington National Cemetry
America dedicated 250 hectares of land in Arlington to build a war memorial in order to honour the Nation’s veterans. The war veterans and their eligible family members are laid there to rest with dignity and their loved ones are treated with respect and compassion. The Cemetery honour events and members from all branches of the military, and also pay respect to the astronauts, nurses, chaplains, war correspondents and unknown. The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier includes the remains of unknown service members from World War I, World World II and the Korean War. Soldiers from the 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) keep a 24-hours-a-day, 365-days-a-year vigil at the Tomb, with an elaborate ritual to change the guard every hour. Arlington National Cemetery encapsulates America's history-- a living tribute to the Nation’s past and how it continues to thrive through the service and sacrifice of those willing to dedicate their life to its ideals.
“My fellow Americans, ask not what the country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” That is what the late President John F Kennedy once said. The eternal flame symbolises eternal life and a nation’s perpetual gratitude towards, and remembrance of the President.
Despite it being a cemetery, it did not instill a sense of lifelessness. Instead, we were overwhelmed with feelings of solemness and grandeur when we entered the Arlington Cemetery. On a chilly Tuesday morning, we were welcomed with trees of different colours of red, yellow, orange and green. The neatly aligned tombstones of fellow Americans who served fervently in their positions in the military conveyed the sense of reverence Americans had towards the service of these countrymen.
These ideas were further reinforced as we continued to tour around the Arlington Cemetery. Trees were pruned and trimmed for certain architecture symmetry and for the overall beauty of the site. On top of that, the guards switched duties every single hour in 365 days round the year regardless of seasons and weather conditions. Our tour guide told us that despite hurricanes and waist-deep snow, the guards observed the 21 gun salute ceaselessly to show their respect towards the people who so willingly gave their lives to serve the country. The 21 gun salute signified peace and was perhaps observed to symbolise their hope for the deceased to rest in peace.
We were taken aback by the amount of respect not just from the guards on duty, but also from the civilians and general public. While we were there, we witnessed a few representatives from the St. Paul's Catholic College lay down a wreath in a ceremony.
We also learnt greatly about the Kennedy family who were all buried in the Arlington Cemetery. Their request to be buried with a wooden cross on top so that it could be returned to dust portrayed burial and funeral arrangements in a different light. Some people wish to purchase a slot in the Arlington cemetery to be remembered and have a place on this Earth even after leaving, while others believed that our bodies are but hosts to our souls. When we leave this Earth, they merely return to dust. This stark contrast in beliefs also led us to compare and reflect back on how the deceased in Singapore are given a cremation spot, which is a very different treatment as well as view of burial arrangements as compared to here in United States.
Drawing parallels with Singapore, the Arlington National Cemetery is very different from the Kranji War Memorial, in terms of size and significance. When we visited Kranji, there was hardly anyone there, but many visitors could be seen today paying their respects at the Arlington Cemetery. Arlington serves as a legacy for national heroes of America, while Kranji is a site for soldiers who were part of the British army. Singaporeans are hardly aware of this memorial and this could explain the difference in the degree of respect shown by the public. Overall, the visit to Arlington Cemetery gave us a very different vibe compared to our visit to Kranji War Memorial. It was certainly an eyeopener.
#Cool Fact 1: A constantly flashing electric spark near the tip of the nozzle relights the gas if the flame is extinguished by rain, wind or accidents.
- What do the different ceremonies and privileges given to the war dead and war veterans reflect about the attitude and values of the American society?(EG; Military men still perform the changing of guards ceremony regardless of rain or shine,hurricane & even waist deep snow)
- Can this culture of respect for the war veterans be replicated in Singapore?
The Pentagon Memorial
The Pentagon memorial is made up of 184 Memorial Units, one for each person. The Memorial Unit comprises of a cantilevered bench, a lighted pool of rippling water and a permanent tribute by name to each tribute. If they had family members that too, perished in the tragedy, their family members names are engraved on a small steel extension under the water.
Sad-Fact #1: If one bends down to read the name engraved on the bench, and then looks up- one can tell whether the person it is dedicated to was on the plane or in the building. If you see the Pentagon building, the person was in the building, and if you see the skyline the person was on the plane.
Sad-Fact #2: The youngest person to have died on the plane was 3 years old. The oldest was 77 years old. This is also shown in the memorial by an age line. The benches are arranged in age order.
Sad-Fact #3: The water in the pool symbolizes the water of life.
Sad-Fact #4: There were flowers strewn on the benches today when we visited.
The Pentagon
The Pentagon was partially destroyed due to the 9/11 attacks. The building has to be rebuilt- and at first they were given three years, but the entire reconstruction actually finished in just 16 months. They called it the Phoenix Project- just like how the mythical Phoenix bird was reborn from the ashes, so did the Pentagon. The quick rebuilding of the Pentagon is often viewed as a reflection of the unbroken American spirit.
Fun-fact #1: The Pentagon is really shaped like a pentagon. If you don’t count getting lost and a few wrong turns, you can actually make an entire round around the ring and end up exactly where you started.
Fun-Fact #2: The Pentagon has an office courtyard and a restaurant that is so-called “free and easy” for people in the Pentagon to relax and rewind. Furthermore, soldiers do not have to cover up or salute to higher ranking officers in that area.
Fun-Fact #3: There is a height requirement for someone to work in the Department of Defense. Not officework, but to bring people around and to do ceremonial stuff- one would need to be, asI quote our tour guide put it- “pretty tall”.
Fun-Fact #4: When describing one of the Medals of Honor awarded to a soldier, our tour guide tried to trick us by saying it was made of chocolate, (He succeeded.)
Fun-Fact #5: Our tour guide was so tall it felt like at a certain period of time he was going to hit the panel when going up the escalator.
Fun-fact #6: One of us got laughed at by the tour guide for being unable to open the doors during the Pentagon tour.
Reflections:
America spends more than 50% of the national budget on defence and the Americans are starting to ask for a cut in defense budget. Does America need such a large defence budget? Similarly, the largest component of Singapore’s national budget is spent on defense. What is your view?
Defense to a country is critical- it ensures the country’s safety and stability, and helps the citizens to feel safe and secure in a country. For America, it maintains their status in the world and helps them to remain the “big brother” that countries around the world turn to for economical, political and military support. Furthermore, it serves as something that Americans can feel proud about of their home country and ties in nicely with their strong beliefs about fighting for human rights and dignity. Even if one may feel that military is not as relevant since the days of the World War Ones and Twos are over, terrorism and even surveillance etc has and will become more important in everyone’s lives- hence military defence is important to a country. This is similar in Singapore where the strong military has become our backbone and pride for the future. Perhaps, a strong military is a show of strong economical and political power that makes it so critical for developed nations of the world today.
Reflection Questions:
- Do you think having many different malls in the office building is a feasible idea for Singapore? What are your thoughts about such an office building?
- What do you feel about the Phoenix Project? Do you think it is an effective way of showing the unbreakable American spirit?
Holocaust Museum
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The Holocaust was a watershed event in human history.
The world-from individual nations to the United Nations, from presidents and prime ministers to individual citizens-confronted its legacy. Many issues brought up by the holocaust continue to impact and influence the world today.
Most obviously, the Holocaust gave a human face to the plight of millions of Jews scattered around the world. before, the jewish segments of many European populations did not enjoy the same rights and life that others had. They were not in their "homeland" and were often deprived of the entirety of their rights. The annihilation of 6 million Jews at the hands of Nazi Germany forced people to confront the disturbingly human, intangible aspects of the event.
The efforts after liberation also indirectly (or directly) led to the formation of Israel.
But all of that do not touch on how the rest of the world was impacted. It brought about more awareness of human rights, dignity and peace movements. People realised that genocide ( and to an extent, dictatorship) could not be allowed to happen again as the torturous, ruthless regime of the Nazi Germany could lead to downfall of nations. The many haunting stories and memorials of the Holocaust also exposed people to the horrors that the Jews suffered, and just how they were dehumanized, their lives worth next to nothing as they were gassed, made to do slave labour, and medically experimented on. We believe that after an understanding of the events of the holocaust, people are likely to consider and reflect on discrimination in their own societies, and the possible consequences and moral issues involved.
On a side note, we do believe in the saying "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger", because such a horrifying event took place with such colossal loss of human lives, humanity were able to move forward and fight towards escaping the shadows of the world wars and towards a better future, through the lessons that the Holocaust bore.
On the other hand, we do acknowledge the diversity of opinions, there are individuals who do not see the Holocaust as a "lesson", as they feel detached from the annihilation of Jews, and particularly due to the time period where it occured, during which the war-torn landscape was a far cry from today's globalized metropolises. Learning about the Holocaust and exterminating discrimination may be mutually exclusive as certain people might feel that the discrimination in their communities have no link to the events of the Holocaust due to the different contexts.
Ultimately, the trip to the Holocaust memorial was extremely informative and enriching, opening up our thought process and giving us many new perspectives.