Pam at Gettysburg

On October 24, after spending a lovely two days in Lancaster, Pa., Pam and I drove to Washington, DC. Our journey took us through Gettysburg. So, of course, we had to stop.

The Civil War has commanded my interested since third grade, when I read my first war-related book: “Heroes in Blue and Gray.” It was a book written for kids–shiny cover, big text–at third grade level. And it was a new book at the time, published in 1965, the year I was in third grade.

Each chapter looked at a major battle of the Civil War, and those names carved a place in my mind: Antietam, Chancellorsville, Vicksburg, Shiloh, Fredericksburg, Chickamauga, Bull Run…and, of course, Gettysburg.

Battle maps showed how the forces were arrayed, with a general’s name inside a rectangle; the larger the rectangle, the larger the force.

I studied those maps closely, fascinated by the clash of armies. And the names of those boxed generals, like the names of the battles, were burned into me–Longstreet, Jackson, Burnside, Ewell, Meade, McClellen, Hancock, Reynolds, Sherman, Hood, Thomas, Bragg, Early, Hill….

I’ve visited Gettysburg five or six times now. I attended grades 4-7 in Harrisburg, Pa., and in fifth grade (I think it was), we took a field trip to Gettysburg. Back then, we could crawl through the stone tunnels of Devil’s Den (and I apparently didn’t have claustrophobia), and we scampered over the big rocks on Little Round Top.

I went another time with my family, and I remember taking my grandparents another time. There may have been another visit or two during those years. Somewhere along the line, I bought a little metal souvenir cannon.

As an adult, I visited Gettysburg some years ago with Pam. Then, on October 24, Pam and I visited again.

A new visitor center had been built since my last visit, and it’s very nice, and very big. The tour begins with a short movie about the battle, and continues with the Cyclorama. The Cyclorama is simply spectacular–a huge, wrap-around mural of the battle. I remember seeing it in the previous visitor center, but it had been restored and enlarged, and displayed with excellence. I could have studied it for hours.

The museum itself seems to wander forever. I remembered a few items from my childhood years, like the two bullets that met in mid-air and fused together. And the stories of relatives who fought on opposite sides of the battle.

Soon after the battle, long before the war ended, efforts began to preserve the Gettysburg battlefield and make it a place people could visit. I’m sure it was all commercially driven, but that’s okay. Other battlefields, I imagine, are now covered by homes and factories and shopping centers. But at Gettysburg, you can walk the entire battlefield. You can roam around Little Round Top, walk the path of Pickett’s Charge, and still see canons positioned. It’s a great place, a national treasure. Truly, as Lincoln said, a place consecrated by the brave men, living and dead, who struggled there.

Last Thursday, October 25, Pam and I visited the Holocaust museum in Washington, DC. One of our first vacations as a married couple, back in the early 1980s, was to Washington DC. But that was before the Holocaust museum opened. So this was at the top of our list.

I’ve read many books about the Holocaust. It has always fascinated me–how evil, truly evil, ordinary people can become. So obviously, the Holocaust Museum held high interest for me.

Here are a few thoughts.

You can’t help noticing the silence. Hundreds of people all around you, exploring the exhibits…and rarely a word spoken. Even the many schoolchildren, brought to the museum on field trips, were generally respectful.

The museum made great use of video, including so much stuff I had never seen. Including some very disturbing footage. The main videos–maybe 5-10 minutes apiece, perhaps five of them scattered throughout the museum in places with seating–were well worth watching. The first told of anti-semitism through the ages; the next told about the rise of anti-semitism in Germany. But in addition to these mini-features, numerous exhibits were accompanied by a small monitor showing footage. Very well used. And very disturbing…which was the point.

The room with shoes–thousands of shoes left at extermination camps by Jews, each pair worn by an actual person who was murdered–was riveting.

And the room with high, high walls filled with photos of Jews from one town–families, couples, individuals. Photos taken during happy times. Hundreds of them. I couldn’t help looking into the faces in those photos and wondering what those persons were like, what they endured, and how they died.

Perhaps my favorite part came toward the end, with a wall commemorating all the people who had helped rescue Jews. Hundreds of names listed. With some–perhaps 40 persons–they briefly told the person’s story. It reminded me of stories in Eva Fogelman’s book “Conscience and Courage: Rescuers of Jews during the Holocaust,” which I read some years ago and still have on my shelf. In fact, I recognized at least one of the stories from the book.

It’s great to know that, amidst such evil, numerous people possess the courage to do what is right, even at the risk of torture and death–which was the fate of some of these rescuers.

There were so many items from the Holocaust. Prison uniforms. Medical instruments. Beds from prison camps. Part of the Warsaw Ghetto wall. A train car used to transport Jews to extermination camps. Each telling a piece of a tragedy of epic proportions.

At the end came an exhibit about genocide in modern times–Bosnia, Rwanda, the Sudan. This was by far the weakest part of the museum. I wish they had just focused on the Holocaust. But the big sign out from said “Never Forget,” and that refers to continuing acts of genocide.

For many years, I’ve wanted an Australian leather hat. I first saw one around Cherokee, NC, probably 15 years ago. I found one that fit perfectly, but I didn’t want to spend that much on a hat. I’ve been looking for a good one ever since.

Today, on my birthday, we found a store with tons and tons of Aussie hats. Lots to choose from. And I fell in love with one in particular.

And bought it. No regrets this time.

It’s kangaroo leather–yes, a kangaroo died to satisfy my capitalistic consumption cravings–and it is very pliable. I wore it much of the day, and felt like I’d been wearing it all my life.

So I have a new friend. And a new look. Perhaps I’ll even adopt a Down Under accent.

The final leg along the outfield track, with hundreds of people shouting their congratulations.

The final leg of the Fort4Fitness races on Sept 30 was in Tin Caps Stadium. You entered onto left field, took the track all the way along the outfield fence, then came down the first base line and finished at home plate.

The highlight, for me, was finally walking into Tin Caps Stadium. Hundreds of people lined the fences above the track. They were clapping for us, cheering, shouting congratulations–“You did it!” It was an amazing feeling.

The Apostle Paul said he wanted to run the race well, so that at the end, he would be told, “Well done!” I thought of that as we walked along the outfield track. Imagine when a faithful Christian arrives in heaven. All the angels gather to welcome him, applauding and saying, “You did it! Well done! Welcome home!”

I have a couple people in mind who were lowly in the eyes of the world, receiving no accolades. Yet they were faithful servants of their Lord. And when they arrive in heaven, the angels are going to tell each other, “Hey, So-and-So is arriving! Hurry! We need to go welcome him!” And the cheering as they enter Heaven’s Gate will be resounding and overwhelming.

At least that’s how I imagine it. It won’t be anything like that. It’ll be infinitely better. But that’s the best my human mind can imagine for now.

And I want to be cheered.

A ministerial couple came to the office this morning to meet with the bishop, and they brought their two dogs–beautiful and  Shetland sheepdogs. I offered to take them for a walk while they met with the bishop, and they gladly handed me the leash.

What fun! They were supremely well-behaved. And I never had to use the blue poop bag.