Category Archives: Photo Essay

The Passing of John McCain III-August 25-September 2, 2018

We have just watched the passage into history of a complicated man, a man whose personality and purpose both won over and angered people. And, of course, as his eulogists demonstrated, his life has been freighted with politics right through the ceremony in the National Cathedral today.

I never met John McCain III myself, though I met his father in the Philippines in 1967, while my unit (3rd Battalion, First Marines) was refitting to fight from the sea. I believe he was Commander in Chief of the Pacific Fleet then, and our Task Group was under his chain of command.  We had a few drinks over conversation in the Subic Bay Officer’s Club as he wished us well on our coming special landing force missions. I cannot recall the date of that get together, but it had to have been very nearly the time his son was captured in late autumn.

It is not hard to think of John McCain III in the way the many pilots of my Marine cohort from our USMC Basic School Class 1-67 (July-November 1966) saw and pictured themselves. No doubt McCain, as do my aviator Marine comrades, spoke not of “getting into their aircraft” but of “strapping them on.” Fearless, confident, and in an intimate relationship!

D5WK0N John McCain with Squadron members and a North American T-2 “Buckeye”. Photo © Alamy Stock Photo

Whatever John McCain’s qualities and positions, he is one of the most, if not the most prominent, symbols of my war-fighting generation. So my USMC flag, with black mourning ribbon, is up in front of our house in tribute to that A-4 pilot and in memory of many others from our day, including our Basic School fliers.

(Please be sure to read the comment I added to this post on 2 September recounting a Basic School classmate’s encounter with Lt. McCain more than five decades ago. It is a great story.)

And with the same kind of thoughts, Tracy and I decided yesterday to run down to the District and book into a Marriot that is a 10-minute walk away from the Vietnam War Memorial Wall to observe Cindy McCain’s placement of a wreath honoring Vietnam casualties and veterans at about 8:45 a.m.  It turned out to be a quiet, yet solemn, event, with observers lining the chained-off greensward leading down to the wall and the walkway by it.

People gathered early around the Memorial Wall. It was a quiet and seemingly reflective group of all ages.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The procession had left Capitol Hill at about 8:30 a.m., arriving at the Memorial shortly before nine. Secretary of Defense Mattis and White House Chief of Staff Kelly escorted Cindy McCain to the prepositioned wreath, and she saw to its proper placement and paused to pay respects. From our range (and with my eyes) it was a bit hard to see, but the remembrance offered to fellow Vietnam Veterans was touching.

It didn’t take long for many present to add their own sentiments. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After the funeral party left, Tracy and I moved to Panels 14E and 15E to pay respects to Marines close to my experience, 2nd Lt. Earl F. Smith, from my Basic School Class— the first of our Basic School cohort to die in combat—and Cpl. Charles P.  Alexander —the first member of the platoon that I led in Vietnam,  Lima/1, 3/1, to die under my command.

We then returned to the cool comfort of our hotel to watch the memorial service at the National Cathedral.  We would hear all the powerful and moving eulogies of leaders Senator McCain came to respect and befriend. I can only hope their words will ring powerfully among our leaders today—as the ideals expressed were the high ideals that took John McCain III and so many others into service and sacrifice.

Semper fidelis,
Andy

A Christmas Treat—2016

This is not a difficult rummaging act. The following pictures were taken Friday and today at the US Botanic Garden located at the foot of the US Capitol.

Tracy and I are fortunate to have been named honorary grandparents (though we go by Uncle Andy and Aunt Tracy) of the son of friends. His name is Henry and he is six–as of this writing. In our capacity, we get to take him places from time to time. We’ve been to Christmas Lights at the National Zoo, the National Aquarium in Baltimore, football with his parents, etc.

This Christmas–last Friday, the 23rd–we took him to Botanic Garden, a wonderful indoor, heated conservatory, which is decked out with a Christmas special each year. This year, the garden featured national parks and historic places, with models of the places made of all natural materials and with toy trains chugging through most of them.

Following is a collection of images from Friday’s visit and a return visit I made early this morning, before the crowds arrived. Although the order of the displays seemed fairly random in the garden, the images below track from east to west. The work people have done on this project is pretty amazing. I hope you can see that through this selection of images.

And please take this posting as a Christmas greeting from Tracy and from me, Merry Christmas.

The view from the garden. The Capitol christmas tree is always more attractive than the White House tree. But in this case, the view is affected by preparation of viewing stands for the presidential inauguration on January 20.

Before entry into the train exhibit, visitors are treated to views of US government institutions, the Capitol building and the Supreme Court.

The budding photographer captures a typical scene, this of the Capitol building and a detail below.

The United States Supreme Court
The Gateway Arch–essentially entering in the middle of the country, but hey. It was welcoming.
Henry marveling at the views early on.
Three guesses!
Mount Vernon.
Monticello, Virginia
The Martin Luther King home.

 

  • Freedom House in Florida

 

Freedom Tower in Florida–had been used in helping escaping Cuban refugees.
A detail of the tower’s peak.
Both Tracy and I totally missed this one with Henry. All we saw was him going inside this tunnel. Today, I saw what it was, a car loaded up with luggage heading, I presume, west. Such was this exhibit, impossible to see all in one passage. From here, we move to Western scenes!
Mount something or other.
A view of the Grand Canyon, a genuine work of art in bark. (added in second edition of this post).

About the below three scenes, my Marine Corps friend—and Vietnam War company commander—Joe, who lives in Colorado and travels to see family in the region modeled in the below, offered the following amplification: 1st photo: amazingly these dwellings still exist throughout the SW generally running from Chaco Canyon, NM, to SW Colorado to central west Utah (Freemont west of Richfield). Next two are common dwellings of Hopi in central Arizona that are occupied homes.

Cliff Dwelling monument.
Cliff Dwelling detail, one.
Cliff dwelling detail two.
The Old Faithful Inn in Yosemite. I waited and waited for the geyser to pop (it does) but I felt I’d lingered too long.
Percy–Henry identified this particular pal of Thomas the Tank Engine–in Alaska
Percy enters Totem Park in Sitka
Totems in Sitka National Historical Park
Top of a totem

Off to Hawaii and the Iolani Palace and the detail that follows.

And a last treat: who knew? Banana trees have most spectacular blossoms.
Merry Christmas! From Tracy and Henry and me!

Merry Christmas!!!

 

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A Change of Pace: A Place for Reflection

Tracy treated me this weekend to a couple of days on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, spending nights in a quality hotel in Cambridge, Md.  Her goal was to deliver a belated birthday present (from August) and get me out of the office and into my kayak and onto some water, where thoughts of my office would not intrude. (It seems such thoughts cannot swim.)

BlackwaterPanorama-Web The panorama here (a melding of nine images over a span of about 130 degrees) suggests a fairly bland, uninteresting view, a great deal of marsh grass and this and that.

Life may feel like this in its broad sweep, looking very similar with a few objects/moments that stand out.  But, each of us live our days and minutes in the details. And so a scene like this panorama, begins to take on clarity with its minute parts–or so I think.

Close-Trees

 

The collection of trees, otherwise  indifferent at a distance, speak to me of life, its emergence, growth, and ending.

 

 

 

 

 

Blackwater-Pier-CrowdThe wildlife of the marsh. Familiar yet particular. We have all seen the dudes in this image (gulls, terns, cormorants) in many places.

 

The-Good-Citizens-Marsh-Grass

 

 

 

The minute parts of this marsh, among it the marsh grass, in its millions of stems, speak for themselves.

 

 

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The patch of growth apart from all else. Who would imagine a thistle plant here? Miracles abound.

The-Web

And last,  at a another level of detail, the questions remains, “Where is Charlotte?”