Arlington Cemetery

CatHouse Chat pauses to bow in prayer, honoring our sacred dead and asking for safety and God's blessing on our living heroes who are standing the Watch.

UPDATE: Video added -

Visitors to the Tomb of the Unknowns are very quiet, very respectful, which is entirely appropriate for such a sacred place. The guards take 21 paces in each direction, then they pause for 21 seconds with each change of direction. This represents one of the highest honors offered to our military service members: the Twenty One Gun Salute. I need to research this tradition to find out the significance of the number "21."

I have an hypothesis, though - twenty-one is three times seven (d'uh!). Both "three" and "seven" are considered to be important and perfect numbers in the Judeo-Christian tradition. "Three" is representative of the Trinity, for instance, and "seven" could refer to the seven days of Creation. I dunno, it's just a wild-eyed guess on my part, and I'm probably totally wrong...

I was unable to get the video of the Changing of the Guard this time because the battery of my video camera was used up COMPLETELY for yesterday's rally (I'll convert and post it all, I promise!), and my little purse camera couldn't have held it all (not to mention that I'd only get *one* level of zoom once I started recording).

I'm thinking of coming up for Spring Break, and bringing the Munchkin - in which case, I will certainly get a record of the ceremony, which is conducted every half hour when the Memorial is open.

Comments

[Genevieve]

1.

Frickin' law school... if I weren't working all weekend in Philly, I'd have come down to DC and taken you out for lunch or something. You were in my hood! We could have had a fantabulous time, especially because there's nothing I love more than leading on protesters by talking to them and then all of a sudden...they realize that I'm actually making fun of them and that they've been wasting their time and looking really stupid in front of all their friends.

[Kat]

2.

Genevieve, I would have LOVED to have lunch with you! Maybe we can do it early next year, if I manage to get my act together and get the Munchkin and me up there for Spring Break.

Love and hugz!

[Isophorone]

3.

Three is also the number of the Patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And yes, seven are the days of the week. Once could say that the Creation took six days, because on the seventh, G-d rested.

Thanks for sharing the pictures and videos.

[Kat]

4.

That's true, Isophrone, but the seventh day completed Creation. After all, we don't have a six day week, but a SEVEN day week. Since the seventh day is part of the whole - the "epilogue" to Creation, if you will - I believe that seven is the correct number for the days of Creation.

Also, it's my understanding that six is an imperfect number especially because it falls just short of seven *shrug* One comment I heard is that the Number of the Beast, 666, is that concept of imperfection taken to its "perfect" awfulness. *shrug again* It's speculation, of course, and not particularly helpful in the theological sense...

But anyway, I hadn't thought of the three Patriarchs! That's a good one. And I'm certain that a careful study of Scripture would reveal many more sets of three...

Thanks for stopping by and adding to the discussion!

[Douglas V. Gibbs]

5.

Great pics here and below - thanks.