[美東之旅] Washington DC 硫磺島紀念碑、阿靈頓公墓、五角大廈 (4) [背包旅行]

2010.06.02 Day 4

下了捷運，走路到硫磺島紀念碑 Iwo Jima Memorial

攝影記者喬˙羅森斯爾獲頒普立茲獎的得獎照片，成為紀念碑的真實題材，生動描述美國士兵將國旗插在硫磺島上的場景。

第二次世界大戰美軍和日軍激戰至最後，奮不顧身立插國旗的英勇姿態，真實而動人！

高 23 公尺的青銅像紀念碑為世界最大規模，迎風飄揚的巨旗增添其色彩。

硫磺島紀念碑位於阿靈頓（其實阿靈頓已經屬於維吉尼亞州了）。國家公墓有巡迴各大景點的觀光巴士，在園內穿梭。北側有硫磺島紀念碑，南側接連著國防部的五角大廈。地鐵的五角大廈城市站也有巨型購物中心。

以美國第 35 任總統甘迺迪為首的國民英雄、建國以來為國捐軀的 25 萬陣亡者及其家族、還有政治家埋葬於此。

廣大墓園中，有一半曾是南北戰役中南軍將領－李將軍的私人土地。

甘迺迪夫婦之墓

旅客之多。基本上會來阿靈頓公墓的遊客，就是為了一睹甘迺迪夫婦之墓，所以旅客絡繹不絕。

甘迺迪及其牽手

有看過美國電影或者美國影集的朋友們，對於阿靈頓公墓應該不陌生。而看到一顆虔誠的心，拿著一束花，停下車，慢步走進園內；那思念的背影，馬上吸引了我的目光。

每每回想我看美國劇集的片段，例如 NCIS，那阿靈頓公墓之親切，那追思前人的那份虔誠，對美國這塊土地的歸屬感油然而生。

這是一個有歷史意義的門 Meig's Gate, Arlington National Cemetery

Embalming Surgeons and Undertakers
During the early part of the Civil War it was the Embalming Surgeons that  performed the embalming procedure.  Many of the men were military surgeons.  However, there were also a large number of civilian surgeons that took up  embalming  and became embalming surgeons. They realized the monetary benefits  to the profession and saw this as a way to increase there fortunes.  Most of the  embalming surgeons were honest men.  There were many reports however, of many  unscrupulous embalming surgeons out to take advantage of soldier and family  alike.   Toward the latter part of the War there were reports of a few undertakers  beginning to embalm both at home and on the field of battle.  Of the tens upon tens  of embalming surgeons practicing during the War years, very few are heard of  following the War.  It is then that the undertaker begins to see the potential and  the obvious extension of embalming into the undertaking profession.

The embalming surgeon was a Northern phenomenon. To date there seems to be no  documentation that there were Southern embalming surgeons.  When one looks at  the circumstances surrounding the onset of this new trade, one can understand why  it was not until after the War that embalming moved into the South.  Dr. Thomas  Holmes, the "Father of Modern Embalming", was from New York,  his protégées  were all Northerners, the chemicals were developed, patented and manufactured in  the North.  During the beginning of the War, Washington was the center of all that  happened with the military.  The embalmers flocked to Washington until they  became such a nuisance that they were run out of the city.  From then on, those with  the drive to either make money or help the troops and their families, moved nearer  the battlefields or field hospitals.  The South had neither the knowledge nor the  resources to enter into this new embalming trade.  This is not to say that there may  not have been an occasional Confederate soldier or officer embalmed by a Northern  embalmer and sent home, but this was by no means a common occurrence.

在阿靈頓公墓就可以看到五角大廈了，而且我相信在越高的丘陵上，會是越好觀看五角大廈的地方。當我意識到那棟是五角大廈的時候，人已經在山腳下，實在沒有多餘的力氣爬回山上。

我忘記說，阿靈頓公墓其實是個丘陵地形，也就是說，你要爬山。例如甘迺迪之墓，就要往上爬爬爬！

國防部的總部所在，因五角型建築外觀而定其名。統管美國陸海空三軍的參謀總部設於此棟建築，以全世界最大的辦公大樓而聞名於世。其獨特的造型使得無論從何處出發，都能在 7 分鐘到達距離最遠之處。內部並不對外開放。

非常重要的事：當你快接近五角大廈的時候即有告示牌告知此地方皆不能拍照，否則你就掰掰了。那為什麼我還敢以身試險？因為我很白目的沒看到那些牌子，直到走到五角大廈的停車場，我才看到這種牌子，而且還是在我拍完照以後才看到。好加在沒事，不然這個部落格我看要好久以後才會更新了。

華盛頓 DC 特區之旅，在五角大廈的嚴肅氣氛中結束了。

隔天一早就要搭乘巴士前往紐約，繼續一個人流浪去。

但我想先還人情債，所以先插播美國公路之旅，先跟大家說聲抱歉。