May 29th - TAPS - Memorial Day - Final day

So, Saturday we had the big final banquet.  Sunday there were a few sessions and Rolling Thunder.  TAPS annual seminar is just about over and everyone goes home on Tuesday.  This is Monday. Memorial Day.  Only one thing happens on Memorial day.  The President of the United States makes an appearance at Arlington Nation Cemetery to lay a wreath at the tomb of the unknown soldier and then goes into the colosseum and gives a speech for the families of fallen soldiers.

I have to get a bit political here.  I am a conservative.  a few years ago, we heard President Obama speak here. He talked about how families of every country feel and bear the weight of wars.  It was a message that America was just one of many countries that has paid the price of war.  He made the statement that "America's military is one of the greatest fighting forces in the world".  On this day, when we remember how much America has paid for freedom in the world and how America has paid with more blood for freedom's sake than anybody, his message of global rememberance did not sit well with me.  This year, a different President acknowledged how America has carried freedom to the world on the backs of her military was a more national and appropriate message. I thank him for that.

After a brief tram ride, we went through security and got our seats inside. Early, there was the sound of larks in the air.  Later, as it warmed up, there was a constant buzz of cicadas. in the air and many of them flying around. They are huge.  It was great to see many wonderful patriots in the upper stands.  Ms. Corretta King, Dr. Ben Carson, Sen. Robert Dole and his wife and many others. 

After it all, the North Dakota contingent gathered at Ted's, a chain of steakhouses owned by Ted Turner, for our final get together. 

Tomorrow, we board an airplane and head home to Grand Forks.

Thank you, Bonnie, Dr. Frank, Frenchy, Sara, Jeremiah. Also a special thanks William and Richard Marriott and family for the beautiful Crystal Gateway Hotel, providing it to TAPS, and the amazing staff they employ.

Arlington National Cemetery

At the entrance

Inside the coliseum.

Artistic composition by Laurie McGloe

Gold Star Parents

Sen. Bob Dole, his wife, and also Chef Robert Irvine and his wife.

Dr. Ben Carson, Secretary of HUD

National Anthem. President Donald Trump and Gen. James Mattis

Outside Ted's, Arlington

An interesting cocktail

The group

May 27th - Saturday - TAPS

So there we were....

The 23rd Annual Survivor Seminar.  Ms. Bonnie Carroll is the type of friend everyone should have.  Through the experience of her own loss, she has made a home for others to share, grow, and overcome grief.  Whenever someone wants to take a candid picture of Ms. Carroll, she is always hugging someone.  It just happens so often that it's hard to not see her comforting someone.  When she lost her husband, she found there was just no place to get the kind of help she and others like her needed to understand their grief.  Imagine how you would feel having a death of a loved one that is so deeply tied to that person's core beliefs and pride.  Military members have a commitment to country, honor, and service. When the death happens in the fulfilment of everything they believe in, it will rock the very foundation of the survivor's soul.  We have found a family in TAPS and a sister in Ms. Bonnie Carroll.  Thank you, Bonnie.

Another person I wish to thank is Dr. Frank Campbell.  Dr. Campbell has been a key presenter for all the time I've been around TAPS.  He has as big a heart for people as Ms. Bonnie.  His talks and sessions are always worth attending and this year was no exception.  I especially enjoy listening to his Louisiana accent and speech patterns.  Thank you as well, Dr. Frank.

As I might have stated, recent years we've been attending less and less sessions. Stuck in place I think we were.  So here's Saturday.  I attended four separate sessions.  Three were run by Dr. Campbell, and he was an attendee in the other.  That's a lot of Louisiana, I tell you. Two of the sessions were just for men.  It is true that men and women grieve differently, and men won't show grief or at least talk about it around the opposite gender.  Sessions like these are important for that reason.  I haven't attended one of these before but this year we had a lot of healing going on.  I was especially surprised how many step-fathers like myself there were and it was interesting how we are perceived in the area of family as sometimes outsiders.  The sessions were very good.

Saturday is the final official day of TAPS and there is always a formal banquet for dinner.  This year, Chef Robert Irvine (Restaurant Impossible) had volunteered to prepare our dinner.  It was amazing.  Then come the speakers.  Chef Irvine's talk was fun and entertaining.  The special guest emcee was Kimberly Dozier, a CNN reporter.  She had been reporting on the war in Iraq when she and her team along with the subject of an interview she was conducting became victims of a bombing in Iraq.  Her story is one of survival and the long road back from considerable injuries.

After dinner, we had our usual North Dakota group final goodbye meeting.  It's always sad as the week comes to an end.  BUT, it wasn't over yet.

Afterwards, we were in the lounge and we were able to meet Chef Irvine in person.  He is a really great guy, self-effacing and humble.  Later, I introduced myself to a vet named Richard and his wife who were in town for Rolling Thunder.  I went to thank him for his service, and we ended up spending quite some time getting to know one another.

Tomorrow is Sunday.  That means Rolling Thunder. 

Stay tuned...

Banquet night

North Dakota contingent

The show

Kimberly Dozier

Chef Robert Irvine

Later that night...

May 26th - Friday - TAPS

Friday.
A great opening ceremony and a couple of good sessions.  At the ceremony, we were treated once again to a music program featuring Ret. Gen. Martin Dempsey and this little girl he has been mentoring with for many years.  Gen. Dempsey is there every year and spends his time in the Good Grief Camp program for the smaller children in TAPS.  They, along with an older girl and a sailor, sang a song from Moana.  There is a hallway where pictures of our loved ones are usually posted on huge banners.  This year, they had a Family tree made from construction paper with picture squares velcroed to the wall as leaves.  Very nice.

That evening, we attended the National's baseball game.  Arriving at the field, Laurie, Jeremiah and I walked around and sampled craft beers and food.  There is a memorial plaque there for the Naval personnel who died during an attack on the Naval yard sea systems in 2013.  Being one of the top teams this year, I expected them to win.  Considering they were playing my hometown Padres, I expected them to win big.  The National's pitcher had 13 strikeouts, a team record, and the bats had 5 homeruns.  My Padres made a bad showing.  I love attending baseball games and never regret any game no matter the outcome.

As the game was lost pretty early, we left before it was over.  We were not interested in taking the busses back to the hotel, but strolled down the street to find a craft brewery called Bluejacket. The area on the north bank of the Anaconda River, which flows into the Potomac, is an area know as the Naval Yards.  The area was once a major ship building area for the nation. The factory buildings are still there for the most part, but they have been repurposed into a trendy shopping area full of restaurants and nightclubs.  Bluejacket is in one of those factories.  You go through two sets of ID check to get in.  We found the staff to be a little short on friendliness.  Of course, on a Friday night right after a ballgame 5 blocks away, they were busy, but still, I expected a little more.  We found some good conversation with local people, and the list of brews was really pretty good.  It was loud, but an okay time. 

We left and caught a Uber back to the hotel.  Sitting downstairs for a nightcap, we met a group there who were a lot of fun.  Aaron, Greg, and Sheila, and a girl who seemed shy or not interested in us. lol.  USAF and Dental people.  It was a great meeting and we laughed and talked about life and kids.

Breakfast Buffet Food was much better this year

The amazing Bonnie Carroll

General Martin Dempsey (Ret)

Family tree

Friends

Massive storm before the game

This was the line for people going on the Pentagon tour.  They were pre-screening people so they wouldn't have to stand outside in the parking lot of the Pentagon doing it.  It is a great tour, though.

Tickets

A wonderful tribute

The field

Inside Bluejacket.  Obviously a brewery, but obviously also a factory

New friends

This is Aaron.

May 24th - Wednesday - TAPS 2017

Once again, we attended the TAPS National Seminar.  This was a great year for us!  We had some very needed and rewarding sessions, we received mentor training, and attended many events that were very enjoyable.  Top that off with Chef Robert Irvine and an evening with SSgt. Tim Chambers, his bride of a year, and his mom. It has to have been one of my better years of attendance. 

May 24th - We fly to Arlington, VA
Usually, we fly out on Thursday, because the opening of TAPS is on Friday.  This year, we went in a day early because Mentor training was on Thursday.  We felt we had spent enough time on this journey and had worked through enough things with the program that we were at a point to give back.

There was the issue of our little kitty and what she was going to do with us gone for a week.  There were a couple of people who would have taken her in for that time, but all fell through.  Laurie found a kennel which took cats and though the accommodations for a cat weren't optimum, it had to suffice.

We had an early flight and the kennel didn't open as early as we would have liked, but we dropped off our sad little baby and made it to Grand Forks Terminal in plenty of time.  It helped a lot that we are talking about a small town like Grand Forks, ND.  The timing would not have worked in San Diego.

All connections went good. We had enough of a layover in Minneapolis that we didn't have to run through the airport as normally happens.  Minneapolis airport is a horrid place. lol.

We had a smooth flight to Reagan National, got our luggage and made our people connections to ride to the hotel.  The Marriott Crystal Gateway is a very nice hotel and hosts the seminar every year.  The guest rooms are located in two adjacent towers.  We have always been in the same tower.  This year we were in the other one.  There isn't much difference, except most of the meeting rooms as well as where our meals are served are closer to the tower we stayed in this time.  It was nice. 

The North Dakota TAPS program is unique in that it is sponsored by the North Dakota National Guard.  Volunteers fund-raise, mentor, and arraign for everything we do.  Especially our good friend LT. Col. Devina French.  She is the driving force behind everything.  Thanks, Frenchy.
Every year, NDNG provides support staff including mentors, chaplains, and a public relations person.  This year, we had a new PR guy.  Jeremiah spent a few years in the USAF before resigning with the NDNG.  He was green, but we broke him in quickly. 

Good first day

Out our window looking east across Jefferson Davis Highway towards Reagan National, the Potomac, and Washington

Downtown Arlington, VA

May 26 - 31 - Memorial weekend

Flew back to SD on Thursday.  We made a stop downtown at this pub she had heard about.  It is called Bolt in honor of the San Diego Chargers.  While there, a number of team members and a small news crew came in to say hello and get people to sign a petition to keep the Chargers n San Diego.  That was fun.  From there, on to a favorite Mexican taco shop and home for dinner and to pack.

Friday, very hectic. Susie helped us get our selves and luggage to the airport.  Had an issue because storms had closed Chicago where we had a connecting flight.  Eventually, we were re-routed through Phoenix.  We had been given first class tickets, but it looked like one of us was going to be flying standard to Phoenix.  We had to talk to two different people at American Airlines counters in San Diego just to get our re-route. They were all very nice.The final guy was at our gate and was sorry because one was getting bumped into standard for a stand by passenger.  He didn't think it was right but only said he'd bring the policy up at the next meeting.  On the plane, apparently, he did something, and I got moved up to first.  In all, I was more impressed with the customer service at American than I have ever been with an airline.  The trip was fun, and first class was a blast.  The only disappointment was because of going through Phoenix instead of Chicago, the two parts were uneven in time, with the first part being short and the second, really long.

Landed in DC, got met by Chaplain Scott, who we all call Chappie.  Shuttle, hotel, room, meeting, bar, boom.  Great to see our friends from around North Dakota again.  Especially Frenchy and Bernadette.

All the usual seminars and happenings. Great time. sightseeing, insight, reflection, outreach and just being with people who understand what it's like to go through our lives as Survivors.

Back in March or so, Laurie and I had stopped at a favorite spot for a quick pint, but that location was closed. We opted for our least favorite place in Santee, Pacific Island Brews, or PIB.  When we got there, some function was going on.  It kinda looked like a reception.  People said we were still welcomed to come in.  Once there, we realized this was a memorial reception for a girl who had served in the military.  We sought out the parents and introduced ourselves.  Nancy and her husband were wonderful people and I thought it was good they had all these friends and family surrounding them.  I knew it was too early and fresh to tell them much about TAPS, but made sure we had contact information and gave them space.  At TAPS, I had to share their story with some people and hope I can get them out to DC soon. Olivia, the daughter, seemed to be an amazing woman.  Mother of two and veteran of the US Air Force, serving in Afghanistan with the Air Force weather service which tracks the conditions for flight missions.

On Saturday night, we have the big banquet.  Our guest speaker was Robert Patrick the actor.  He started his talk by reading a letter from a friend who echoed the thoughts of many Conservatives and then spoke of his career, his love and honor for the families of the fallen, the heroic members of the United States military, and his love for the greatest nation on earth.  He told us of his intentions of riding in Rolling Thunder on Sunday.  He drove his old Harley from Hollywood to DC in only four days!! That is some hard riding. 3000 miles in four days.  We got pictures with him which was fun.  Although he is currently on TV with a series now (Scorpion) and has done many roles, he is most remembered as the T-1000 terminator.  Great guy.

Sunday was Rolling Thunder and once again, Frenchy pimped us out to her biker friends from Pennsylvania. We had the honor of being introduced to a veteran who was a survivor of the cowardly attack at Fort Hood by Nidal Hassan. 
Every year, there is a Marine who stands on the traffic island at the corner we turn during the run.  In full dress uniform, he stands at salute as the bikes take hours to go by.  Tim is not just a veteran, but he was stationed at the Pentagon when 9/11 happened.  Injured himself, he helped pull friends out of the burning rubble.  He has physical issues now from that day but manages to stand for hours every year in honor of others who served.  This year he was engaged and the marriage ceremony took place, you guessed it, right there on that traffic island during the ride.  His new bride stood with him to honor the servicemen.
The ride ends at the National Mall, and it is always a zoo with tourists, but more so this year as Donald Trump was there to give a primary speech. afterwards, we walked a bit, found a Virtual geocache at the Museum of Science and Arts. and made our way to the subway to the hotel.

On Monday we decided to catch a couple of finds so we could get our souvenir for Virginia as we had gotten DC the day before.  We got one, but Laurie and I started to fight.  It was because it was Memorial day and after the emotional weekend we were thinking a lot about Jeremiah.  We took a break in the shade.  I was on Facebook, and found one of Jeremiah's battle buddies was on live.  He was filming himself and his daughter walking around the Fourth ID memorial at Fort Hood where both he and Jeremiah had been stationed when they lost Jeremiah while deployed to Iraq.  It was touching and brought us back to reality.  We continued our searching and made a few finds.  a couple were very cool.  Later that afternoon, we had lunch with some of our North Dakota group.  There were tow girls there who were cousins and around 10 - 12.  Laurie told them about geocaching and when we left to walk to the hotel as a group, we covered some of the same area where we had been earlier and Laurie directed them into finding a couple of the caches. It was pretty fun watching kids hunt for them.

Tuesday morning, said goodbyes and left for the airport.  Still flew first class, this time routed through Dallas.  In the airport, we met a young woman from San Diego who had lost her husband and was at TAPS.

Finally, after all that, we arrived in San Diego and had a few days before we began our journey home.

Jefferson David Highway seen from our room

The Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington, VA is just beautiful.

Opening night dinner

The Military Band performance at Marine Barracks One.

Robert Patrick and us.

Laurie's biker

Mine

Tim, the Saluting Marine and his new bride. Congrats

Frenchy

Streets of Arlington. There is a geocache here

Beautiful water park

Incredible design, very serene here...

and a geocache.

Our lunch party.