Perspective trip to Washington, DC - December 2012

Reflections...

S

tanding silently, watching family members etch the names of loved ones lost in the Viet Nam war, seniors Jackie Neal, Amanda Larkowski, and junior Meghan Hinton are reflected in the granite at the Viet Nam Memorial Wall during their recent trip to Washington D.C. with the editors of the Medaille Perspective.

There was a lot to reflect on, for the Editorial Staff of the Perspective, on their recent journey to Washington. The days spent were action packed. Each stop afforded an unusual insiders look that most people visiting Washington never get to see.

“Six years of everything I have ever learned about history of government was crammed into four up close and personal days,” said Jackie Neal, senior Communications major.

The trip began with a walk to all of the major monuments on the mall. They toured the Jefferson, Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Roosevelt, World War Two, Korean War, and Vietnam War Memorials and ended at the White House and the Inauguration and Presidential Parade reviewing Stand for the inauguration of President Obama, which was under construction. They interviewed members of the president’s Secret Service staff about the logisitics of running a smooth inauguration.

The following morning the editors spent a fruitful morning touring the Newseum, which celebrates and commemorates the history of Journalism.

After a brief stop at the National Archives to see the original Constitution and Declaration of Independence it was off to the Capitol.

After taking the public tour of the Capital building, the young journalists met with Jerry Gallegos. the Superintendent of the House of Representatives Press Gallery for a very unique private tour. The students were presented Press Passes for the day and met in the Gallery to discuss the role, history and life of the working press in the Congress.

Students met national correspondents from politico, C-Span, CNN and others covering the Congress and then were given an insider’s tour of the Capital by Mr. Gallegos.

They sat in Majority Leader Cantor’s chair on the floor of the house, where they were encouraged to put their finger in the bullet hole left in that desk by the Puerto Rican Separatists in 1954. They then were shown the republican Cloakroom where republican House members can relax between votes and can caucus. From there it was on to Speaker Boehner’s office and Conference room. They met with his Administrative Director and were taken to his private balcony overlooking the Washington Monument.

Amanda Larkowski and Jackie Neal take their first of many pictures at the beginning of a 4 day tour of the capitol city.

Junior Meghan Hinton, Junior Patrick Gregoire, Senior Jacki Neal, Junior Derek Wangler, and Senior Amanda Larkowski standing in front of the World War II monument.

...from our nation’s capitol

Viet Nam War Memorial photo by senior Jackie Neal, contributing photographers Lisa Murphy and Meghan Hinton

Department of State staffmember talks to junior Derek Wangler and senior Jackie Neal about the ceiling paintings in the Library of Congress.

Speaker Boehner’s Administrative Director brought them to the Congress woman’s reading room where they sat on the couch that President John Quincy Adams died on after returning to Congress after serving as president. “ I thought this was a trip to washington but these are amazing experiences that I will remember for the rest of my life,” said junior communications major Derek Wangler. The students actually went to the tomb built for George Washington before his wife refused to have his remains brought from his home in Mount Vernon. They spent over 5 hours in the capitol, much of it after the capitol was closed to the public.

The following morning started with a tour of the Holocaust Museum augmented with an hour spent with Henry Greenbaum and Erika Eckstut, two survivors of the Nazi’s effort to subjugate and kill the world’s Jews. Mrs Eckstut survived in a ghetto in the former Czechoslovakia, under unbelievable privation.

Like his friend, Mrs. Eckstut, Mr. Greenbaum was ripped from a peaceful youth to go to a Ghetto. From there he was taken to Treblinka Concentration Camp, where two of his sisters were exterminated.

He attempted an escape with one of his sisters. She was shot and killed. He was shot in the head but survived. He was deported to Auschwitz then marched without food to Dachau. After the war Mr. Greenbaum discovered his only two surviving family members who had escaped the holocaust by immigrating to the US. He joined them here.

Both of the survivors were liberated by American Soldiers. Through it all both survivors managed to keep their faith and both have a profound sense of gratitude toward the United States.

After the Holocost Museum the editors had an appointment at the Library of Congress for a working lunch with Ambassador John O’Keefe. Ambassador O’Keefe is the Executive Director of the Open World

Leadership Institute which provides opportunities for world leaders to travel to Washington, and from there, around this country to meet with others engaged in similar leadership roles around the United States.

Ambassador O’keefe pointed to many successes in this high powered exchange program including the opportunity for one former soviet socialist republic to model the judiciary of their newly established nation on one of our own.

Ambassador O’Keefe also talked with the students about his long State department career rising from a blue collar Baltimore background to serve in the former Yugoslavia, Norway, the Philippines, The Kyrgyz Republic, and Russia.

He told one fascinating story about negotiating for an airbase in the Kyrgyz Republic after 9/11 to supply our troops in Afghanistan and a conversation about the role of Putin in that decision.

It was clear that the Ambassador was two steps ahead

“Speaker Boehners Office, The couch where John Quincy Adams died and two holocaust survivors... those are amazing experiences that I will remember for the rest of my life.”

-Junior Derek Wangler

Middle left; Meghan Hinton and Pat Gregoire visiting the Martin Luther King monument.

Left bottom: Eleanor Roosevelt is memorialized through this wonderful statue at the Roosevelt Monument Right; With the Jefferson Monument in the background Jackie and Derek capture the Martin Luther King monument.

Six years of everything I have ever learned about history of government crammed into four up close and personal days; Best ever!

- Senior Jackie Neal

Above: A visit to the Tomb of the Unknown soldier.

Below: The group is sitting on the couch where John Adams died in the women’s congressional reading room

“One of the most action packed, fun, yet very educational trips ever.

Definitely a once in a lifetime opportunity.”

Senior Amanda Larkowski

Above Top: the Washington Monuments looms in the background as students head to the Lincoln Memorial.

Above bottom: editors reading one of the many famous quotes the FDR said during the depression.

Right: Working lunch with Ambassador John O’Keefe at the State Department.

Above: Senior Amanda Larkowski takes a break next to one of the many waterfall features in the Roosevelt Monument.

Left: Amanda, Jacki and Meghan take a closer look at FDR’s famous scottie.

of all involved and made his moves not only understanding the head of the Kyrgyz Republic but also personally knowing Vladimir Putin.

On their way out of the State Department lunchroom Ambassador O’Keefe introduced them to Congressperson Debbie WassermanSchultz, head of the Democratic National Committee.

The visit at the Library of Congress concluded with a personal tour of the Library. The students had an indepth tour of the building including the original books sold to the library

by Thomas Jefferson which became the nucleus of what has become the world’s finest library, a library that has an unusual connection to Medaille College.

The School of Education won a grant from the Library several years ago to show educators in western New York how to use the impressive electronic assets available from the Library in their classrooms.

They went to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum and the Smithsonian Natural History Museum and numerous other federal buildings including the Supreme Court the Department of agriculture, the Justice Department, and others.

Along the way the students met a variety of fascinating people including the Deputy Community Relations Director of The League of Conservation Voters, a national wildlife organization and the chief of Staff for Congressperson Louse Slaughter.

Finally, the next morning a group went to Arlington Cemetery to see the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

“This was one of the most action packed, fun, yet very educational trips ever. It was definitely a once in a lifetime opportunity,” said senior psychology major Amanda Larkowski.