'Falling in love all over again' with Washington, DC

I can describe my Washington D.C. experience thus far in two words: deeply moving. Though I have been here before I started the Washington Leadership Program, I felt the need to rediscover the city through its museums and memorials. \nI packed my camera, dressed in warm clothing and prepared to fall in love all over again. \nOn our first night, my friends and I took the night tour of the memorials. We lingered in the Lincoln and Washington memorials, staring at their beauty and immensity.\nWe walked along the Mall and past the reflecting pool and came to the World War II memorial. Through the misty darkness, the lights illuminated the beautiful fountains that commemorate our lost war heroes. I had never seen this memorial before, and my eyes welled up with tears.\nI moved slowly through the open structure absorbing its grandeur. Quotes from D-Day lined the walls and paralleled my feelings about Sept. 11 and our soldiers in Iraq. The field of stars represents each fallen soldier. As I stared up at the plaque, I realized the price of my freedom was their lives. As I passed the large fountain in the center of the memorial, I looked back at my friends and saw they were equally moved.\nWe made our way through the World War II memorial and moved down the path to the Vietnam War memorial. If you only see one memorial on your trip to Washington, D.C., you have to see this one. It is a black wall with the names of the deceased soldiers etched into the solid mass. It begins with only a few names on a short slab close to the ground. The slabs get larger and the names grow denser. Large books with the names of family and friends lost to the war start at the top of the monument, and the names are listed chronologically as the men died.\nMy emotions were overwhelming as I thought about the families of these dead soldiers. Each of these men was a father, son, brother or friend to someone. Each of these men had a story stifled by war. \nJust beyond the path were handwritten posters thanking our troops. "We will remember," they read. \nA few of the guys in our group hovered over the posters, reading their touching messages. I looked into their eyes and saw awesome emotion and tears.\nI could not help thinking that this was the perfect way to start my journey.\nOn Jan. 23, I had the privilege to hear Colin Powell speak for his last time as secretary of state. As I waited for Secretary Powell to make his final descent down the State Department steps, I could not help but feel like I was dreaming.\nAs he said his final good-byes, his devoted staff cried tears of admiration. To his right stood his assistants and his undersecretaries. To these men and women, Powell was not only a boss -- he was a friend. His last words to his staff left a lasting impression: "I will never leave you." I saw the tears building in his eyes and, of course, I started to cry.