Warning: This is a complete nerd post! Proceed if you choose, but don't blame me if you get bored!
I got back from an American Heritage trip with my little brother last week. Was it awesome?! Yeah!
We flew in to Philadelphia, ate shoo fly pie in Amish country, went to the National Aquarium in Baltimore, and traveled to Washington D.C. We took pictures at the Capitol Building, the Lincoln Memorial, and visited the Smithsonian museums. Luckily for my mom and my little brother, I was so tired by the time we got to the museums that I didn't make them stay there all day!
But my most favorite part of all the trip...
GETTYSBURG!!!
So I do realize that I was not a normal child, but I must confess that I have wanted to go to Gettysburg since I was like 9 or 10 years old. I know, what kind of 10 year old gets it into their head to visit a battlefield?! Well, this kind of 10 year old!
I remember being a freshman in high school when my older sister Melinda went on their American Heritage trip. It was the first time the school was trying a different program and this program included a trip to Gettysburg. By the time I was a junior, I was ready! I was ready to walk on that battlefield, take pictures, explore the town, and buy souvenirs! But what happened?! My class decided to do the Close Up program that only included Washington D.C. What?! To say I was devastated is an understatement!
Last Monday, our tour bus was driving across the beautiful, hilly countryside of Pennsylvania when to my left, I spotted a large monument. I knew right then that my (almost) lifetime dream was coming true! I was in Gettysburg Pennsylvania! We ate lunch at a tavern that was built in 1776 and saw where previous owners had hidden runaway slaves on the Underground Railroad. So awesome!
Next, we went on our tour. I got to see Cemetery Ridge, Big and Little Round Top, Devil's Den, the Peach Orchard, and the field where the famous Pickett's Charge took place!
Why was I so excited to be at Gettysburg?! Because I love America! And the Battle of Gettysburg was the turning point of the Civil War - the battle that turned the war in favor of the North, the United States of America. Two more years and tens of thousands of lives later, the war ended. And the United States was preserved! And freedom was given to all!
But that freedom was not free! It was fought for and many people died for it. And that is something that needs to be remembered!
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