Section 60 of Arlington National Cemetery is where some of the men and women killed in Iraq and Afghanistan are laid to rest. I decided to visit this section not only to pay my respects but to find exactly where it is so I could take my groups there . I have been to Arlington thousands of times but I was shocked at the size of this section. It seemed to be thousands of head stones in this section alone. I felt a huge sense of loss.I always felt World War 2 and the Korean War was my parents war. I grew up during the Vietnam War and felt the pain of the military men and women who suffered in and out of battle.For some unexplainable reason  I feel connected to these young men and women in section 60. When you visit the section the first thing you notice is how young they are. Row by row ,one by one I felt a connection. Maybe it  was the stories the Washington Post writes about each military  person buried in section 60. Most of the stories are heart wrenching. As I stood looking at the headstones I wondered how many kids would grow up without one of their parents, how many mothers cried when they got the news of their child’s death and how many peoples lives where changed.

Thousands of people visit Arlington National Cemetery every year. Most people visit the Changing of the Guard  ,President Kennedy grave site and The Lee mansion. If would be great if the same people would visit section 60. I found the experience to be very humbling.

A step on guide is a person who gets on a bus to give a tour to people he or she does not know. I am a step on guide. As a step on guide you never know what kind of group you will get. Some groups are great. The great groups usually are people that ask questions , are not talking while I am giving the tour, keep their cell phones vibrate and the bus driver has a good knowledge of where the sights are.The middle of the road group trends to take their time getting off the bus, getting back on the bus late, people not staying with group and the driver do not have a clue how to get anywhere. The worst group is no one seems to be in charge, no discipline with students, adults on school trips talking to their husbands back home or talking to their office about work that they haven’t done yet.

Here are some do and don’t about group touring.

• Make sure everyone is physically able to take a tour
• Plan your trip (be very detailed)
• Pick the bus company carefully. (if the bus breaks down will they have one to replace it soon. How well does the bus driver know the city you are traveling to . Have the bus driver check the microphone to see if it is working before the tour starts
• Have people make all phone calls before the tour starts.
• Hire a professional tour guide
• Reseach the places you will be visiting.

The don’ts

• Wait in line for tickets for the Washington Monument (get them online)
• If you have a group of students do not go to the National Archives at 10am (wait later )
• Do not wait inline for tickets for a tour of the Capital building. You can get them online at www.aoc.gov
• If you do not like crowds do not come to DC in the spring

Washington is a great place to visit with a group.

If you are looking to come to Washington DC in the near future, there are a few ways you can visit the city. You may choose to see the city on your own. This can be fun and it can be frustrating at the same time, especially if you want to see certain attractions or visit sites that require a ticket. The reason for this is that for some attractions, you have to know when tickets are available and when the “heavy traffic” time is for certain places (National Archives, for example).

The next way you can see the city is to take one of those one-size-fits-all tours. When you take these, you are at the mercy of the tour company. Plus, if you want to see something up close and personal, you are going to have to go back at a different time to do that, as many of these bus tours do not stop.

There are hop-on-hop-off options and these can be good. There are schedules available to follow, but once again, you are at the mercy of the company and their buses will not wait for you. One personal acquaintance of mine had foot surgery. She could not run to the last bus of the day even though they were only 20 yards away and waving frantically at the bus and he saw them, he left!

The best way to see DC is to schedule your very own private tour of the city. You work with the guide (like KB Tours) and settle on the itinerary to follow. It is all about you.