OLD SOLDIERS NEVER DIE....

SATURDAY, MARCH 15, 2015
Well, right on schedule, the rain moved in over night and it looks like it will last all day. So I opted to find something to do indoors, which can mean only one thing, Find a museum.  Being the weekend, and traffic would hopefully be light, I decided to head into Norfolk and see what I can find. My trek takes me east on Interstate 64, through the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel, (not to be confused with the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel), and right on que there is a broken down vehicle in the eastbound tube, and it take me about 25-minutes to make it through the tunnel and across the bridge.

Once across the bridge the rain let up long enough for me to make a quick stop at Forest Lawn Cemetery where I was able to quickly locate the grave of one of the early stars of NASCAR, Little Joe Weatherly. Little Joe was known as the Clown Prince of Racing because of he light hearted personality, but once inside a race car he was one of the sports toughest competitors.

Joe Weatherly died on January 19, 19464, when his car crashed into a retaining wall at the Riverside Raceway in Riverside, California. Being a native of Norfolk, Virginia, he was laid to rest in the Forest Lawn Cemetery with many of his competitors in attendance.

Also buried here in Forest Lawn is George Dewey Hay, know to country music fans as "The Solemn Old Judge," and founder of the Grand Ole Opry, which was originally known as the WSM Barn Dance which followed NBC's Music Appreciation Hour that featured classical and grand opra.  ONe night in 1927 Judge Hay took to the air and stated "For the past hour, we have been listening to music taken largely from Grand Opra. Now we present the Grand Ole Opry." And as they say the rest is history.  The Grand Ole Opry is still broadcast every Saturday Night over WSM.   Late in life and following his retirement he moved to the Tidewater area of Virginia where he died in 1968.

Just as I was leaving the cemetery the rain returned and I made my way into downtown and found a parking garage right across the street from the MacArthur Memorial. I had visited the MacArthur Memorial, many, many, many years ago when I had been on a Junior High school trip. So I would say that thing have changed some in the last 45 years.

The MacArthur Memorial is housed in what was once the Norfolk City Hall, which was built in 1847 and housed the city offices until 1918. After the city offices moved into a newer building the building was used as a courthouse until 1960, when the city official suggested that the old building be turned into a memorial for one of the country's best known military officer, General Douglas MacArthur. Having received approval from the General the interior of the building was totally reconstructed and housed the Generals artifacts and paper.

On April 5, 1964, General MacArthur died at Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington, D. C. After a full State Funeral, his remains were brought to Norfolk where a final funeral service was held in St. Paul Church. Following the simple service, General Douglas MacArthur was laid to rest in the rotunda of the MacArthur Memorial.

I spent the better part of 3-hours touring the memorial, largely because I am a reader. I like to read the plaques and take in the information that is being presented. And there were a large number of veterans visiting the memorial and I enjoyed talking and visiting with them.  Over the years, I have found that a simple "Thank You for your service," is a great conversation starter and goes a long way toward making new friends. I spent a good bit of time talking with these old soldiers before "the just fade away."