Hi, my name is Hannah. I am ten years old, and my grandpa is president of PLANET. My family and I went to Washington D.C. to pay tribute to the soldiers’ graves at the sacred Arlington cemetery with PLANET’s Renewal and Remembrance event on July 13th. We went to give honor to those who risked their lives for America.
There were fifty kids there, all the PLANET Kids. While the adults were taking care of the cemetery landscaping, the kids saw some sights and did a little work of our own. We saw the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. All the guards are incredibly precise and exact. They stood still as statues, and when they moved together, they looked like perfectly programmed machines. I could see how serious they were about protecting the tomb. They guarded it with their lives and would die for it.
Also, we got to see the barracks (where the soldiers lived). We found out they never sleep for the whole day; only half-hour naps when they were really tired. So they guarded 24/7. Amazing, huh?
The guards did a special wreath-laying ceremony on behalf of PLANET to honor the Unknown Soldier, too!
To “pay it forward” as my grandpa says, the PLANET kids were given an area of the cemetery to add beautiful plants. When we planted, we met P. Allen Smith, who has his own gardening show on TV. He helped us plant. That was awesome! He told us to loosen the roots and crumble the block of dirt. It was really fun! I can’t wait to see how the plants are getting along next year!
So, that’s what the PLANET Kids did in Arlington Cemetery! When I go back, I’m sure I’ll have just as good of a time as I did this year! Go PLANET Kids!
