The Korean Memorial is located directly across the Reflecting
Pool from the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. The Korean Memorial is
dedicated to honor the thousands of Americans who served in the Korean
conflict to try and keep Communist North Korea from overtaking South
Korea.

The 19 soldiers are arranged around strips of granite and scrubby
juniper bushes to suggest the rice paddies of Korea, while windblown
ponchos recall the harsh weather they endured. This symbolic patrol
brings together members of the Air Force, Army, Marines, and Navy, and portrays servicemen from a variety of backgrounds. When seen reflected on the wall, there appear to be 38 men on patrol, representing the 38th parallel that divided Korea.

Fun Facts:

* The Korean Memorial is the first stainless steel memorial ever
erected in D.C.
* To make the 164-foot-long wall, a computer-generated stencil guided
the sandblasting that carved the images in stone.
For more information about the Korean Memorial, please visit
http://www.worldstrides.com/sitesandsnapshots/dc_sites/korean.asp

Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial to be built:

Washington, D.C. Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial
More than a monument to a great humanitarian, the National Memorial
honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. will be a place for visitors from
all over the world to be energized by its extraordinary power; the
power that illuminated the faith of our founders and now impels us
toward our destiny as a nation; the power flowing from the uniquely
American spirit of brotherly love, freedom, justice, and the priceless
blessing they endure...peace.

The Memorial is conceived as an engaging landscape experience to
convey three fundamental and recurring themes throughout Dr. King's
life - democracy, justice, and hope. Natural elements such as the
crescent-shaped-stone wall inscribed with excerpts of his sermons, and
public addresses will serve as the living testaments of his vision of
America. The centerpiece of the Memorial, the "Stone of Hope", will
feature a 30-foot likeness of Dr. King. The groundbreaking is scheduled
for 2006 with a goal of dedicating the Memorial in 2008.

Did you know?
On December 5, 1955, after civil rights activist Rosa Parks refused to
comply with Montgomery's segregation policy on buses, black residents
launched a bus boycott and elected King president of the newly-formed
Montgomery Improvement Association. The boycott continued throughout
1956 and King gained national prominence for his role in the campaign.
In December 1956 the United States Supreme Court declared Alabama's
segregation laws unconstitutional and Montgomery buses were
desegregated.

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a
nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by
the content of their character."

From Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech, August 28, 1963
Visit the official Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial website
http://www.mlkmemorial.org/

Williamsburg Rolls Out the Red Carpet - Twice!
The past several weeks have been full of excitement for Colonial
Williamsburg. On December 21st, the Kimball Theater in Colonial
Williamsburg hosted a premier of The New World, a $30 million epic by Terrence Malick. The movie stars Colin Farrell as Captain John Smith,  Christian Bale as John Rolfe, and Q?Orianka Kilcher as Pocahontas. The film opened nationwide on January 13th and while reviews are mixed, the cinematic shots of Virginia have received high praises. Many hope the film will raise the nation?s awareness of Jamestown and its role in the founding of our nation ? just in time for the settlement400th anniversary!

On January 14th, Timothy Kaine became the first governor since Thomas Jefferson in 1779 to be inaugurated in Williamsburg. Kaine joined the ranks of Jefferson and Patrick Henry due to renovations at the states Capitol in Richmond, VA. Colonial Williamsburg?s celebratory weekend included a Beach Boys concert, a prayer service at Bruton Parish, a parade down Duke of Gloucester Street, and the inaugural ball.

For information on Williamsburg, Jamestown or Yorktown, visit
www.visitwilliamsburg.com  <http://www.visitwilliamsburg.com/>