WWII Memorial
A FIRST LOOK….. WHERE DC Guestbook
A FIRST LOOK..... WHERE DC Guestbook

WHERE MAGAZINE produces the annual “Where Guestbook” which is distributed throughout DC hotels, businesses and destinations. I am delighted to have the opening ten pages in the book and the final page. Editor Jean Lawlor Cohen and Art Director Teri Samuels are responsible for the selection and design of the article. Jean and I have discussed this for several years and so I am extremely happy that it came to fruition in such a beautiful piece.

Honor Flight Co-Founders win “Caring Award”
Honor Flight Co-Founders win "Caring Award"

Once again our co-founders Earl Morse and Jeff Miller are receiving much deserved recognition. Everyone knows the amount of time and effort they have spent on Honor Flight and I have had the privilege to be a spectator. This year, the Honor Flight Network will have flown over 150,000

WWII Memorial: Fall Flying Season
WWII Memorial:  Fall Flying Season

BUILD IT AND THEY WILL COME!”The Fall Flying Season is on and Honor Flight Hubs are arriving almost daily. There are over 136 hubs spread across 42 states. They all fly several times a year. I try to stop by as often as possible as it remains an exciting and ultimately life-changing experience.

Dole Defines Determination
Dole Defines Determination

Senator Dole has been the center focus in national media with his five laps of ninety counties in Kansas and his return yesterday to the Capitol to lobby for the treaty called the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons With Disabilities.

Ordering Books for Fall 2014
Ordering Books for Fall 2014

For Honor Fights., this is a reminder that there are “just enough” WWII MEMMORIAL: JEWEL OF THE MALL books to cover the flying season Normally deliveries take five to seven days. As always, please get as much information as you can for hotel deliveries…. and please ignore me when I get cranky about hotels! Books come in cases of twenty and samples are available. Email me at srb@srbphoto.com

July 4th Independence Day
July 4th Independence Day

A rare view of the Independence Day fireworks from the roof of the Lincoln Memoiral. The image is featured in DC PHOTO BOOK:  An Insider’s View.  The National Mall is an amazing place and I hope you will take a few moments to visit the Women’s Memorial where my images from WWII Memorial:  Jewel of the Mall are featured.  For […]

WWII Memorial: Honoring our Heroes 2014
WWII Memorial:  Honoring our Heroes 2014

During that week, Boeing printed and distributed 1.6 million posters of one of my night images and the Washington Post ran 39 pages on the WWII Memorial. A productive time but no one I believe thought that the WWII Memorial would become the most popular attraction on the Washington Mall drawing 4.5-5 million people a year. Too bad they don’t have a bookstore, eh?

Tenth Anniversary of WWII Memorial!
Tenth Anniversary of WWII Memorial!

On May 24th the WWII Memorial will celebrate it’s tenth anniversary with a ceremony. Hosted by the Friends of the WWII Memorial. Tickets may still be available and you can get more information on the Friends Website. It should be a grand event (rain or shine).

Washington Monument Opens!
Washington Monument Opens!

Thanks to the efforts of the National Park Service and the Trust for the Mall, the Washington Monument has been restored and today reopens to the public. which started lining up at midnight. It was a nice night to spend under the stars! The constant decay, redesign and restoration of our National Mall keeps me busy.

Chicago Honor Flight: Precision Drill
Chicago Honor Flight:  Precision Drill

Chicago Honor Flight arrived today with 93 veterans. As many of the guardians are from our elite corp of DC Volunteers, Chicago doesn’t need to fly out as many guardians. Mary Pettinato has a team of volunteers who are consistent and know the drill. Chicago’s local coordinators are Renda Overbo and Deb Stevens who make all the DC arrangements and coordinate all the volunteers.

Honor Flights Rock the WWII Memorial
Honor Flights Rock the WWII Memorial

As I walked along Homeland Drive, there were hundreds of veterans loading and unloading and the promise of more to come. As I walked into the Memorial Plaza, Rochester Honor Flihgh had a great jazz band playing and it was a spontaneous celebration of Spring.

Welcome to Spring & Cherry Blossoms
Welcome to Spring & Cherry Blossoms

I took this photograph this morning as I dropped Jeff Miller co-founder of Honor Flight at the Lincoln Memorial. He’s here to help with a group of 450 Korean War veterans from Nevada. And Senator Dole has been sighted at the WWII Memorial so the SEASON IS OFFICIALLY UNDERWAY!

Honor Flight Summit!
Honor Flight Summit!

The Honor Flight Summit was well-attended with a record 215 hub directors, volunteers and speakers. It was quite an event kicked off with a Friday reception which included everything from swing dancers to information stations where Friends of the WWII Memorial, Women in Military Service to America and vendors

WWII Memorial Exhibit at WIMSA
WWII Memorial Exhibit at WIMSA

WIMSA (WOMEN IN MILITARY SERVICE TO AMERICA) is probably the best-kept secret in Washington, DC. It is is one of the more significant yet invisible architectural triumphs in DC. It is so in perfectly attuned to the cemetery’s overall facade that it goes unnoticed. The interior of the Memorial has sweeping forty foot ceilings half of which are skylights which blow vast amounts of light into the interior, so much so that I am constantly surprised that the prints show no sign of fading

Honor Flight Book Ordering
Honor Flight Book Ordering

I will not be reprinting books this year and I am working out an arrangement with Amazon to fulfill all orders come 2015 They are far more efficient and are already taking care of all single book purchases. They may not be delivering your books by drone but they have made self-publishing practical. …which brings me to….

WWII Memorial in the “Snow”
WWII Memorial in the "Snow"

This is the first time I have been able to get down to the Memorial to catch the flakes falling and the fountains running at the same time. One of these days, the “Wall of Stars ” will be completed and the lights on. We’re making progress. It was an exceptionally quiet time and there were only a few people at the Memorial all taking pictures and all very cleverly staying out of each’s others pictures. Quite a nice experience.

WWII Memorial: Veterans Day 2013
WWII Memorial:  Veterans Day 2013

The WWII Memorial continues to be a source of interesting photography moments and I hope I am refining my skills as I plunge on with the project of promoting my books.  I can’t tell you how much I enjoy conversing with the many people who come to the WWII Memorial.  This has been a particularly […]

WWII Memorial
WWII Memorial

This Fall has been a wonderful for photography and for the experience of working with wonderful people. Here Senators Robert and Elizabeth Dole pose with Dave Smith of Honor Flight San Diego. Breitling Watches and their team

Honor Flights at WWII Memorial!
Honor Flights at WWII Memorial!

Eleven Honor Flights descended upon the WWII Memorial and it was nice to see the fountains blasting away and the Memorial Plaza filled with veterans, guardians, tourists and everyone was shaking hands and posing for pictures.  I missed the early flights (San Diego must be on California time!) but made pictures the rest of the day.  I […]

Weclcome Back to WWII Memorial
Weclcome Back to WWII Memorial

Welcome back to whatever we call “normal” here in DC.  I am looking forward to seeing nine flights this coming October 19th weekend and will be up at BWI greeting flights this afternoon.  Congrats to everyone on a perfectly executed strategy during  a difficult time. I believe Honor Flight garnered great media attention as the […]

WWII Memorial Heroes
WWII Memorial Heroes

Jewel of the Mall. Today, veterans from Chicago, Kansas and Missouri visited the WWII Memorial and had to be shielded from the many Congressman and Senators who showed up for a free photo op when the nation is shut down because of their incompetence.

WWII Memorial Barricades Fall
WWII Memorial Barricades Fall

WWII Veterans from Honor Flight Mississippi were joined by Honor Flight Oregon WWII Veterans today in a little “civil unrest”.  An exciting day for our WWII Veterans made a little more exciting by some “civil unrest.” Another photo for “WWII Memorial” Jewel of the Mall’s” next edition!  It’s interesting how Honor Flight has become ensnared […]

WWII MEMORIAL: Veterans turned away?
WWII MEMORIAL:  Veterans turned away?

This picture was taken at 3PM on Monday September 30th, 2013.   Perhaps our elected officials can get off their asses and act as volunteers for WWII Veterans visiting the Memorial. More than 950 Veterans are scheduled to see the Memorial this week with Honor Flight. Lori Turner’s Mississippi Honor Flight Group will be the first […]

WWII MEMORIAL: If you build it…
WWII MEMORIAL:  If you build it...

This Saturday was an extraordinary day for Honor Flights.  Hubs from Rochester, Columbus, New England, Rhode Island, Long Island, Space Coast (Florida) were all present as were Senators Dole and Colin Powell shown here surrounded by veterans.  While there is already a picture of General Powell in the book, I might replace it with this […]