Personal Bucket List: Return to Gettysburg

Like many junior high students in this country, when I was in 8^th grade my class took a trip to Washington DC, and while en-route, we stopped at and toured Gettysburg. At the time, I knew very little about the battle and the significance it had on American life as we know it today, but in the years since, I have had time to study, research, and review the town, battle, and its impact extensively.

July 1^st-3^rd 1863 was a pivotal three days for this country. Given what happened prior to, and following that event, our landscape was fundamentally changed. If the history of the United States were divided into two sections, the breaking point would be those three days, because whatever came before, and whatever followed would be significantly changed over the course of those 72 hours.

I’ve written about the battle before, and my love for the film which attempts to tell the story. But there is so much more to see, and if one approaches a trip there with that knowledge, the experience can be all the more significant. At the time, I didn’t know, nor did I have an appreciation for what that place can be, and why it’s important to see it, walk the grounds, and take in the sights. Everyone owes it to themselves to do as such if an opportunity presents itself. I would like to return as I know that my experience can be all the more enhanced, given what I’ve learned in the years since.