The US Air force memorial was opened yesterday after 14 years of planning and expending more than 30 million dollars! It is the tallest object in the DC area; yes it even stands at a higher elevation than the Washington monument! The USAF gets away with this because the monument is in Arlington next to the Pentagon and not the District. It is amazing how large it is and you don’t get a sense of its full size until you are right up on it. Eric and I planned to go onto the grounds at its base to photograph this monument on its opening day. However we found security very tight as the President was there earlier and more VIP’s were scheduled to speak there Sunday. We had intended to go there to photograph this newest, and particularly important to us, of monuments specifically on its inaugural day. That would be quite a story and one for which there is but one day that it can occur. Despite our combined 21 years of service to our nations Air Force we were told upon reaching its hallowed grounds that we had to come back when it officially opens to the public next week, apparently this weekend its invitation only. Well, we were taught very well in the USAF to always complete the mission period! We would not be deterred! We adjusted our tactics and acquired our target regardless of the defenses in place. We used maneuver and stealth to skirt the perimeter and acquire our photographic target as planned. I believe the image provided here is confirmation of mission accomplished! Aim High!