Line of Sight

Need a lift?

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Staff Sgt. Hasaan Jones, from the D.C.’s Guard medical detachment, waits at the 6th district police station. The Guard gave rides to critical personnel during the snow emergency in D.C.

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Historic warbirds

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Aircraft technicians make adjustments to the propeller of a Hurricane MkII aircraft at the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight Centre at RAF Coningsby on Feb. 9 in Coningsby, England. The Hurricane at the base is believed to be the last to enter service in the RAF in 1944. Planes at the base are currently undergoing their annual service in preperation for this years 70th anniversary Battle of Britain Celebrations at RAF Fairford. ( Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

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Aircraft technician Edward Cash works in the nose bay of a Lancaster Bomber at the ‘Battle of Britain Memorial Flight’ centre at RAF Coningsby on Feb. 9 in Coningsby, England. The Lancaster PA474 was built in 1945, and is one of only two operational aircarft ramianing of the 7377 that were built. Planes at the base are currently undergoing their annual service in preperation for this years 70th anniversary Battle of Britain Celebrations at the Royal International Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford. ( Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

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Have HEMTT, will tow

Sgt. Madrice Hamn of the 224th Aviation Regiment, Virginia National Guard, talks about pulling an ambulance from a snow bank at the Arlington County Fire Department, Station 6, in Falls Church, VA, on Thursday, February 11, 2010. Hamn and PFC Kashif Banks were stationed at the firehouse with their HEMTT (Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck,)  to assist with recovery of emergency vehicles that got stuck in the snow or on the ice, including ambulances and large ladder trucks.

Sgt. Madrice Hamn of the 224th Aviation Regiment, Virginia National Guard, talks about pulling an ambulance from a snow bank at the Arlington County Fire Department, Station 6, in Falls Church, Va., on Feb. 11. Hamn and Pfc. Kashif Banks were stationed at the firehouse with their HEMTT (Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck,) to assist with recovery of emergency vehicles that got stuck in the snow or on the ice, including ambulances and large ladder trucks.

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Fear-Factor

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Like an episode of “Fear Factor,” Marines drank cobra blood and ate scorpions during a jungle survival program as part of the annual combined military exercise Cobra Gold 2010 at a Navy base in Chonburi province, Thailand, on Feb. 9. About 14,000 military personnel from six nations — South Korea, Indonesia, Thailand, the United States, Singapore and Japan — are involved in the largest U.S.-led war games in the Pacific, which end Feb. 11. (Pornchai Kittiwongsakul / AFP / Getty Images)

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Virginia Guard snow patrol

Army National Guard vehicles arrive in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia to assist during blizzard conditions on Wednesday, February 10, 2010.

Army National Guard vehicles arrive in Old Town Alexandria, Va., on Feb. 10 to assist during blizzard conditions.

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Fort Stevens, under a different kind of attack

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The only time D.C. came under attack during the the Civil War was at this fort, near the Fort Totten metro station:

On July 11, 1864, Lt. Gen. Jubal A. Early’s exhausted Confederates reached the outskirts of Washington near Silver Spring. Skirmishers advanced to feel the fortifications, which at the time were manned only by Home Guards, clerks, and convalescent troops.

During the night, veteran units from the Union VI Corps disembarked from troop transports and marched north through the streets of Washington to bolster the defenses.

On July 12, Early was finally in position to make a strong demonstration, which was repulsed by the veteran Union troops. In the afternoon, VI Corps units sortied against the Confederate skirmishers, driving them back from their advanced positions in front of Forts Stevens and DeRussy.

Also rather interesting: President Lincoln watched the action from Fort Stevens and came under fire from Confederate sharpshooters.

Another view of its location today:

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D.C. blizzard — Arlington National Cemetery

Snow covers headstones at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, VA, on Tuesday, February 9, 2010. The cemetery was closed for the day due to snowstorms in the area, although scheduled funerals were still held.

Snow covers headstones at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., on Feb. 9, before a second winter storm hit the Washington area. The cemetery was closed for the day due to the snowstorms, although scheduled funerals were still held.

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D.C. blizzard II — Iwo Jima Memorial

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Cartwheels

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A Haitian boy does cartwheels on the beach in Grand Goave with the amphibious assault ship Bataan in the background Feb. 1. Bataan is conducting humanitarian and disaster relief operations as part of Operation Unified Response after a 7.0 magnitude earthquake caused severe damage in and around Port-au-Prince on Jan. 12. (MC3 Samantha Robinett/Navy)

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Heave the line

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A sailor aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier Carl Vinson heaves a line during a replenishment-at-sea with the guided-missile cruiser Bunker Hill on Feb. 2 in the Atlantic Ocean. Carl Vinson is taking part in Southern Seas 2010. (MC2 Adrian White / Navy)

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