USS Dwight D. Eisenhower

Last week some of the other interns and I were able to go to Norfolk, VA and take a tour of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower. It was a great opportunity to get a glimpse of what it would be like to work on such a massive ship. The USS Eisenhower is a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier powered by two nuclear reactors and able to carry 5,000 members. Once on the ship, we were led to a small room commemorating the President that the ship was named after. We were given a tour by the current NCIS agent aboard the ship. He gave us a tour of the brig and his office, which was very small and compact. We then took a long walk up the winding stairs to the top of the bridge, where we were able to see all of the controls of the ship.

We were then lead down to the flight deck and were able to get a better idea of how massive the ship really is. We were able to walk around the flight deck and look at the catapults that help to launch the aircraft off the ship. We then went to the officer’s cafeteria and ate lunch aboard the ship. The food wasn’t bad, a lot better than I imagined. After completing the tour we went back to the NCIS office on the navy yard and sat down and talked with the agents about their duties. It wasa great opportunity to gain some insight as to what it would be like to be an NCIS agent on a ship.

Shooting Range

A few days later we were able to go to the shooting range and meet up with NCIS agents. Back home I go shooting a several times a week, but have not been able to shoot since I have been here, so I have been looking forward to this day. We met in a classroom and were informed about the different guns we would be shooting. We were able to shoot a 12 gauge shotgun, 9mm handgun, .357 handgun, and a MP5 sub-machine gun. We then went out to the range and were given 4,000 rounds of ammunition to shoot! Of course, the first thing I went for was the MP5. We were able to shoot the gun in semi-auto and as we became comfortable with the gun they let us shoot the gun in 3 round burst, then full auto. I was also able to empty the gun in full auto, 30 rounds in 3 seconds. AMAZING. The agents were also able to give me some pointers on different shooting techniques. That was one of the highlights of my time here inDC.

Internship

At my internship I am currently looking over a case dealing with a murder for hire. I am very excited about this since my minor is forensic accounting and I am able to use the information that I have learned in both my major and minor at the same time. I am looking through a mountain of paperwork pertaining to the financial records of individuals. Looking through tons of financial paperwork may not seem like fun, but it is interesting to me and I enjoy it.

On Saturday, my roommate, Dollian, and I decided to go to The Taste of Georgetown. One of the side streets in Georgetown was closed off and a number of local restaurants had booths set up and we were able to sample the food. We had to pay $20 for 5 tickets and each sample cost a ticket. The portions served were huge and I was stuffed by the end. I was able to sample food from Old Glory Bar and Grill, 1789, and Dean & Deluca. Georgetown Cupcake had a booth there and luckily I was able to take some cupcakes home with one of the tickets. Most of the booths had menus available to view and I am pretty sure that I won’t be eating at them; they were a little too pricy for an intern.

After filling up on food we went to the National Museum of Health and Medicine. The museum is not near the Mall and it takes a little while to get there, but it was very interesting. There were very few people inside the museum, which was nice to be able to look at the displays and not have to fight 100 other people, which is common in many of the other museums. I was able to see the bullet that killed President Lincoln, along with a cloth stained with his blood. There was also a huge display depicting the stages of growth in a child’s bone structure from 4 months prenatal to 1 year old. If you are interested in the history and development of microscopes then this is the place for you; I bet there were about 200 of them on display. I liked the display on the army and how the medical field equipment has changed over time to help save wounded soldiers. The museum was out of the way, but if you are going to be interning in DC, then I recommend going to the museum.

On the way back from the museum we decided to make a stop at Ben’s Chili Bowl. It’s a restaurant, but it’s also a huge tourist attraction and it was packed. The founder, Ben, died last week so the place was busier than normal. They serve chili, obviously, chili-dogs, fries, hamburgers and anything that goes along with chili. The food was very good and I plan on going back there in the near future, hopefully it won’t be as busy next time.

Sunday afternoon I went to the National Museum of Crime and Punishment, located in Chinatown. Unlike many of the other museums, this one charges 18 bucks to get in, but it was well worth it. If you are majoring in any type of criminal justice field, then I am sure you will find this place to be very interesting. I was able to see items related to many of the people that I have studied about the last three years of college. Upon entering the museum, the first displays are related to crimes in the Middle Ages, the western expansion, mobsters, and current financial crimes. I liked the exhibit on the Crime bosses of New York and Chicago. There were also several exhibits on prisons and capital punishment. They had an electric chair where over 100 people have been executed and a gas chamber. There are simulators used to train law enforcement officers in driving and shooting that you are able to use. I also liked that there were T.V. monitors playing the show NCIS, sense I am interning with NCIS.

One of the best parts about the museum was that the show America's Most Wanted uses the basement for the taping of the show. I was able to walk around the set and see information about the people that have been brought to justice because of the show. There was lots of information on John Walsh, the host of the show. There was a display case filled with awards that he has received because of his work in aiding law enforcement agencies throughout the US.