This year the 42nd annual National Teen Age Republican (TAR) Leadership Conference was held again for the first time since the COVID pandemic. It was held July 11–16 at Washington, D.C.
Monday
Different groups of teenagers from across the country got the chance to be first acquainted over dinner at the Hilton Hotel. After the dinner we were taken to what would be known as “The View” at 1201 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington. It is called “The View” for good reason: from the very top you can see the Jefferson, Lincoln, and Washington Monuments. Once at the top, we did a questionnaire to help us learn about each other more.
Tuesday
Tuesday we started off with messages from Representative Joe Mitchell of Iowa who is the founder of Run GenZ, which is an organization in support of the next generation of leaders. After the videos and the discussions, we went to the National Archives Museum, where the original documents of the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights and the Constitution reside.
After dinner we went to a bookstore called Politics and Prose where writer G. Elliott Morris talked about his book, Strength in Numbers: How Polls Work and Why We Need Them.
Wednesday
The next day the group split up to meet their state senators and congressmen at Capitol Hill. The Utah group had the chance to meet and speak with Congressman Chris Stewart. It was really cool!
We did get to take a picture with Senator Mitt Romney, and while Senator Mike Lee wasn’t able to be present that day at all, he had made arrangements for us to be able to converse with his interns and eat green jello, so it was still a very good experience.
After meeting the senators, we went to the Twilight Tattoo Pageant, which is held at an army base and put on by the military. The best part was the U.S. Army Drill Team, and they threw and caught their guns in sync with each other! When the pageant was over, we took a bit of a night tour of the D.C. monuments.
Thursday
Thursday morning we went to the Library of Congress, I was able to see Jefferson’s collection he donated to the library. The murals painted and the tiling are breathtaking. Then we went to the House of Representatives where we met with Senator Shelley Capito who escorted our group through the Capitol Building Rotunda.
Once there we had the opportunity to pay our final respects to Hershel Williams, also known as “Woody.” Woody was a World War II hero and the last surviving soldier who had fought at Iwo Jima and a recipient of the medal of honor.
We also got the chance to take a picture with Congresswoman Carol Miller in front of a statue of our founding father: Brigham Young. We even got to see Nancy Pelosi just passing by us in the hall with her bodyguards.
After that we had pizza and met with Congressman David Schweikert, and his intern. Next, we went back to the hotel and had some free time to practice for our traditional TARs talent show. That went smashingly by the way.
Friday
The last day, we went to Mount Vernon and we went on a bit of a boat ride. When the ride ended we went on a tour of the house and a bit of the grounds. Again after dinner, we went to the Pentagon and visited the 9/11 exhibit. Once that was over we had our annual dance and sang “God Bless the USA.”
Our Washington, D.C., trip is a trip worth remembering and I am very grateful I was able to go and see all of these amazing sites, and for the people I had the chance to meet. I am also very grateful to everyone who has made this trip possible. Thank you!
– by Ella Hughes (18) Panguitch
Feature image caption: The TARs (Teen Age Republicans) with Senator Mitt Romney in Washington, D.C. Courtesy Ella H.
Ella Hughes – Panguitch
Ella Hughes is a junior journalist and editor at The Byway. She has recently graduated from Panguitch High School and has written for The Byway for two years now. Her favorite topics to write about are history as well as present-day local events. In her free time she enjoys singing, watching movies, reading books, and spending time with her family she adores.
Ella is currently serving a full-time mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She is serving in the Philippines Tacloban Mission.