"To Those Brave Men"

The R.M.S. Titanic luxury cruiseliner hit an iceberg and sank in the North Atlantic 100 years ago today, killing some 1500 passengers and crew.  It's a compelling and engaging story on many levels, from the hubris of the shipbuilders (the Titanic was "unsinkable") to the calm resoluteness of the band to keep playing even as the ship went down. Many books have been published about the doomed voyage and, of course, Hollywood produced a sappy love story set on the ship back in the 1990s.

The Men's Titanic Society has for the last 34 years commemorated the bravery of the men who voluntarily stepped aside so that women and children could be saved.  This morning, around 1 a.m., the men mustered at the Titanic Memorial on the Southwest Waterfront (near 4th Street and P Street SW) to pay homage and respect to those altruistic acts of 100 years ago. 

The men were dressed in tuxedos, including the waiter assigned to pour champagne for the toasts (read more about the Society here).  Each spoke briefly and toasted in his own way the sacrifices made for the women and children (one acknowledged the women who built the monument and one softly derided all the women who stopped the tradition of commemorating the event) that cold, icy evening, ending their toast "to those brave men."

Earlier in the evening the men enjoyed a dinner at the National Press Club, eating the same items that appeared on the menu that evening on the Titanic.