momluvsfootball

It is a picture that brings tears to my eyes every time I see it.  The picture of a black marble wall, names etched into it.  A war veteran, his hand over a name, his head down, an impression of solemness and sadness for the viewer.  And still in the picture, a reflection, or perhaps the ghost, of the veterans fallen comrade in arms.  His hand stretched out, through the Wall, touching the hand of the veteran who remembers...

I remember my trip to DC years after The Wall (otherwise known as the Vietnam Memorial) had been erected.  It was with my daughters girl scout troop.  The trip had included the basic stops, the Lincoln and Washington Memorials, the Smithsonian, the Capital Building.  As we went through these buildings the girls were excited, the moms and grandmothers who accompanied their daughters and granddaughters, chattered away.  The demeanors changed though, with the moms and the girls, when we stopped at Arlington Cemetery and stood before the tomb of the Unknown Soldier, when we stopped at the Korean War Memorial and when we stood before the names on The Wall.

For a moment, as I stood before the Wall, the image of that painting came into my mind and tears began to run down my face.  I knew no name on those slabs of black marble.  As my daughter and I walked the length, I touched names and talked to my daughter about the significance of this memorial.  That every name on that wall never made it home.  And as we walked, there were others there, placing items at the bottom of panel where a name was, others taking rubbings of a name that was significant for them.  There was a man, in camoflauge pants on his knees, wiping tears from his face.  My daughter asked why he was crying, and I could only whisper possibilities.  I remember him looking up at us and I could only nod.  How odd, having been out of uniform for nine years then, that I felt a connection with that man who remembered the men who turned out to be his friends while he was over in SE Asia.    How odd, that I felt a connection with the names on the wall, though I knew none of them.

I still feel the same sadness, when I see any memorials that have the names of those who've made the ultimate sacrifice.  Regardless of which war they've served in.  In towns and cities around the US, there are memorials, that honored those who gave their lives in the name of their country.  Memorials where names are etched so they won't be forgotten. 

Today, on Memorial Day, while we're in our backyards enjoying the day with our families.  When we're bar-b-queing and spending time with friends.  When we're just enjoying a day off.  Stop and look up if you see the military jets in missing man formation.  Take a moment and remember those who've given their lives in wars that are now part of the history books.  Take a moment to remember those 4080 lives that have been lost in Iraq and the 507+ that have died in Afghanistan.