Last weekend the National Cathedral laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington Cemetery. One of my daughters has gone to work at the Cathedral and she invited me to attend with her. While I had been to Arlington before and seen the changing of the guard, I had never been to a wreath laying ceremony, although on television it is something you regularly see Presidents or other important people doing. The ceremony is simple and short. That actually magnified the impact, I thought.
The crowd watching the ceremony was what you might expect on a Saturday morning in early September. By and large they were very respectful. There were several Honor Flight groups that came in right before it started. Seeing those veterans is moving. They are the “real thing.”
Arlington Cemetery is a place of remarkable beauty and peacefulness. As anyone who has ever been to a full blown funeral at Arlington can attest, the ceremonies involved are truly impressive. I am just awed by everything about the place. Personally, it’s very special for me as my parents are buried there. Of course, my daughter and I went by and saw their grave.
It is right and a good thing that our warriors have a beautiful resting place. The dead deserve that honor. So do the living veterans. We need to do all that we can to take care of them. Far too often they are failed by our government. That needs to change.