Where Valor Rests

[A Life Aloft]

1,000 U.S. Army Old Guard Soldiers prepared for Memorial Day by placing U.S. flags in front of 230,000 headstones honoring the legacy of our fallen heroes at Arlington National Cemetery.

Who are these men and women? They were sons, daughters, mothers, fathers, grandfathers, great grandfathers, sisters, brothers, uncles, aunts, nephews, co-workers, neighbors, friends, wives and husbands. They came from farms, from ranches, from suburbs, from cities large and small and from every state in this nation.

They were known as jarheads, devil dogs, squids, grunts, coasties, ground pounders, swabbies, rotor heads, dog faces, bubble heads, zoomies, leathernecks, fly boys, hell on wheels, magnificent bastards and head hunters.

They would be found inplaces like Concord, Trenton, Princeton, the Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, Lake Erie, Baltimore, the Rio Grande, Vera Cruz, Gettsburg, New Orleans, Vicksburg, Havana Habor, San Juan Hill, Corinto, Panama, Belleau Wood, Marne, Guadalcanal, Okinawa, Iwo Jima, Heartbreak Ridge, Bastogne, Anzio, Inchon,Chongchon River, La Drang, Hamburger Hill, Khe Sanh, Ap Cac, Xuan Loc, Mazari Shatif, Kandahar, Tora Bora, Mosul, Raqqa, Najaf, Basra, Fallujah, Mogadishu, Ramadi, the Helmand Province, Kunar Province, the Adi Ghar mountains, Sawatlo Sar, Djibouti, Niger, Kita, Lemonnier, Somalia, and Agadez.

They had two things in common. They were all American soldiers and they all made the ultimate sacrifice for their country and its citizens. General Patton once said, “It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived.” On the last Monday of May we honor these men and women with a special day, Memorial Day. It is a day of remembrance, a day to show our respect, a day to contemplate the long history of our Military, of those who gave their lives in service and to realize what their families and loved ones have endured because of their loss.

Valor’s final resting places………….

Also remember and honor those who were never brought home, as they are simply missing in action or were not located as POWs.

 

[MikeD]

230,000. Thats a heck of days job in placing flags out. Have never been to Arlington myself, but is on my list of places to see.

 

[A Life Aloft]

230,000. Thats a heck of days job in placing flags out. Have never been to Arlington myself, but is on my list of places to see.

Going to Arlington is a very sobering experience. It's overwhelming, in fact. The weight of all the souls lost in wars and conflicts is just staggering. The Old Guard members and the Tomb Of The Unknown Soldier..........all I can say is have kleenex.....a couple of kleenex.

In 1956, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a bill to select and pay tribute to the unknowns of World War II and Korea. The selection ceremonies and the interment of these unknowns took place in 1958. The World War II Unknown was selected from remains exhumed from cemeteries in Europe, Africa, Hawaii and the Philippines. Later, Two unknowns from World War II, one from the European Theater and one from the Pacific Theater, were placed in identical caskets and taken aboard the USS Canberra, a guided-missile cruiser resting off the Virginia capes. Four unknown Americans who died in the Korean War were disinterred from the National Cemetery of the Pacific in Hawaii. The Unknown service member from the Vietnam War was transported aboard the USS Brewton to Alameda Naval Base, Calif. The remains were sent to Travis Air Force Base, Calif.The Vietnam Unknown arrived at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., the next day.

It's a very solemn and humbling experience to gaze out at the hundreds of thousands of graves that hold our servicemen and women in such an honorable fashion.You cannot help but wonder about them, who they are, what they did, what were they like and what they sacrificed for this nation. Arlington is a beautiful place and at the same moment, heartbreaking. There are a number of monuments and various memorials to also see there.

The Old Guard keeps watch at the Tomb Of The Unknown 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. They are faithfully at the Tomb in snow, in blazing sun, in sleet and in the rain. They are unfaltering in their duty.

 

[tomokc]

Taking a granddaughter to DC in two weeks, and Arlington is on the list. Fortunately we’ve no family buried there, but we’ll pay our respects, and I hope that the large expanse of crosses will help her comprehend the price of freedom.

 

[deadstick]

From last summer...

 

[A Life Aloft]

For those who may not know the details of this tradition. Our flag drapes the casket of deceased Veterans to honor the memory of their service to our country. The ceremonial folding and presentation of the flag is a moving tribute of lasting importance to the Veteran's family.

The flag is placed on a closed casket so the union blue field is at the head and over the left shoulder of the deceased.

After Taps is played, the flag is carefully folded into the symbolic tri-cornered shape. A properly proportioned flag will fold 13 times on the triangles, representing the 13 original colonies. The folded flag is emblematic of the tri-cornered hat worn by the Patriots of the American Revolution. When folded, no red or white stripe is to be evident, leaving only the blue field with stars.

The first fold of our flag is a symbol of life.

The second fold is a symbol of our belief in the eternal life.

The third fold is made in honor and remembrance of the Veteran departing our ranks who gave a portion of life for the defense of our country to attain a peace throughout the world.

The fourth fold represents our weaker nature, for as American citizens trusting in God, it is to Him we turn in times of peace as well as in times of war for His divine guidance.

The fifth fold is a tribute to our country, for in the words of Stephen Decatur, "Our country, in dealing with other countries, may she always be right; but it is still our country, right or wrong."

The sixth fold is for where our hearts lie. It is with our heart that we pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

The seventh fold is a tribute to our Armed Forces, for it is through the Armed Forces that we protect our country and our flag against all her enemies, whether they be found within or without the boundaries of our republic.

The eighth fold is a tribute to the one who entered in to the valley of the shadow of death, that we might see the light of day, and to honor mother, for whom it flies on mother's day.

The ninth fold is a tribute to womanhood; for it has been through their faith, love, loyalty and devotion that the character of the men and women who have made this country great have been molded.

The tenth fold is a tribute to father, for he, too, has given his sons and daughters for the defense of our country since they were first born.

The eleventh fold, in the eyes of a Hebrew citizen, represents the lower portion of the seal of King David and King Solomon, and glorifies, in their eyes, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

The twelfth fold, in the eyes of a Christian citizen, represents an emblem of eternity and glorifies, in their eyes, God the Father, the Son, and Holy Ghost.

When the flag is completely folded, the stars are uppermost, reminding us of our national motto, "In God we Trust."

Please remember our fallen warriors.

 

[A Life Aloft]

Riverside Veterans Cemetery

 

[bunk22]

Thank you for posting, so much good in this thread.

 

[A Life Aloft]

Thank you for posting, so much good in this thread.

It's the very least I could do here and it is my honor to do so. Our fallen warriors deserve to be remembered, respected and paid tribute to. There are many issues in this country and many things we do wrong. But those who served, sacrificed and paid the ultimate price with their lives, reminds us of what is the right thing to do. They lead us to reflect on courage, commitment, duty and valor. We must always remember them and be proud of them. Their souls are etched forever in the history of this nation.

 

[Finny]

Lest We Forget.

 

[Stone Cold]

I was on the funeral detail while on shore duty in Newport, RI. There is nothing more humbling than folding the flag, and presenting it to next of kin.

 

[A Life Aloft]

 

[Bob Ridpath]

 

[A Life Aloft]

"Those who say that we are in a time where there are no heroes, they just don't know where to look." Ronald Reagan

This Memorial Day, a massive display on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., honors the life of every service member lost since World War I.

The Poppy Memorial contains 645,000 red poppies, a widely recognized symbol honoring fallen service members, within a translucent box that measures 133 feet long and 8.5 feet tall.