Arlington National Cemetery

I know that I promised to post from Nebraska this time, but I had the opportunity to visit Arlington National Cemetery this week and thought that I would  extend the Memorial Day posting. I will get back on track with Nebraska, next time.

While wandering through Arlington, I came across these next two scenes and, simply, liked them. The peace and beauty of this place can be beyond description.

This is the Air force Memorial. It is a depiction of the Missing Man Formation which famously honors flyers who have been lost.

This view is nearby and struck me because the rows and rows of markers are so often in straight, military lines. the curves of these seemed particularly beautiful.

I  had hoped to find every stone honored with a flag. These are placed every year in honor of Memorial Day. However, even though I was there with in a day or two, they were completely gone. Except of this one, I don't know if it was missed in the pick-up or was placed after the pick-up by a loved one.

The surprise of the day (there always is one) was finding, standing among individual markers from WWI and WWII, these markers. They honor the crews of lost aircraft from the Vietnam War. In general they contain the remains of those who were lost but were unable to be individually identified. There are exceptions, we found at least one grave marked to one of the individuals listed in the group. This seems completely appropriate. If one can be identified then they should be entombed in their own site, but also honored on the larger marked with their lost comrades.

I think the war is often thought of being fought primarily by the Army and the Marines and it is good to remember that all the services participated and lost members. The two above markers are to Navy and Air  Force flyers. Just by chance both of these were lost in Laos, a place that for many years, we denied being.

So, that will do it for Memorial Day for this year, as promised last time, we will move on to Nebraska on the 4th of June, as usual at 9:00am. Join me then.

To see other memorials from any state, click on the state name on the left side of this page.

New Hampshire II

The memorial grove, as I call it, at Boscawen features a number of other memorials. They may not be specifically Vietnam related but they are fitting and beautiful. The following photos are of just a few of these.

The first picture is of the Navy memorial asking for remembrance of those sailors who have died in service to our country. I was recently in California and visited the magnificent Navy Vietnam Memorial in Coronado, near San Diego. It, too, is quite remarkable and I will write more about it when I begin relating my travels in the Golden State. I expect to be writing about California in the not too distant future.

The second and third photo here depict the Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial. I have never actually seen one before. It is in a serene little spot with benches for quite reflection. It was quite moving.

The next one is one of two from Rolling Thunder. Most know of their ongoing tribute and honor to vets, but I wonder how many know that their name comes from the B-52 b0ombing missions in "Nam. These were referred to as rolling thunder and could be heard and felt many miles away. The sound of dozens (or hundreds) of Harleys or other big bikes is reminiscent of this, so hence the name.

The final picture is of the Air Force memorial. It is a replica of the one in Arlington, Va. Situated on the grounds of Ft. Myer, the three spires recall soaring and one of the maneuvers of the Air Force Thunderbirds flying team. Here, as well as, in Arlington, the memorial leaves one spot open for the "missing man" as is the custom at flyovers at funerals.

You can find much more info about the Air Force Memorial here;

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Air_Force_Memorial