day 49: imagine 300,000 standing at attention

Four times I have been to Arlington Cemetery, not once without crying there.

It's beautiful, yet haunting.

It's awe-inspiring, yet melancholy.

It's steeped in tradition, yet something new each day.

It's my favorite place, yet it's not.

The tour guide that we use on our 8th Grade trip there each year is the same each year. I've heard him say this for several years in a row, but somehow, this time, it really impacted me. "Imagine 300,000 standing at attention...."

From the Revolutionary War to WWII to Vietnam to Iraq to Afghanistan....different wars, same conflict, same story, same ending.

The flag was at half mast when we entered on Tuesday.

I heard the volleys ring out at two different times.

No other sound is as chilling as that.