I don’t know about you, the last several weeks have been BUSY for us. Like, can’t catch your breath busy. Well I’m hoping that you and yours have had some time over this Memorial Day weekend to relax, and more then that, I hope you’ve had time to reflect on what this day actually means.
Of the many memorials in Washington, D.C. the two that always stand out to me are the Vietnam Memorial and the Korean War Veterans Memorial, pictured here. All the memorials are interesting in their own way, but these two always grab my attention and leave me feeling humbled by the sacrifice made by so many men and women for this Country. If you have never visited this particular, I would highly recommend it if you are ever in the area. The memorial consists of 38 life size soldiers, walking in formation through a field. To their right is giant granite wall with the faces of 2,500 people who lost their lives in the Korean War. Many of the soldiers in the field appear to be looking towards the wall, and in fact you can see their reflection in the wall along with the fallen soldiers. The imagery of the whole thing is quite powerful. At the end of the wall of faces is a round fountain with another piece of black granite with the simple phrase, “Freedom is not free”, etched into it. Indeed, it is not.
–Dan Thompson