I posted this photo from Arlington National Cemetery last year on Memorial Day. But I like what it represents about my country, so I’m posting it again on this Memorial Day.
The photo originally appeared on the Facebook page of the 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment, known as the Old Guard, which conducts ceremonies honoring fallen soldiers.
Every Memorial Day the Soldiers of the 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) plant a flag in front of each grave marker in Arlington National Cemetery, Va. The flags represent our thanks for their service to our nation, the sacrifices they made and the blood they shed, regardless of their own backgrounds or faiths.
That’s a flag for each of the 300,000 graves at Arlington.
I was touched to read the comments to the Facebook post. No mean-spirited or snarky remarks about “political correctness.” Just veterans of the Old Guard recalling what a privilege it was to plant those flags, friends and family of those buried at Arlington expressing their thanks, and gratitude to the soldiers of all backgrounds who gave their lives.
Update: Roland Dodds remembers a friend who died in Afghanistan on the 68th anniversary of D-Day.
