Friday, April 11, 2008

Arlington Cemetery

Yesterday I visited Arlington Cemetery for the first time. The juxtaposition of the the beautiful cherry blossoms and the acres of stark white grave markers was a bit discordant. May they all rest in peace.

Posted by at
Labels: ,

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

In Flanders Fields
Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD Canadian Army (1872-1918)


IN FLANDERS FIELDS the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

April 14, 2008 at 4:58 PM
Tribe Bly said...

I've never been been to Arlington. It must be just overwhelming to see row after row after row of marked graves, and realize that each marks the final resting place of so many young men and women.
I wonder if they'll ever run out of room.
I hope not.

April 14, 2008 at 9:29 PM
Anonymous said...

When the Civil War broke out, Robert E. Lee was offered command of the Union forces. He refused, stating he could not raise a hand against his home state.

Many Union officers regarded him as disloyal because of this.

In 1864, Union General Montgomery Meigs proposed that 200 acres of the Lee homestead at Arlington be used as a cemetery. By the end of the war, there were over 16,000 buried at Arlington.

The Lee homestead is still in the cemetery, and can be seen on the hill.

April 14, 2008 at 9:40 PM

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)