By Boot Girl Myra
For most, today will be about getting as many photos as possible for 11-11-11 and perhaps even at 11:11am. After all, it only happens once every century. But that it’s also Veteran’s day makes it a rarity. What do you plan to do today at 11:11 am, or maybe even 11:11pm that is more than just a novelty?
Yesterday I walked among those resting in peace in Section 60 of Arlington National Cemetery. It’s the place where those KIA from Iraq and Afghanistan since 2002 have found their final home. The sobering reality is that it’s almost full. In fact, while we were listening to the 23 Psalm being read over the remains of an American hero, the sounds of earth-moving equipment could be heard right behind us. Development of Section 61 is well underway. Now that’s sobering. More than an acre of beautifully aligned headstones in Section 60 will, in a very short time, bleed over to a new acre.
Looking over the hill to the new section I realized one day many heroes will make it their home. But for today they are all still alive. They walk among us, they go where we don’t dare go. They defend beyond the call of duty every time. And as one military wife told me, when everyone else retreats, her husband and his team mates go forward, even after watching 16 of their comrades in the helicopter ahead of them perish into thin air by a RPG.
Today, take a moment to thank a Veteran, say a prayer for the families left behind of those who died defending you, and hope to God that Section 61 doesn’t become the most current “Saddest Acre” in this great Nation. Make a personal effort to say thank you to those who have served and are still walking among us. Don’t lose the opportunity, for if you do, you might find yourself standing in Section 61 one day looking at the gravestones, wishing you had.