Rain began to lightly drizzle onto my shoulders as I passed the endless headstones. It seemed like the cement markers continued for miles, and for miles they did indeed. With my fellow freshman, I ascended the hill of Arlington National Cemetery; the expanse of graves produced a feeling of sorrow within me almost impossible to illustrate. Tears began to well within me, and I had to choke them back. It was not yet time to cry. After weaving through the graves of our heroes for thirty more minutes, we finally reached the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The weight of what I was about to do began to sink in. I met with the sergeant who explained the movements step by step, and then proceeded with my three fellow peers to the top of the platform. In the far distance, the Washington Monument and Pentagon entered my line of sight. But in front of me, all I could perceive were the graves. I know in recollection that my peers and teachers surrounded me, but at that moment, I saw nothing but the heroes set before me. The walking guard’s booming voice cut …show more content…
What was not the same, however, was myself. I had always possessed a love for our free, opportune country, and those who pay the ultimate sacrifice to protect it. That was the driving force for me to even enter an essay into the contest to lay the wreath. After the ceremony, the cost of freedom became more evident to me than ever. This ceremony transformed my love into a passion. A passion to thank a veteran every time I notice one walk past me on the street. A passion to begin serving our injured and elderly veterans at the Veterans Administration hospital. A passion to nurture the diversity that truly makes this country “America the Beautiful.” A passion for my career to be one that helps this country remain the land of the free and home of the brave. With freedom on my side, this passion has and will become a
The American Revolution marked the history of many heroic events that immaculately stand as true inspirations for the generations to come in the United States. Even today, the gallantry of a few soldiers that won independence for the country is not only kept in the hearts of the people but run in the American blood to demonstrate acts of valor at times of war and hardships. One such story recorded in the history dates back to 1776, about a sixteen-year old juvenile, Joseph Plumb Martin, joined the Rebel Infantry and recorded his tribulations about forty-seven years in a memoir titled as “A Narrative of a Revolutionary Soldier”. The book mainly focuses on the sufferings through the tough situation he went through.
Did you know that there is a cemetery that holds every found soldier that ever fought in World War 1, World War 2, and The Korean war? Well yes, the Arlington National Cemetery holds more than four hundred thousand people over six hundred acres of land. It is the world's most important cemetery. You may wonder how the government found this land, and said,”Hey lets use this land as a cemetery.”
A Narrative of a Revolutionary Soldier, Some of the Adventures, Dangers, Sufferings by Joseph Plumb Martin, is a collection of tales starting from when he was just a young boy at the age of seven and quickly goes through his childhood on the farm with his grandparents on his mother's side. Mr. Martin describes his memories from a much later stage in his life at the age of 70 in the year 1830. This is the tales of the crippling weather conditions, terrible living conditions and war stories told by a young enlisted soldier during the war. Mr. Martin was born to a preacher and his wife in 1760 in western Massachusetts. The story begins when he was just a young boy who was sent to live with his grandparents on a farm.
On Hallowed Ground, written by Robert M. Poole, lives to tell the story of how Arlington National Cemetery came to be. On June 15th, 1864, General Montgomery Meiggs officially makes the Arlington National Cemetery become reality by making the land that once was the Arlington plantation, now an official union military cemetery. The property the Arlington National Cemetery sits on today was once owned by Robert E. Lee and Mary Curtis Lee. However, during and after the Civil War, the U.S. government was desperately trying to find areas to bury all the dead bodies from the war. Union troops and the union alike thought the union had complete control and right to own the Arlington plantation as the government created a fake auction to make it seem
On March 4, 1921, Congress approved the burial of an unidentified American soldier from World War I in the plaza of the new Memorial Amphitheater. Unknown Soldier of the Vietnam War. DNA testing has proven that the remains which were buried in the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery are those of United States Air Force First Lieutenant Michael Joseph Blassie. The tomb is pretty much saying that here rests an american soldier who only god knows. The things that honor guard must do is Responsible for maintaining the highest standards and traditions of the United States Army and this Nation while keeping a constant vigil at this National Shrine, and whose special duty is to prevent any desecration or disrespect directed toward the
I. The quote "Here Rests In Honored Glory An American Soldier Known But To God" means that nobody really knows who this man was, only God. When the honor guards are at the tomb, they must take 21 steps North, turn and take 21 steps South. This process may goes on up to an hour.
Many days pass and people die very much. We bury close by trail.” (Lynn Peppas pg 4) A Trail of Tears survivor described it like this, imagine walking not really knowing when you are going to stop and watching people, your friends and family, die right in front of you.
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery is a memorial for all people that were killed while serving in war, especially people who could not be identified when they found their remains. It is located on top of a hill that overlooks Washington DC. It consists of one main large gravestone that states, “Here rests in honored glory an American soldier known but to God.” In front of the gravestone, there are 3 grave markers that represent the unknown soldiers that died during World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and formerly the Vietnam War (they were able to identify the remains from this soldier from the Vietnam War by using DNA in 1998 so they removed his body). At the cemetery, there are also guards who protect this
When we were told that the war started, I was right at the border. Of course, we were not sure whether we would survive or not. We knew we had to fight for real. We believed in Communist ideas. We had it with our mother’s milk.
The Unbeatable Souls The Lost Battalion is based totally on a real story of an American battalion that was sent out to battle during the World War I. Major Charles Whittlesey, a New York lawyer, who ends up in the trenches of France having under his command mostly young, unexperienced men. When Whittlesey and his battalion of five hundred men are ordered to advance into the Argonne Forest they find themselves surrounded by Germans troops when the other battalions instantly withdrew, leaving Whittlesey’s battalion on his own. Confined behind enemy lines, Whittlesey’s battalion turned into the only force in the German army’s plans to move forward. Trapped and with no other way to rescue, Whittlesey is given an opportunity to surrender, but chose to continue fighting and keep his men together.
Ellen’s point of view: Hello diary, tonight was a stressful night. German soldiers came looking for me and my family. I was so scared that they would figure out i was a Rosen and they would take me away and relocate me. They almost found out because of my hair and how i’m the only one with dark hair. But, the Johansens said that i was born with dark hair it just never fell out and came out blonde like most people.
Veteran’s Day On the 11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month of the year, 97 years ago, hostilities rested between Germany and the Allied Nations, marking the end of “the war to end all wars” (World War One), soon evolving as a day devoted to world peace, called “Armistice Day.” However, at the end of the Second World War, President Eisenhower reformed the day to “Veteran’s Day” – a 24-hour period to recognize and appreciate veterans who serve for our freedom and justice in every war.
Every year, since 1971, Memorial Day has been observed as a national holiday in the United States, in which we honor those who died while protecting our country. To me, Memorial Day is a time where we as a nation, are reminded that all of the freedoms and rights that we take for granted, came at the cost of men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice while protecting our country. When Memorial Day befalls its designated date, I am reminded that people fought and died for my freedom and rights. I am reminded that if people didn’t fight for me and for this country, it wouldn’t be the great and prosperous country that it is. Therefore, I take pride in the fact that someone went to war and died to protect my freedoms.
To All Veterans; To those that have served, from the birth of our great nation to our infinite future. To those that thought more of the lives of others more so than of their own lives. To the families that allow these one-in-a-hundred type men and women to serve and jeopardize their lives for the greater good of this distinguished nation. Today I’m thanking you and will forever be thanking you, for I’m proud to say I’m a free man, rather than under the control of tyranny and dictatorship. You have impacted this great nation in a way that at times is incomprehensible when considering what separates us from other nations across the world.
Arlington National Cemetery Through the Perspective of a Picture The analysis of the image of Arlington National Cemetery will be done through the book by John Berger’s “Ways of Seeing”. The analyzing of the picture of Arlington National Cemetery will be done through the perspective of essay one. The viewer can analyze the following in the image of Arlington National Cemetery white marble tombstone, the trees, the road or path, and the person at the grave side in the image of Arlington National Cemetery through the lens of essay one of John Berger book “Ways of Seeing”. When one look at just one thing one is always looking at the relation between things and ourselves.