Reflection 11.16.2009

The trip to Arlington Cemetery was one of the hardest “field trips” I have ever been on. I have been to over 13 funerals and I have never been so bothered. The entire day was just naturally depressing because it was Veteran’s Day and it was a dreary day. What really hit me though were the rows and rows of graves stretched out over the entire area. It was the most peaceful burial sites I have ever seen.
Looking at JFK’s grave does not raise any emotions. It is set up as more of a fancy memorial for a president. It is not until I ventured out into the yard and looked at some of the other graves that it hit me. Some of these people were my age. Many were the age of my sister and her friends. I looked at the year they died and it said 2006 meaning it was from the War in Iraq. For the first time the war became real to me. Those kids should be hanging out, getting married, and enjoying summers on a beach, but they are not… Because the war is fought over seas, it seemed surreal to me. I know people are dying, but until I saw those graves, I did not realize how “real” it all was. The hardest part was to see the grave of a fallen soldier from Iraq with flowers and notes reading, “I love you daddy”. I did not realize how big their sacrifice was until I saw the worst possible result.