I consider myself to be a pretty empathetic person. However, there are situations in my life where I intentionally distance or associate myself to cope with pain. I've heard lots of complaints that Americans are apathetic--we just don't care. That's not the case, we care, but with the demands set on us to work and perform we don't have time to sit around feeling sorry and sad about things.
The first place we went in Washington, D.C. was the Arlington Cemetery. I was not sure what to expect. I imagined we would show up, glance for a minute or two and move on. There was a lot to explore at Arlington Cemetery that I was unaware of, we were there for several hours.
The most emotional part of the day happened for me when I was at Arlington. As I was at the monument, they have a ceremony for the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. This is symbolic of unidentified soldiers killed at war. During the ceremony that was populated with people, I noticed nearly 100-150 veterans at watch. They were participating in the Honor Flight. The Honor Flight is an organization that flies veterans out to the national memorials who have never been able to see the memorials.
I was overwhelmed with emotion, seeing how strongly they were moved by the ceremony. Overwhelmed to the point of tears. I approached one of the veterans with tears and my eyes and told him thank you. He proudly responded your welcome, I was overcome with emotions. We hugged and my whole being was filled with gratitude being surrounded by veterans who have helped give me the freedoms I enjoy in my life.
There was more I wanted to say, but I must cut this short. Today, was a reminder of the sacrifice for freedom.
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