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Lest
We Forget, Lest We Forget
A
Photographic Essay Remembering Sept 11
by
Scot Facer Proctor
Part 3, Surprise and Tenderness
Arlington National
Cemetery, as most cemeteries, does not abound in flowers, just in
beautiful trees, grass and rolling hills. The flowers that are here
are magnificent and provided an appropriate foreground for these
rows of graves.
I noticed this
swallowtail as I was looking around these flowerbeds. It reminded
me of 'freedom of flight' and how important that was to our nation's
security and how many lives had been lost in one day because a group
of terrorists encroached upon that freedom. At that moment I noticed
a small group of media in the cemetery about 150 feet from me.
Washington D.C.
is full of the press and so I didn't think much about this group
next to me, but I did snap off this brief shot. My escort went and
talked to them while I was photographing other things. When she
returned she said, "the woman in the blue jacket is the widow
of Flight 77 pilot Charles Burlingame, the plane that slammed into
the Pentagon." Immediately a lump formed in my throat. The
Today Show had flown her down to do this interview. I wanted to
meet her. I would have loved to photograph her but I couldn't do
it. They had completed their interview and I, too, was ready to
move to another section of the cemetery. I pulled my Suburban over
and got out of the car and went over to Mrs. Burlingame and warmly
shook her hand, "I'm so sorry for what happened. We have thought
about you. We have prayed for you." She responded with graciousness
and gratitude. I was deeply moved.
There are two flagpoles located in the cemetery, one in front of
the Memorial Amphitheater and the other in front of the Arlington
House. These flags are lowered to half-staff one-half hour before
the first burial service of the day and remain at half-staff until
one-half hour after the final service. Why is it that when we see
the flag at half-staff it makes us stand a little taller?
The Memorial
Amphitheater is a place of ceremony and circumstance-a place of
reverence and honor. Presidents speak to the people here. Its western
shadow slowly moves across the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier each
day. It is a place of remembering.
The street names
in Arlington National Cemetery move me. They are named after some
of the great leaders of past wars. I looked at this sign and I thought
it gives a clue into one of the reasons WW II was won. "Patton
Drive" and "Bradley Drive" indeed.
Please
click here to go on to part 4 of ‘Lest We Forget, Lest We Forget.’.
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