photo by me

“And it’s true we are immune
When fact is fiction and TV reality
And today the millions cry
We eat and drink while tomorrow they die.
~ U2 ~

There is something you don’t realize about Arlington National Cemetery until you are there and seeing it in person.

It is huge.

There are thousands and thousands and thousands of headstones dotting the country side. It seems never ending.

You look out from a hill, over the city of Washington, D.C. and you can see the great monuments of Washington, Lincoln, and Jefferson. Above these headstones sits Arlington House, the home of Robert E. Lee.

Arlington caused me to pause and think. I had a hard time not crying when I saw a fresh grave site. I had a hard time not wanting to scream at the injustices. I had a hard time not thinking about my grandfathers, great-uncles, and my dad and their service in the military.

I had to stop and think about the discrimination that was shown even here, in our national cemetery. People with prestige have large headstones. They are not the simple ones that we see in the photos (like those to in this photo) but are grand and detailed. And there is a small section, at the very edge of the cemetery, that is dedicated to the U.S. Colored Troops. And a memorial that is dedicated to women but most of the photographs inside are of men.

It caused me to pause. And think. And hurt. And feel.