Laying Wreaths at Arlington National Cemetery

This year our ward Relief Society was offered the opportunity to join with Wreaths Across America in helping lay wreaths on gravestones at Arlington National Cemetery. Taylor was gracious enough to watch the kids even though he was in the middle of studying for finals and had a cold as well. So I showed up bright and early Saturday morning expecting to drive right in and get started. When they said there would be a crowd they weren't kidding. Thousands of cars and thousands of people walking from the metro. It was amazing. They had 2 semi trucks full of wreaths and the point of being there, I realized part way through, was not to volunteer just my energy to lay wreaths (they could have invited a lot fewer people if that were the case) but to spend time showing my gratitude for these men and women and to come away with a greater sense of gratitude and love for their sacrifice. They sent us to a section of Arlington with mostly WWII and Vietnam soldiers. It was heartbreaking to see all the names and dates- so many of them were really just boys.
It touched my heart to see current members of the military there joining to show their gratitude for these others who volunteered as they were currently volunteering and gave the ultimate sacrifice which I'm sure they must think about often.

I think they purposefully gave us a section of the cemetery far from the new graves for Iraq and Afghanistan soldiers, but with thousands of cars needing to park, I ended up walking past some of them to get back to my car. I guess I knew in theory how many have given their lives for these current conflicts and how hard that must be for their families, but it's something completely different to actually see their names and ages, and even their family relationships. The one that broke my heart more than I can say was a recent gravestone that listed the man as a loving son, husband, and father. Someone had left photos of his wife, kids, and dog there and then there were little glittery, pink star stickers placed around his name. I assume they were from his daughter. I can't imagine that mother standing there at her husband's grave watching her daughter place little pink star stickers on his grave as her gesture of love and wanting to give something to her father. It breaks my heart even as I write this. What a monumental debt of gratitude we owe this family and so many more like them. I am truly grateful to have had this experience during the Christmas season. It made every simple joy and family moment more meaningful to know what others were sacrificing and missing to ensure that we remain free.