DC in Black and White

by Samantha Jane

I was unsure of what to expect from DC, aside from a lot of walking. I feel very privileged to have been visiting and touring during what they call a Veterans Flight. This is when they bring in Vets from all of the wars and take them around to all of the memorials. It is a very humbling experience recognizing those men that fought and died for our freedom, but to share that experience with men who were there, it took it to a whole other level. I was humbled beyond measure.

As I toured DC for the weekend, the one place I wanted to visit was the Holocaust Museum. I knew it would be a difficult and a lot to take in, but the message I would receive while in the museum was one I had not expected. I received word that my best friend had taken his own life. He had served two tours in Iraq, and the pain from those tours had finally won. Here I was in our nations capital, touring and paying respects to our fallen soldiers, and at home I had lost my soldier.

Freedom is not free. We lose our friends, brothers, husbands and children in battle. Sometimes it is in battle, other times it is after the battle they fight once they return home. Whether it is seeing the sadness in a fellow soldiers eyes  at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, or the pain in a mother and fathers eyes as they burry their son, there is one thing that remains - they shall never be forgotten.  They have paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom.

 

 

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