Memorial Day in Gettysburg

For some things, there are no words.. It's safe to say that working on a military base has made me more sensitive to Memorial Day and all that it stands for since I'm reminded constantly of the sacrifices that are made in order for us to live the lives that we all are accustomed to. For example, I see this memorial at our main gate every morning on my way to work:

Gettysburg was beyond humbling. We heard about the 51,000 who died in the battle of Gettysburg over and over again between the tour we took and the museum. We tried to imagine what that would look like, astonished that so many lives could be taken so suddenly. But the gravity of 51,000 people didn't really hit me until we went to the Soldier's National Cemetery, where you couldn't see the end of the graves.

All over the Gettysburg National Military Park are statues such as these. In most cases, the units designed the statues themselves to serve as a kind of marker indicating where they were stationed during the battle, but they also served as a memorial to their brothers who didn't make it.

This Memorial Day was unlike any other. I am grateful, more than ever, for all those who selflessly paid the ultimate price.

"The muffled drums sad roll has beat 

The soldier's last tattoo.

No more on life's parade shall meet

That brave and fallen few."