A few years ago, I had the privilege of attending and photographing a visit of Their Royal Highnesses, The Prince of Wales and the Dutchess of Cornwall, to the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. The visit took place on Veterans Day which is in November, but I thought it still apropos to write about it today, Memorial Day.
With many thanks to my friend and mentor, John Harrington, I got to sit with the select number of WWII veterans in the viewing area. After the park docent finished giving them a tour of the memorial, the Royal couple greeted and made conversation with every veteran in attendance. I stayed very close to Prince Charles while he chatted with these men an women who served in the war and listened carefully to their conversations. What impressed me most was the way he talked with the vets. His respect for each of their services and the sacrifices each individual made; some physical, some emotional, but all significant.
Memorial Day was originally called Decoration Day and began shortly after the Civil War. It was intended to be a day where the men killed in battle were honored by survivors through the decoration of their graves. Over the years, the theme of Memorial Day seems to evolved into something more like Veterans Day, a blanket recognition of all military personnel.
Memorial Day is an important holiday and each year, we are reminded that without the sacrifices of the men and women who gave their lives for our country, the landscape of the freedom we enjoy today would be very different.
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by William Foster
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