Day 197, Emory Phillips, Memorial Day 2008, Riverside National Cemetary

Day 197, Emory Phillips, Memorial Day 2008, Riverside National Cemetary, originally uploaded by solostandfound.

I received an email the other day from a woman in England who was looking for some help. She had seen my post on this blog about the Riverside National Cemetery and wanted to know if I would stop by again and take a picture of a headstone for a family member. I thought that Memorial Day would be the right time to go and take my kids to do this. They were great and they cleaned the headstone, placed the flowers and the flag and held the 2 stop silk defuser to make sure the lighting was even. We had a great day and the girls got see the Memorial Day Service at the cemetery. It was packed and I think it gave us a chance to talk about things that are important but not always at the front of the pack when it comes to talk time. Death, service, the sacred not horror nature of a cemetery, the military and why we do things for others. We got more out of this then the person who wanted the picture. Thanks for asking.

Here are some excerpts from her emails. "I am an American living abroad. I am from Seattle, but moved to Poland four years ago to teach, and then to England almost two years ago. I grew up hearing about Emory Phillips, but no one really knew what had happend to him until I found his military and burial records on ancestry.com. Emory's grandfather was my great-great grandfather, so I guess that makes us cousins. My father was really pleased to find out about him, and I know he will be very touched to have a picture. Thank you so much."

This is from the email after I sent her the picture. "I wanted to let you know that I forwarded the photo to my uncle in Oregon, and he was very touched and pleased. He asked me to pass along his thanks to you for doing that for our family. I will also print it out and send it to my father who I know will be equally chuffed (Brit speak for very, very pleased)

The fact that a stranger would do something like that really touched me. I wish I had a way to thank you other than to say that I hope you know how much your kindess is appreciated. Please let your children know that they were probably the first people to ever decorate his grave like that, as no one knew he was there."

Our pleasure.

Also the out takes for the day, they were too moving to leave out. The burly biker that had his head bowed with the entire huge crowd during the invocation. He had a tear in his eye when he looked up. That was so powerful for my kids to see. The honor guard was sharp and perfect.

It was a really great day.

Thanks for looking.
EXIF Data,

Camera:	Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi
Exposure:	0.004 sec (1/250)
Aperture:	f/3.5
Focal Length:	21 mm
ISO Speed:	400
Exposure Bias:	0 EV

Day 18, Head Stones, Riverside National Cemetery

Day 18, Head Stones, Riverside National Cemetary, originally uploaded by solostandfound.

A little more from the time I spent at the Riverside National Cemetery.

The Web Site from the VA says this, "Riverside National Cemetery is the third-largest cemetery managed by the National Cemetery Administration, and since 2000 has been the most active in the system based on the number of interments. It was established in 1976 through the transfer of 740 acres from March Air Force Base, which during World War II was called the U.S. Army's Camp William G. Haan. The cemetery was dedicated and opened for burials Nov. 11, 1978. An additional 181 acres was transferred by the Air Force in 2003.

Riverside National cemetery is home of the Medal of Honor Memorial and one of four sites recognized as a National Medal of Honor Memorial Site. The Medal of Honor Memorial, whose walls feature the names of all medal recipients, is located at the third traffic circle in the cemetery. It was dedicated in 1999.

The Fallen Soldier/Veterans' Memorial, erected in 2000, is dedicated to all service members who gave the ultimate sacrifice for their country. The dramatic bronze structure topped by a lifeless soldier is located near the lake at the entrance to the cemetery.

A carillon was donated by the American Veterans (AMVETS) in 2000.

The Prisoner of War/Missing in Action National Memorial was designated as a national memorial by the U.S. Congress in 2004 through Public Law 108-454. The memorial was dedicated on September 16, 2005. Vietnam veteran Lewis Lee Millett, Jr., sculpted the bronze statue which depicts an American serviceman on his knees with hands bound by his captors. The statue is surrounded by black marble pillars that evoke imprisonment."

Also, notable people buried here include, 

Colonel Aaron Bank, U.S. Army. Founder of the Army’s elite Green Berets. During World War II Bank was assigned to the Office of Strategic Services within the Army’s Special Operations branch. After the war he stayed with the Army, and convinced them to create a permanent Special Forces unit. In 2002, President George W. Bush bestowed Bank with a commendation for creating the techniques used to defeat the Taliban in Afghanistan. He died in 2004 at the age of 101. Section 17 Site 421.

John D. McKeel, Jr., Staff Sgt., U.S. Marine Corps. One of the 52 Americans held hostage by Iran from 1979 to 1981. Shot to death while trying to help a woman who was being robbed. Section 43 Site 1528.

Seven Tuskegee Airmen are buried at Riverside National Cemetery: 1) Dr. Hackley E. Woodford, M.D., a Tuskegee Airmen flight surgeon who served during World War II, is buried at Section 49A Site 1149. 2) Pilot Perry Willis Lindsey, who served during World War II and the Korean War, is buried at Section 63A Site 768. 3) John Allen Pulliams Jr., served during World War II and went on to serve 30 years in the U.S. Air Force. He retired as a Chief Warrant Officer and is buried at Section 47 Site 1603. 4) Pilot Charles F. Jamerson is buried at Section 56A Site 668. Major Jamerson retired from the U.S. Air Force in 1977 after more than 32 years of service. 5) Pilot Kenneth R. Hawkins is buried in Section 57A Site 2204. 6) Pilot John L. Hamilton is buried in Section 6 Site 270.  7) Charles W. Ledbetter, who served during World II and Korea, retiring after 30 years as an Air Forces Master Sergeant, is buried at Section 26 Site 1426.

Woodrow "Woody" Strode, Section 46, Grave 283. Woody Strode starred as 1st Sergeant Braxton Rutledge, a Buffalo soldier, in the 1960 John Ford movie "Sergeant Rutledge.” He starred in over 80 domestic and foreign films in a career that spanned nearly 55 years. Strode was also one of the first four blacks to integrate Major League football in 1946 when he played for the Cleveland Rams.

Melissa Rose Barnes, Yeoman First Class (YN1), U.S. Navy. Killed during the terrorist attack on the Pentagon, Sept. 11, 2001. Section 56B Site 123.

________________________________________________

Camera:	Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi
Exposure:	0.013 sec (1/80)
Aperture:	f/11
Focal Length:	55 mm
ISO Speed:	400
Exposure Bias:	0/3 EV

Day 17, Bench, Riverside National Cemetery

IMG_5483.JPG, originally uploaded by solostandfound.

As I was heading to Corona to go to dinner with some clients, I was coming from Palm Desert and instead of using the 60 to the 91, I avoided all of the traffic by coming down Van Buren.  I noticed the Riverside National Cemetery.  I have passed here my whole life, but have not ever set foot in the grounds.  The sun was just setting and the light was soft, so I decided today was the day that I would visit this place.  It was so peaceful and quiet.  There were all of these beautiful benches and places to sit and contemplate.  

National Cemeteries and Memorials are to remind us what has been done for us.  We will all one day die, we must come to grip with that sometime.   Here, as in any other cemetery, we can understand what it means to come to an understanding of our mortality.  This is a place to remember those who worked and died for our freedoms, but it also becomes a place to imagine our own impact on the world.  I have never been a soldier.  I have never fought in a war.  These tasks have not been set before me.  But I like to think that if they were, I could accomplish them as so many have done.  Mine has been instead a task to live a peaceful and productive life.  I have struggled to find happiness as have so many before me.  I can do that thanks to the sacrifices of so many.  Churchill once said, "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few."  

I have always been impressed by the defining characteristics of the military life.  You are forced to face the worst, and it seems that many come to the conclusion that the worst is not death, it is the life that you lived or the life that leave for others.  There seems to be the ability to grasp a bigger picture that can only come when you accept your mortality.  I find myself grateful to those who now face these challenges and to those who have faced them.  

Other Pics, I really struggled with which one to post, I love the tree, but I love the second one down as well.  the lighting seemed to be just right.  It seems to glow to me a little better then the rest.  I wish that I could have done better with the first one down, I think that the flare from the setting sun was just to strong.

__________________________________________________________________________________

Camera:	Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi
Exposure:	0.004 sec (1/250)
Aperture:	f/11
Focal Length:	34 mm
ISO Speed:	400
Exposure Bias:	0/3 EV