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France and Greece
Pablo Ninofranco, Retired, Harbor, and his wife, Josie, visited Lourdes, France; and Olympia, Greece.
Italy
Elizabeth Lee, Retired, Finance, and her husband Tony traveled to Venice, Italy for the second time. “The only difference between now and then is a lot more tourists.”
Letter From Arlington National Cemetery
For Veterans Day
Since the end of World War I in 1918, at the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month, around the world, people hold a moment of silence and traditionally wear a red poppy to honor all military personnel who have died in the line of duty for their country. The United States remembers Veterans Day by laying a wreath on the Grave of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery, located on the rolling hills overlooking Washington, DC.
Arlington National Cemetery was established during the Civil War on an estate confiscated from Confederate General Robert E. Lee. To ensure that Lee could never return to his house, Union soldiers were buried in his wife’s rose garden. In 1864, Private William Christman, a member of the 67th Pennsylvania Infantry, was the first military person to be interred here. To be buried there, one must die while on active duty, receive the Purple Heart or Silver Star, be a retired veteran receiving retired pay or be an honorably discharged Prisoner of War who died after Nov. 30, 1993.
Only 60 non-US citizens from 11 nations are buried at Arlington, and two equestrian statues pay homage to British Field Marshal Sir John Dill, a British Military Liaison Officer to American Forces during World War II. He was a close friend of Gen. George C. Marshall, who is buried just a few hundred yards from him. The second statue is Maj. General Philip Kearny, who with only one arm, served in the Mexican American War, and the conquest of California.
The cemetery requires that the bodies be buried six feet deep to prevent body snatchers and predators from gaining access to the buried remains and the spread of disease. Approximately 30 times a day, a solitary trumpet playing “Taps” announces to the fallen service member that their watch is over, and they can rest peacefully. Three rifle volleys are fired to represent duty, honor and country.
The National flag is folded 13 times to represent the original 13 colonies and to resemble the tri-cornered hat worn by the patriots of the American Revolution. When folded, no red or white stripe is visible, leaving only the blue field with stars. It is presented to the next of kin as a token of gratitude for that person’s service. The flag detail often slips three shell casings into the folded flag before presenting the flag to the family. Each casing represents one volley.
There is excellent Hop-On Hop-Off bus transport around the cemetery, stopping at all the key points, like the eternal flame at John F. Kennedy’s resting place, the amphitheater, and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The Tomb has been guarded 24 hours a day, seven days a week, since 1937. The Tomb Guards don’t wear any visible sign of rank so as not to outrank the Unknowns; only the Guard Commanders wear rank insignia, and non-commissioned officers carry a special sidearm whose wooden stock is made from a ship that served in the Spanish-American War. At the same time, the guards have special versions of M-14s and wear wet white gloves for better control over them.
While walking around the grounds, you may spot small rocks on headstones. This is a mark of respect from a visitor. Military personnel have their own code of respect with coins. A penny means you visited. A nickel means you trained at boot camp with the deceased. A dime means you served with the deceased.
More than 400,000 people are resting in Arlington, like Maj. Audie Murphy, the most decorated American combat soldier of World War II (section 46 grave 366-11) or US Marine Lee Marvin, who had stated as a young man, that he wanted to be buried next to someone famous here so that people would see his name (section 7a-grave176). He is next to boxer Private Joe Louis, holder of the Legion of Merit (a military decoration rarely awarded to enlisted soldiers).
Thank you to all members of the Armed Forces for keeping this great country safe and free.
I salute you.
— The Captain
