"Here rests in honored glory, an American soldier known but to God." --inscription on the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery
I took this photo in April 1989.
It is amazing to think that with modern DNA technology there will probably never be another unknown soldier. Indeed, the unknown soldier of the Vietnam War was identified in 1998 as Air Force 1st Lt. Michael Joseph Blassie. In a hundred years, people will wonder how it was that these remains could not be identified. That will matter little to the members of the "Old Guard" who will still keep their silent vigil. Only the whispers of the visitors, the 21 steps of the guard, and the clicking of his heels punctuate the stillness. Thus it will remain.
Leave a comment