Washington, DC: Part I, Arlington Cemetery | Eastern North Carolina Now

    The last half of this day trip was spent at Arlington Cemetery, where we were given a prime viewing station at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier. It was a moving display of the changing of the guard that is conducted: at the top of the hour of every day, of every year as long as we are a nation. This is our nation's constant respect for those soldiers, who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom, and now for perpetuity lie in an unknown grave, often in a far away land.


    Within this open rotunda, the changing of the guard is a moment, when the citizenry of the United States witnessing this ritual can bond with those protecting the memory and those who must be remembered. Truly, this ceremony reinforces our obligation, not only to those unknown, but also those soldiers who are known, and have sacrificed life and limb to protect their families, their nation.

    After the ceremony, we had some free time to sit and soak up the atmosphere or investigate the premises. I chose to walk the grounds. I visited John F. Kennedy’s grave with the eternal flame, and then I sought out a more obscure American hero to whom I should pay my respects - Lt. Audie Murphy.

    Lt. Murphy was raised as an under educated son of a Texas sharecropper, who left the eighth grade to help support his family, when his father left. As the 6th of 12 children, he felt a responsibility to his family, and became the head of that when his mother died at the age of 16. At the age of 18, Audie joined the regular Army (after being rejected by the Marines and the Airborne because he was so small in stature), and was assigned to the 3rd infantry. Murphy joined the military to satisfy two purposes: to aid in the defense of his nation after the Japanese initiated hostilities against the United States in the sneak attach of the Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor, and to make a steady paycheck to support his poor remaining siblings back home in Texas.

    As an enlisted private, Murphy showed initiate, courage and a talent with his rifle as a crack shot. From his part in the U.S. campaigns from North Africa, to Sicily, to Italy, to France, to Germany, private Murphy was promoted to sergeant due of his brave leadership and his unique ability to kill German soldiers in mass. By the time Audie received his third and final wound, this eighth grade drop-out received a battlefield commission as Lieutenant. Lt. Audie Murphy is, and may always remain, the most decorated soldier in the history of the United States.

    Audie Murphy became a national celebrity, and Hollywood made him a star, with Audie Murphy eventually starring in 49 movies, including "Red Badge of Courage" and "To Hell and Back," Murphy's autobiography. Audie Murphy, actor and American hero, always put his family and his nation first, far beyond his own interests beyond his own interests, and therefore, I consider him to one of the greatest men buried at Arlington Cemetery. He is buried in the manner as was dictated by his rank, a small headstone, with no significant inscription, which is so fitting for such a humble hero.

    For all living American citizens, our nation has been at war at some point in their lives. Many of us have been called to serve, some have not; however, for all of us that know the pain of war, and those of us who can only be thankful for those that have, we should all appreciate those who have paid the ultimate price, and have sacrificed to defend, what one should never take for granted, our rare privilege of freedom.

    Since that winter day trip with NC delegation, I have returned to Arlington on a number of occasions. I have taken all of my children, at least once, to instill within them a sense of patriotism and appreciation for those patriots that have sacrificed their most precious possession for God and country. I will return again for a variety of reasons; especially for the sense of peace I gain as I stroll along the paved paths traversing this beautiful and solemn final home for the heroes that were, and will always remain, the best of us.