Arlington Cemetery one year later
My father, Charles Richards, died in February 2005 at the age of 88. He was a gentle, honest man with a bright intellect and an inexhaustible curiosity for the natural world. He served honorably in the United States Navy in the Pacific during World War II, and so he was buried with full military honors in Arlington Cemetery, according to my mother's wishes. I have gone to visit the cemetery several times since, often with my mother. I made a solitary visit first in 2006, roughly a year after his death and took my camera to help me fix my memory of this place and to help fix my own memories of a good man.
Each time I visit this place, whether with family or alone, I try to keep in mind the whole life of all who are buried here and the families they have left behind. I strive to honor who they were apart from their duty to violence as well as whatever courage and/or luck (whether good or bad) led to their death and purchased their entry to this hallowed piece of real estate.
Read MoreEach time I visit this place, whether with family or alone, I try to keep in mind the whole life of all who are buried here and the families they have left behind. I strive to honor who they were apart from their duty to violence as well as whatever courage and/or luck (whether good or bad) led to their death and purchased their entry to this hallowed piece of real estate.
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