Arlington...

It's impossible to walk around our Nations Capitol without reflecting on the cost of freedom. Monuments abound honoring the sacrifice of brave men and women who gave there all to up hold the liberty we each enjoy. However, it wasn't until I walked the hallowed grounds of Arlington National Cemetery that I was struck with the true cost of freedom. How humbling it was to walk among row after row of white marble...husbands, fathers, sons, wives, mothers...each life changed by the cost of war. Veterans walked among the fields of white and I wondered how many of them found friends whose fates led them to lie beneath the white marble markers. I shot picture after picture, hoping to convey the awe I found among the vast sea of white, only to come up incredibly short. At the Tomb of the Unknown, I stood in awe during the changing of the guard. Each movement an act of exactness and precision done with respect and reverence for those who are known but only to God. I stood as the relief commander conducted a detailed white-glove inspection of the weapon and scrutinized the every detail of the on coming sentinels appearance. The elite members of the Honor Guard walk 24 hours a day 365 days of the year in any weather, never breaking the cadence of 90 steps per minutes, their weapon positioned on the shoulder closest to visitor, signify their place between the tomb and any possible threat. Although I'd made my through the bustling city to monument after monument before, it was here among the reverence and respect for those resting beneath the hallowed grounds of Arlington National Cemetery that I felt a complete gratitude from the peace I enjoy, and the price paid for Freedom.