Lest We Forget
This is the weekend we celebrate Veteran's Day. The Child's history teacher gave an extra credit assignment to get a rubbing from a veteran's grave
. It has been a nasty weekend, rain and wind and even thunder. But today, after church, we gutted up to the task.
First, we went to a grocery store to get butcher paper or the equivalent. Then we made our way up to Lake View Cemetary. This is a very old cemetary, in the heart of town, which holds the bones of the city's founders and other notables, including Bruce & Brandon Lee. The Child's great-aunt Ciria was buried there on Tuesday and as I had been doing Election Day things and missed the ceremonies, we went first to her graveside and left flowers.
Then the fun began. The office, where we could obtain a map, was closed (of course) so we were left to our own devises to find a veteran's grave. We knew they existed, having done a smidge of research, but the exact location was uncertain. So we drove around the cemetary...a still and beautiful place, as most cemetaries are...looking.
We found a large monument and went to check it out. It was erected in 1949 by a group of citizens to honor those of Japanese descent from the Seattle area lost their lives in World War II. 60 names are inscribed on the grey stele and underneath are these words by Franklin D. Roosevelt:
"Americanism is a matter of the mind and heart. Americanism is not, and never was, a matter of race or ancestry."
It's hard to take a rubbing. Did you know that? It's especially hard in the rain and wind and when you're trying to take it from a monument of largish proportions. But we worked together and we got it done. We laid some flowers at the base of the monument because, as The Child said, "Mom, it wouldn't be fair to take a rubbing from their marker and not leave them something".
We finished up and I was totally ready to go but The Child stood back and started reading the names. All 60 of them. She struggled a bit so I stepped in and together we intoned the names of every one of those soldiers, who died on battlefields from France to the South Pacific and we remembered them and honored them.
Names are powerful things. That's why the Viet Nam memorial has such power. And it's why, sooner rather than later, we will need another memorial to honor those who died in Iraq and Afghanistan. Because regardless of the circumstances, men and women went to those places, in good faith, and they died. And we should always remember their sacrifice.
. It has been a nasty weekend, rain and wind and even thunder. But today, after church, we gutted up to the task.First, we went to a grocery store to get butcher paper or the equivalent. Then we made our way up to Lake View Cemetary. This is a very old cemetary, in the heart of town, which holds the bones of the city's founders and other notables, including Bruce & Brandon Lee. The Child's great-aunt Ciria was buried there on Tuesday and as I had been doing Election Day things and missed the ceremonies, we went first to her graveside and left flowers.
Then the fun began. The office, where we could obtain a map, was closed (of course) so we were left to our own devises to find a veteran's grave. We knew they existed, having done a smidge of research, but the exact location was uncertain. So we drove around the cemetary...a still and beautiful place, as most cemetaries are...looking.
We found a large monument and went to check it out. It was erected in 1949 by a group of citizens to honor those of Japanese descent from the Seattle area lost their lives in World War II. 60 names are inscribed on the grey stele and underneath are these words by Franklin D. Roosevelt:
"Americanism is a matter of the mind and heart. Americanism is not, and never was, a matter of race or ancestry."
It's hard to take a rubbing. Did you know that? It's especially hard in the rain and wind and when you're trying to take it from a monument of largish proportions. But we worked together and we got it done. We laid some flowers at the base of the monument because, as The Child said, "Mom, it wouldn't be fair to take a rubbing from their marker and not leave them something".
We finished up and I was totally ready to go but The Child stood back and started reading the names. All 60 of them. She struggled a bit so I stepped in and together we intoned the names of every one of those soldiers, who died on battlefields from France to the South Pacific and we remembered them and honored them.
Names are powerful things. That's why the Viet Nam memorial has such power. And it's why, sooner rather than later, we will need another memorial to honor those who died in Iraq and Afghanistan. Because regardless of the circumstances, men and women went to those places, in good faith, and they died. And we should always remember their sacrifice.
cobbled together by Moi at 7:16 PM
5 Comments:
I've never heard of having to make a rub of a headstone for school before.
Come vote for my new name when you have a chance :)
Great idea to do the rubbings however wished it had been better weather for you both. Happy belated birthday to Mr. Iwanski !
Keep well and bests for now ;)
This from the same teacher who sent her questing for pomegranates...
Ooh, an election!
Horizon, it would have been nice to have caught a break, although compared to what's going on at the moment it was downright balmy. (November in the Northwest...brrrrr).
I'm kind of liking this teacher. Very creative.
And leaving flowers for the person who's stone you graphed from? That is beautiful.
Snaps to mom and child.
Yes, he's very creative. He's also her lit teacher and in preparation for reading The Hobbit he's teaching them Elfish.
She's a good kid. I really need to remember that this morning, when I'm researching boarding schools with scary names like Our Lady of Perpetual Whoopass. (There aren't near enough of them, btw).
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