My grandpa is buried at Arlington National Cemetery. He was a soldier for 30 years. He was at Pearl Harbor when it was bombed on Dec. 7, 1941. He fought in World War II, Korea and in Vietnam. In war movies you see soldiers who have been through horrific things and you wonder if those things happened in real life. I can tell you right now that the stuff that happens in the movies really did happen in real life because my grandpa lived through much of it. He fought in the Battle of Anzio, which was just like the opening scenes from the movie "Saving Private Ryan."
My mom said that one of her earliest memories is standing at the Tomb of the Unknowns, also called the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, with her dad, my grandpa. She was no more than 5, and Grandpa taught her about the soldiers buried there. He said she must always remember these soldiers and she must teach others about them. My mom has taught me about the Tomb of the Unknowns and now I would like to teach you. To understand the significance of this tomb, you must first understand about soldiers in war.
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Grandpa always said that one of the most important things during a war is that no man is left behind. A soldier depends on other soldiers for his very life. They all need each other, to live through a battle and be able to return home. Every soldier dreams of going back home and being with his family. A soldier trusts the other soldiers. If something happens, his comrades will make sure that his body goes home and returns to family.
One time my grandpa was in a small two-seater airplane that was shot down 10 miles into enemy territory. Grandpa got out of the plane, but he saw the pilot was unconscious and the plane was burning. Grandpa was already hurt, but he went back into the burning plane and pulled the other man out. Grandpa saw his friend was dead, so he put the man on his shoulders and carried him 10 miles through the woods, hiding from the enemy. This might seem too dangerous, and it would have been so much easier for Grandpa if he had gone back to his camp alone. But you see, to a soldier, it is important that all soldiers come home to their families, dead or alive.
Grandpa taught my mom, and I will teach you: Sometimes soldiers are so badly hurt and maimed, they cannot be recognized. The army does not know where to send them home. These soldiers do not get buried by their families. They do not have family members who can visit their graves and remember them. So we must be their family; we must remember that they gave their lives to help protect each of us, and we must visit them and thank them. My mom said that when she grew up, she went to several funerals at Arlington. Each year they visited the graves of friends and they always visited the Tomb of the Unknowns, just as if these soldiers were family, too.
Did you know that at a funeral at Arlington, a soldier stands by the grave at each funeral until the grave is filled in? They will not leave a comrade unprotected until he is safely at rest. That is why they guard the Tomb of the Unknowns 24 hours a day. These soldiers were never returned to their families, so the Honor Guard watches over them, protecting their final resting place. These unknown soldiers represent all the soldiers who died and were not identified. It is not for show; it is done out of deep respect and gratitude.
When I go to Arlington National Cemetery, I do not go as a tourist. I go to visit my grandpa. I go to remember family friends my mom grew up with. When I visit the Tomb of the Unknowns, again, I am not a tourist, but I am their "family," remembering what these soldiers have sacrificed and in some small way, making sure they are not forgotten. I hope you too will never forget.