Today is Memorial Day, the day that we remember those who have died in active military service for our country. The above photo was taken at Forest Lawn cemetery where a Memorial Day service is held every year. The photo features the front corner of the veterans' section of the cemetery with the uniformly rounded tombstones. In the background, you see the Forbis and Dick canopies where speeches are made and people are recognized. The names of all veterans who have died this past year are announced. Flags are placed all along the roads in the cemetery.
The veterans' section of Forest Lawn is extensive and, while the cemetery only opened in 1928, some of the veterans who are buried there were born in the last quarter of the 19th century. According to the information provided by Robert Carter (here), as of May 6th, 2017, 1,030 veterans have been buried in the veterans' section of Forest Lawn. They are conveniently listed in a drop down menu alphabetically.
If you have not had a chance to participate in a Memorial Day service this weekend, we suggest visiting Forest Lawn's section for veterans and saying some of the names aloud. If you attended a graduation service recently, you will likely concur that hearing full names can be very powerful. As we walked through the cemetery yesterday saying names, we started with Norman G. Dennis who was born in 1928 and died in 1957. You can start randomly, or with someone you know. You may see names you recognize as you read. We read a name for every year we have been alive. This task is easy at Forest Lawn as the graves and tombstones form concentric circles around the memorial and facing the flagpole.
We are reminded that Memorial Day is not the same as Veterans Day. Still, it is nice to remember those who have served and fortunate enough not to have lost their life in serving.
Posted by: Greensboro Daily Photo | Monday, May 29, 2017 at 07:17 AM
Fitting for this occasion. Very poignant.
Posted by: William Kendall | Monday, May 29, 2017 at 05:15 PM