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| Arlington National Cemetery |
My daughter Marie and I drove 17 hours to Arlington, VA for
a weekend. I had been invited as one of the guest authors of military inspired topics at the Officer Women
Leadership Symposium (OWLS) on September 20-21, 2013 held at the Women in
Military Service for America (WIMSA) Memorial Museum. In the midst of those
accomplished women in the military, I was honored to present my book Subic: A Sailor’s Memoir, which is about
my father’s military experience of injustice and discrimination while stationed
in the Philippines during the late 1960s.
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| My daughter, Marie |
After the conference, the two of us strolled around the sacred
cemetery. Eventually, I was reminded by an
acquaintance’s request prior to our trip. She emailed, "If your trip to Arlington happens to include Arlington National Cemetery, give my Brad a kiss (Section 60, Plot 8008)."
It was an honor to walk around the
Arlington National Cemetery. My daughter and I, like
we were on a special mission, intended to specifically locate her son's plot. After all, we didn't know anybody buried there
in a personal level other than those well-known historical personalities and
U.S Presidents. However, in her son's
honor that weekend was a solemn and reflective experience for us.
We took several pictures and said
a prayer for him and for this young female soldier—Jessica Ellis, whom we had
learned of through her father, who was also visiting that weekend. Mr. Ellis was kind enough to share with us some
details about Jessica’s life as a daughter and as a medical specialist in the
Army, and how her military vehicle struck an improvised explosive device while
serving in Iraq in 2008. Jessica’s
uniforms, photos, email communication transcripts, and personal effects are on
display at the WIMSA.
There are many “Brad and Jessica”
around us who fought for our priceless American freedom. How many times have we truly taken the time to
just commemorate them in our walks of life?
Not only on the cemetery grounds or in the sacred land of the free, but
also in the simple wake of each dawn that we may enjoy freely the beauty the
daylight brings—as we walk about minding our own business.
My daughter joined the Army
National Guard in 2012. She stated that
the heroic exemplar of those laid in Arlington gave her the motivation to accomplish
an honorable military career.
It was a long drive from home, but
every minute was worth it.
After our trip, I sent my friend
an email back, “Thank you for telling me about Brad.”
She replied, “You were so kind to visit Brad’s place of commemoration
and to take photos, too. I felt very comforted.”
Certainly, I brought a smile to her heart as I read the rest
of her email.
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| SPC Bradley Scott Beard, Section 60, Plot 8008 |
I guess I made a difference in her weekend, too. Consequently, she made a difference for
telling me about her son, and her son made a difference in all of us—as a
simple soul... a fallen fighter... a soldier had touched me not only for one
weekend... but till the end!
