{Wreaths Across America: Arlington}

At the beginning of December our family got the wonderful opportunity to volunteer to lay wreaths on the headstones at Arlington National Cemetery.  The organization called Wreaths Across America lays wreaths at all the National Cemeteries throughout the country, each and every year.  All the wreaths are donated and anyone can go and volunteer.  So bright and early on a Saturday morning we headed off on the Metro to get to Arlington.  As you can see from the pictures above and below, we weren't the only ones using the Metro as a means of getting to Arlington.  It was crazy!!  But I was so glad there were a lot of people who were planning on doing the same thing we were.

Once we made our way out of the Metro traffic jam we walked to a part of the cemetery that we hadn't been to yet.  We wanted to see the Iwo Jima Memorial, which we came to find out was actually just outside the gate of the Cemetery.  It was a lot larger than we had anticipated, which made it more amazing.  My grandfather was serving as a Marine during World War II.  He served in the Pacific during the war and not Europe.  So proud of his service.

At 10am. we headed back over to the cemetery and stood in line waiting to begin laying wreaths.  There was a little informational briefing about the why's and how's and then we were off to lay wreaths.  We were asked to only take two wreaths at a time, but we could come back as many times as we wanted to until all the headstones had wreaths.  We probably took about 10 trips up the hill and then back to the trailer.
I was impressed with how seriously the kids took the job of finding a headstone, reading who was buried there and then making sure the wreath was laying in the right way and then going back for more.
Arlington is one of our favorite places to visit because of the feelings we have while on that hallowed ground.  I am so thankful for the opportunity our family had to give service to those men and women who paid the ultimate price for our freedom.  It is an experience our family won't soon forget.