Today, May 26th, 2008, is Memorial Day in the United States of America. And, as I try to do every Memorial Day, I went to a cemetery. This year it was Spring Grove. I have visited Spring Grove before. It is a beautiful spot, both cemetery and arboretum, filled with both lovely trees and monuments. I have some of  the other pictures I took here. But today our memoriam is not just for the dead but for those who died for our country.

As I was wandering the cemetery looking for inspiration, I heard the slow drum roll and cadence that has marked military funerals for a very long time. In addition, I found the rings and rows of flags that indicate veterans graves.

And so I stopped to see if I could find something  that spoke to me about today and was surprised to see dress uniforms from  a long past time.

One man had started speaking so I didn't  go down to intrude, since I was behind the soldiers, but I did take a closer look at the cannon in the shot of the troops. This is for all of... No, read the plaque for yourself.

In today's world of DNA identification, there should be no more unknown soldiers. No matter how long deceased, we can identify them and bring them home for burial. But there are many from wars gone by who were buried and none was the wiser. Parents waiting for sons, wives and lovers waiting for husbands, sons waiting for fathers.

And that soldier might die and those waiting back home never got the closure of knowing what had happened.

I have pondered, over the years on what Memorial Day means. It is important to remember those who have died so that we might enjoy the life we lead. And on Memorial Day I frequently come back to this phrase:

The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots & tyrants.

So said Thomas Jefferson a couple of centuries ago. And that line (from this letter) has been used by many, most without having read it in context. Today is the day we remember those whose blood has refreshed our tree so that we may live in our country as we do. For all important things require blood and Jefferson was right in stating that such blood is the "natural manure" of the tree of liberty.  And this cemetery is well set for pictures of the tree of liberty, I offer up this one here:

But I saw something today that demonstrates Jefferson's words vividly. If you look carefully at that picture above, you can see the flag at the base of the tree... Here is a close up of where that flag is, you can see the wooden base of the flag sticking up to the right:

That, gentle readers, sums up Jefferson's image of the Tree of Liberty and Blood of Patriots better than I can express with words.

And today, with the death toll still rising in Iraq, I pray that the patriots blood shed there is watering the tree of Liberty and not just squandered to soak into the sands of foreign nations.

Peace, gentle readers... And if you have peace, thank a veteran. And if you know them, thank those veterans' families who have given for us.