Remembering

On a recent morning, I visited the Veterans Memorial at Shallowford Square to make photos in commemoration of Veterans Day.

I spent some time reading the veterans’ names and their service descriptions inscribed across rows of commemorative bricks. The service descriptions included “Pearl Harbor Survivor,” “Ex-POW,” “Omaha Beach 1944,” “Guadalcanal,” “Iwo Jima” and “Iraq/Afghanistan War,” among so many others.

The more I read, the more incongruous the beautiful, serene morning seemed, compared to the horrors of war that many of these veterans had faced. Even the soft rustling sound of the flags flying above me seemed to somberly punctuate their sacrifices.

You’ll find close-up shots of the commemorative bricks in the Battle Cross/Memorial Bricks photo gallery. Some of the veterans whose names appear on the commemorative bricks participated in this year’s Memorial Day Service sponsored by American Legion Post 522. Among my favorite photos from the Memorial Day Service are those of “Speedy Spach,” who served in the Marine Corps at Guadalcanal.

Please take a few moments to visit these galleries — and join me in expressing gratitude for all of our military veterans.