Hi Everyone!

I thought I’d change things up with the photos so you don’t have to see snow everyday. I took this photo awhile back in Washington DC. I was with some friends, giving them a tour since I’ve lived in this area for more than half my life, and of course it was raining. I always end up on tours when it rains.

This particular photo was taken at the Vietnam Memorial Wall where there are a total of 58,267 names of men and women who were killed or remain missing in action written on the gabbro walls. In case you don’t know, gabbro refers to a large group of dark, coarse-grained, intrusive mafic igneous rocks chemically equivalent to basal.

Well, the rain was coming down pretty hard and I was ready to leave when this child pulls away from his mother to check out the wall for himself. He carefully walked up to the wall and stared at it for a moment. The way he reflected on the wall was haunting. I was able to snap a quick shot before his mother called him back to the group. I remember hearing him ask his mother “Are they all dead?” The mother just nodded and they walked away.

This scene has always stuck with me because I am a military brat. Both my parents served in the Air Force and my grandfathers were also in the military and so forth. You could say that the military runs through my veins. People sometimes just go to this memorials to see what all the fuss is about but I wonder…how many people ask “Are they all dead?” War is a sad and necessary evil sometimes. Let’s not forget that we are here today, living the lives we live, because men and women died for this freedom!

Thanks for reading and hope you enjoy!