Memorial Day: The Unknown Grave
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Of all the gravestones in a military cemetery the ones marked, "Known Only to God" seem to me to be the coldest and most lonely. Without name, date, or epitaph they are easy to overlook, especially when surrounded by multitudes of more relatable grave markers.
But just like it's neighbor, underneath this lonely, unmarked cross lies the mortal remains of some woman's child; the light of her eyes and hope for the future, cut off in the bloom of his life. He might be 18 years of age, or he could be 29. Like his name, we don't know. Only God knows.
There he will lie until the end of time, sleeping peacefully surrounded by his comrades in arms, at rest from the wars of the world and the struggles of men. But for his mother and loved ones, they will never know it for this soldier sleeps in peace, known only to God.
For this reason I have always felt compelled to stop and pay my respects to these unknown. Lay a hand on the stone and whisper “Soldier, I will remember you.”
My great-great uncle, Private Israel Goldberg, lies in one of these lonely unmarked graves in Manilla. I think about him often and hope that on a day like this someone will remember his unknown grave. Walk by it, touch it, maybe leave a flag or a flower. And wonder who the brave fellow is that rests below.
"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”
To all the Unknown Graves today, “Soldier, we will remember you.”
Operation Meatball
Honoring Veterans & Connecting Them With the Youth of Today
