I wish every day was like today at Arlington National Cemetery.

There were 20,000 volunteers putting wreaths on 110,000 graves. That’s staggering. People stood in lines 200 long waiting for wreaths to come from different trucks.

Scout troops came. Church groups congregated. Men and women in uniform from all military branches and ranks brought their clan. There was even a George Washington imitator and a damn good one at that.

There were family gatherings around graves, which I assume was a relative. Lots of photos taken. Plenty of smiles.

It was a helluva day.

Arlington is often filled with tourists, especially in the spring and summer. Memorial Day brings huge crowds, but I’ve never seen anything like this.

People crossed into the fields of white stone markers. There’s this misconception caused by chains along the main path to the Tomb of the Unknowns and the Eternal Flame that people can’t walk through the graves. It’s not true, though groups are discouraged. It was nice to see life among the stones.
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Arlington is my favorite memorial site around town. It doesn’t feel like death. It’s a celebration of so many wonderful lives long and short.

Wreaths Across America lays wreaths at more than 600 locations nationwide, including the U.S. Soldiers’ & Airmen’s Home National Cemetery in Washington along with 15 military cemeteries in Maryland and 39 in Virginia.

When the 18-wheelers left Arlington, people waved. Drivers waved back, blowing their horns.

It was just a cool way to remember the holiday season is more than shopping.

(Click the small images to see them much larger.)