A Rubbing

I was at Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery yesterday with my friend and colleague Reggie Murray.  Every time I go there, I remember the first time I rolled through the gates five summers ago, on a service with my friend Bob Metheny.  I was so touched by the beauty of the place, and knowing the special people it holds, I cried.  Since then, the tears come every time I visit.  In fact, I keep wiping them away now, just writing this.

When the service with Bob finished, I drove behind him as he led me on a short tour of the place, and we ended it at the columbarium.  Bob produced some decent paper and a marker, and helped me get a rubbing of my Uncle Stuart's cremation niche-face, which I took home to my Aunt Redith, Uncle Stuart's widow.

It's been a special place since I first saw it, and since then, it has become even more special.  When our service finished yesterday, Reggie and I stopped by the columbarium garden, and once again I did a rubbing.  This time of my dad's niche-face.  I plan to send it to my sister, who hasn't seen the permanant face yet.  Uncle Ron's niche (Aunt Redith's son) is only a wall away.  Uncle Stuart's ashes have been moved to the grave section in the park, where he has since been buried with Aunt Redith.  All of the Kentuckian seniors of  Sexton family who lived here when I first moved to Texas, are now in resting places at DFW National. 

Another small family group was gathered there, placing their father's ashes when Reggie and I arrived.  I hope they felt the same comfort I did the day I placed my dad's ashes in the same wall, only a few feet away.  The comfort I'm referring to is in seeing their loved one surrounded by so many of their brothers and sisters who earned the right to be there.  I can't vouch for the effect it has on civilian families, but for military families, the place has a wondrous atmosphere that produces sadness, happiness and pride, all at the same time.

There are loads of beautiful cemeteries throughout the U.S. and abroad.  I've seen tombs and graves when I lived out of the country, that were over a thousand years old.  Some were simple, some were elegant, and many were elaborate with astounding artistry.  But, elegance aside, in my heart it comes down to this - to be placed in a U.S. National Cemetery requires a price to be paid that a wallet can't produce.

Ooooo-Rahh & Semper Fi, Daddy.  Your niche-face looks just the way you'd want it to, simple and clear.  Especially the part that reads, "USMC".

Rigsby (My dad's nickname for me, Angelia)