Episode 55: My First Arlington National Cemetery Funeral

Thanks to an open invitation from his family and that invitation's wider distribution by U.S. Army W.T.F! Moments, I was able to attend the funeral of Korean and Vietnam war veteran, retired Army Lieutenant Colonel Gene Hill.

Over the course of two wars, LTC Hill acquired some serious chest candy, including Special Forces and Airborne qualifications, expert rifle and machine gunner, a Silver Star, a Bronze Star with Valor, two Legion of Merits, a Vietnam Service Medal with two Campaign Stars, a South Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Bronze Star, a Purple Heart, a Meritorious Service Medal, two Air Medals, four Army Commendation Medals, a Republic Korea War Service Medal, an Army of Occupation Medal with German Clasp and Japan Clasp, two Defense Service Medals, a Korean Service Medal with (I believe) seven Campaign Stars, a United Nations Korean Service Medal, a Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal, a Department of the Army Distinguished Civilian Service Award, and a Department of the Army Civilian Service Commendation Medal. This shadow box also includes his 25^th Infantry Division combat patch, a World War II-era amphibious engineers seahorse patch that I can only assume he had a connection to (possibly in Korea) and the JFK Special Warfare Center Patch (under his Special Forces tab), an Army Staff badge, a World War I Iron Cross I can only assume is a memento from his service time in German (possibly belonging to his father-in-law), and the tassel from his Ph.D. in 1986.

LTC Hill later in life, still proudly carrying a 25th Infantry Division challenge coin in his wallet.

LTC Hill's casket with roses left by family and a military police badge left by an MP colonel.

Fort Myer Old Post Chapel.

Episode 24: Wreaths Across America

This image of a snow-covered section of Arlington, with wreaths on every headstone, is the viral image from 2005 that thrust Wreaths Across America into the national spotlight and led to the formal creation of Wreaths Across America as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in 2007.

My own experience with Wreaths Across America, included a bitterly cold Saturday morning in 2017, where my family and I got to enter Arlington National Cemetery before regular operation hours, which let me witness a beautiful sunrise as dawn broke over Washington, DC

That morning I was able to lay a wreath at the headstone of Army Captain Michael Donald Groves, and speak his name aloud.

If you would like more information about Wreaths Across America and how you can get involved, check out their website: www.wreathsacrossamerica.org