Reblogged from A View From The Edge
This picture absolutely stirs my heart.
In 2011, amateur photographer Frank Glick was on his way to work early one morning when he drove through Fort Snelling National Cemetery in Minnesota. He spotted a bald eagle through the mist, perched on a gravestone, and snapped a few shots with his aging but ever-present Nikon camera.
Since Mr. Glick first posted this picture online, tens of millions of people have been moved by this hauntingly beautiful image of one of our nation’s treasured symbols standing guard over the men and women who served to protect her.
Over the past 200-plus years, millions of Americans have raised their right hand and taken a solemn oath to defend our nation “against all enemies, foreign and domestic.” The have donned a uniform and honorably served our nation as members of the United States Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, National Guard, and Coast Guard. During peacetime and in war, our veterans have made incredible sacrifices to preserve our country’s security and way of life.
With this in mind, it is appropriate to take a day off from the seemingly unending skirmishes related to our nation’s current political issues—which serve to divide Americans—and instead reflect on the meaning and importance of Veteran’s Day as a means to unite us.
To begin with, I want to express my gratitude to the millions of men and women who have served our great nation as members of the Armed Services. I am honored to be one of them, having served as an artillery officer in the United States Marine Corps from 1983 to 1993.
As I tell people every year, the Marine Corps did far more for me than I ever did for it.