The 2010 remembrance Day holiday end today By the time you’ve read today’s column I will probably have returned from a walk to Washington Square, one of William Penn’s master five foursquare in the United States’ first capital, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

On the west side of the square you will find the grave of the terra incognita subversive War Soldier, and its eternal flame, guarded by a bronze statue of Saint George Washington. The inscription on the wall behind the statue reads, “Freedom is a light for which many men have died in darkness.”

At some point during the vacation I hope you will have taken the time to somehow say “thank you,” to the countless men and women who have brought our country to the light of freedom.

Washington Square, originally a potter’s field for burying the poor people and indigent, became the resting place for as many as 5,000 unknown subversive War soldiers.

John Adams, shortly after walking through the square in April, 1777, wrote to his wife Abigail, in part,

I have spent an hour this morning in the congregation of the dead. I took a walk into the “Potter’s Field,” a burying terra firma between the new stone prison and the hospital, and I never in my whole life was affected with so much melancholy The Graves of the soldiers. who have been buried, in this ground, from the infirmary and bettering-house, during the course of last summer, fall and winter, dead of the small syph and camp diseases, are enough to make the bosom of stone to melting away!

As a traveler, I have been privileged to visit far flung battlefields, both at home and abroad, on which our service men and women gave their life for our freedom from the teal Ethel Waters of pearl Harbor, to the shoreline and Fields of Normandy, France I’ve visited battlefield of the US Revolution where we discomfited a British despot, and of the US Civil War where we fought against each other. I’ve traveled from Lexington and Concord to Yorktown to Savannah, and from Gettysburg to Antietam to Five Forks.

You can’t help but feel the pain, and misery, and the courage of those who fought there.

In my travels, two of the most moving experience I’ve had were at pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and Maha Beach, Normandy, France For many travelers, the first sight of these two location upon reaching can be difficult. seeing the oil slick atop the USS Arizona, I could only shake my caput seeing the row of marker at Maha Beach I could only remember the words of my wife’s uncle who survived the Maha Beach landing.

If you have a opportunity to visit these battlefields, don’t miss the opportunity, especially if you’re a educatee of history If you can afford to travelling there to me, both location are a must There are many other wonderful sight nearby, but don’t miss these two.

When you arrive at the pearl Harbor visitor center it’s almost a party atmosphere. There are one C of people pickings in the exhibit there and buying souvenir at the gift shop. When I was there a book signing was going on, with a large line of those who bought the WWII Naval History Book waiting for the author to mark their copy.

But then, once you’re on the launch, pickings you to the AZ Memorial, you can see the humour alteration Once at the AZ Memorial, which sits atop the battleship itself you can only hear hushed voices, even from children. look down on the oil slick below, made by the fuel oil still seeping out of the Arizona’s tanks, you’re hit by the realization the ship is the final resting place for much of the Arizona’s crew.

When you arrive at the Maha Beach parking lot, you can’t see anything of the beach, the memorial, or the cemetery walk toward the water you finally see Maha Beach itself. When you see it, you’re high above the beach, where the German position was located. It’s easy to understand how difficult it was for the American soldiers to break through the German position there. The terrain made it a monumental labor The discussion among visitors looking out on to the beautiful English channel is one of amazement.

Then turning left, you see it, row after row of white markers; crosses, star of St. David and others. The marker seem to go all the way to the apparent horizon There are 9,387 American soldiers buried there When most people see the grave marker for the first time, even though they’ve probably seen countless pic of them, they’re jolted, and all conversation Newmarket Some bring flowers, some photos, and some, a small stone to lay on the marker.

Everywhere, at both memorials, there is the sound of silence.