Memorial Day Weekend 2007, John Moore, Pulitzer Prize-winning senior staff photographer for Getty Images, visited Arlington National Cemetery. There, in “Section 60”, he met and photographed family members of American soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan who had flown across the county to remember their loved ones. One of those people was Mary McHugh. He snapped this photo of Mary at the grave of her slain fiance, Sgt. James Regan. It was her first time visiting the grave since his funeral.
Moore wrote an incredibly poignant account of his visit and the hours leading up to the moment when he captured this award-winning photo. Here is how his story begins:
After spending much of the last six years covering the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, I felt like I needed to visit Arlington National Cemetery this Memorial Day weekend. I felt like I owed it some time.
I went with my family – my pregnant wife and my young daughter. Separately and together, my wife and I have covered a lot of heart-wrenching stories around the world, but Section 60 was unlike any place we had been.
The beauty and serenity of Virginia’s rolling hills and awe inspiring views of Washington D.C. clash with today’s reality of national loss, where grief is raw and in your face. You step over grass sods still taking root over freshly dug graves. You watch a mother kiss her son’s tombstone. Two soldiers put flowers and a cold beer next to the grave of a fallen buddy. A young son left a hand-written note for his dad. “I hope you like Heven, hope you liked Virginia very much hope you like the Holidays. I also see you every Sunday. Please write back!” (Read the rest of his account here; it’s well worth it.)
We all know the adage that a picture is worth a thousand words, but this photo speaks not only for the 6805 U.S. service members have died in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, but for the more than 1.3 million who have fought for our freedoms since our country’s existence.
Yet, Memorial Day Weekend is a cause for celebration. We remember the fallen with cookouts and pool parties and trips to the beach. It’s a weekend filled with warm sunshine, relaxed attitudes and moments of laughter and joy shared with family and friends. Does that make sense? Absolutely. Those brave men and women fought so that we could enjoy the sweet freedoms of life and liberty.
I’m certain that when his buddies placed that cold beer next to his grave, that fallen soldier was cheering: “Thanks for the visit; now go laugh and party; make sure you drink one for me! When you take the time to celebrate your lives, it’s how I know that my sacrifice mattered.”
Celebrate in their honor this weekend,
~Bob
