Places 2 – Arlington National Cemetery; 16 August 2011

I know.  You see a disturbing trend in my topics lately.  While it’s easy to believe that my preoccupation with cemeteries is creepy, I’ve tried to justify it from historic and aesthetic perspectives.  But today was just plain special.

I was ready to go off in other directions…and I will…later.  Today, I attended my first military funeral at the crown jewel of our national cemeteries.  Having said that, I realize I can take this essay in any number of directions. 

This is, ostensibly, a photography blog and I can wax poetic about trying to capture that iconic view of a field of identical markers that are perfectly-spaced among grand trees and go on forever.  Getting that image just right involves composition, the right light from the right direction, the absence [or inclusion] of people, depending on the kind of image you seek, and other considerations.  We’ll have to do that later.

Arlington National Cemetery (3 April 2011)

I certainly could sing the praises of Arlington National Cemetery as a must-see place for anyone interested in our nation’s post-Civil War history.  You can find two presidents, four Supreme Court Chief Justices and scores of military heroes among the 330,000 graves there.  I could rail against our current war time situation since there are many new graves at Arlington being filled too soon.  Not here.  Not now.

I did not know Charles DeShields very well.  He was one of many guys I see at the gym in the morning and almost nowhere else.  The one time we met at another place, I joked that I didn’t recognize him with his clothes on.

Col. DeShields on the caisson that carries him to the grave site

He was always friendly and amiable and, while I knew he served in Viet Nam, I had no idea he was 80 years old.  He served in the Korean conflict as well.  I’m sure that was no cakewalk in the newly de-segregated army since Mr. DeShields was one of the darkest men I have ever known.

Folding the Flag

This is not a sad story of early loss or lifelong damage from war.  Charles was a great soldier.  He was one of the most highly decorated pilots of the Viet Nam era, having earned three Distinguished Flying Crosses and 29 Air Medals.  I was told the North Vietnamese had a special bounty out for ‘The Black Colonel’ when he commanded 3,000 troops in the 82^nd Airborne Division.  After retirement, he went on to a successful second career in business.  He was married to the same woman for 56 years.      

Presenting the Flag

Anyway, he was a really nice guy…always positive and engaging.  It was important that we be there when they laid him to rest.  Besides, it allowed us to witness this fine ceremony.  The precision and choreography of a full scale military funeral is special…not that I wish it on anyone.  However, at the end of a long, distinguished life, it’s an exceptional way to say good-bye.

Final Salute

The Dead Presidents Quest Begins - # 33 – Harry S. Truman

So now you know that I have this interest in history, photographing cemeteries and making complete collections.  The Dead Presidents Quest became a way to immerse myself in all three pursuits.

It began in earnest in July 1998.  We made a quick, weekend trip to Kansas City.  It was my birthday and our Orioles were there to play the Royals.  We were going to find some good jazz, eat one of their famous steaks and watch our Birds lose another one.  The rest would be gravy, as they say. 

On the afternoon of the game, we visited the Truman Library and Museum in his home town of Independence, MO.  Like all presidential museums, there are photos, documents and memorabilia that highlight the man’s times and accomplishments…and Truman’s times were interesting.

Harry S. Truman Library and Museum, Independence, MO (11 June 2008)

I recall after he left office, some ‘authorities’ regarded him lightly and placed him quite low on the list of presidents and their achievements. This is no longer the case as his decisions fared better with the passage of time.  On top of that, it appears the man was a bowler and any president who rolls a few can’t be all bad in my book. 

Poster of our 33^rd President in the bar at Brunswick Lanes, Columbia, MD (12 July 2010)

As you wander the Museum complex, you will find Harry and Bess are buried in the courtyard.  It was then that I pondered where the other presidents currently reside…thus the Dead Presidents Quest was born.  In the years that followed, I made time to visit the graves that were close to home and business or vacation locales.  After retirement, there were road trips dedicated to finding graves.

Harry S. Truman

33^rd President; Served 1945-1953

Born: May 8, 1884, Lamar, MO
Died: December 26, 1972, Kansas City, MO

Grave Location: Harry S. Truman Library, Independence, MO

Dates Visited: 8/1/1998; 6/11/2008

I should have known this was not an original idea.  If you Google “Presidents Graves”, you’ll get over ten million hits.  Some media-savvy folks have had the same quest and produced informative web sites.  See Manus Hand’s ‘Dead Presidents’, Kurt Deion’s Historic Sites and Dave’s Presidential Graves by Dave (I couldn’t find his last name).  While these sites include personal stories and photos of the authors in front of the graves, they also link up with other sites on the subject. 

P.S. - You won’t be seeing any pictures of me in front of a grave.

Finally, there is also a book on the subject.  Brian Lamb, the founder of C-SPAN wrote ‘Who’s Buried in Grant’s Tomb: A Tour of Presidential Gravesites’ in 2000.  He had noted historians Douglas Brinkley and Richard Norton Smith contribute historical tidbits to the work but my pictures are better (…he said modestly).

Clearly, I am not plowing new photographic ground here but this was a terrific endeavor that got me to see some wonderful parts of the country and allowed me to learn much about our nation’s history and its leaders.  In the future, when I am short on new photography issues to discuss, I will post images and stories related to finding and documenting our presidents’ graves.  I hope you won’t mind.