Every American citizen should be required to spend at least a day exploring Arlington National Cemetery.

Only when one is in the place, can an American truly understand the importance and the enormity of the sacrifices our military and their families give on our behalf.

Walking through Arlington is an almost surreal experience. Surrounded by hundreds of acres of rolling land, dotted by simple markers of hundreds of thousands of our nation’s heroes the place is at once, beautiful and ugly.

First time visitors flock to Arlington to see, most notably the grave of John F. Kennedy and the famous eternal flame that burns in his honor.

Tourists also flock to see the changing of the guard at Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

When my wife Julie and I visited D.C. several years ago, we hit all of the touristy spots in Arlington.

And I’m glad we saw the most famous of sites there.

But we also made it a point to just explore the grounds a bit, despite the oppressive heat at the time.

We visited the grave of Mississippi Civil Rights hero and World War II veteran Medgar Evers. I recall seeing rocks and pebbles carefully placed atop Evers’ gravestone and wondering, “Who put them there?” and “Did they know him or just know of him?”

We also just walked through some of the rolling hills, dotted with what seemed like a never-ending series of carefully placed white stone markers.

I love history and learned early in life to appreciate that everyone — no matter their upbringing, their fame or anonymity, their uniqueness or their commonplaceness — has a story and each is different.

Arlington is a place where more than 400,000 active duty military and their families are laid to rest.

Today, as we prepare to celebrate Memorial Day tomorrow, I’m reminded of that overwhelming feeling that comes, walking through Arlington.

The sense of awe and of deep gratitude is often lost in our comfortable worlds.

That comfort that so many of us enjoy comes because we have young men and women in uniform standing ready to defend our country. Sadly, we fail to remember and say, “Thank you” often enough for those who serve and, perhaps just as important, the families of those who serve.

The Natchez area has had more than its share of military heroes walking its streets through the years as well. Many of these fine men and women are laid to rest at either the Natchez National Cemetery — whose beauty is second only to Arlington — or the Natchez City Cemetery.

Their history is a bit scattered though, which is why a group of local veterans is working on plans to potentially create a veterans memorial museum in Natchez.

The Miss-Lou Veterans Coalition, a group representing seven different local veterans groups, is working to form a committee to study the feasibility of creating a veterans museum and resource center.

The group is currently seeking support and getting the word out about the idea at the moment.

With some good public support, hard work and a little luck, the museum could become a great thing for veterans, local residents and tourists alike.

Memorializing and showcasing our veterans only makes sense, particularly when considering the amount of history found here in Natchez.

Wouldn’t it be a great addition to the 2016, Natchez tricentennial celebration if such a veteran’s museum could be added to the city’s tourism arsenal?

While the museum likely wouldn’t be as big of a draw as Longwood or Stanton Hall, it would provide both an additional tourism stop for visitors and an excellent way to showcase our area’s fine veterans and their amazing stories.

I hope you and your family have a happy Memorial Day and encourage you to spend a few minutes saying thank you to veterans who have fallen and saying prayers for those still in the field defending our freedoms.

 

Kevin Cooper is publisher of The Natchez Democrat. He can be reached at 601-445-3539 or kevin.cooper@natchezdemocrat.com.