Saggy Tahir Visits Arlington National Cemetery:
State Rep.
Saggy Tahir recently visited Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington,
Virginia with his family and a close friend.
Saggy said he was deeply moved and touched by the
visit, which was his first to the national burying ground for fallen servicemen
and servicewomen.
He found the cemetery arranged in an orderly, honorable and dignified way, he said, which was a fitting tribute to America's fallen heroes who often fought to keep order in a world that has been so regularly beset by war and chaos in its history.
"This encourages others to fight for their country as
they did," he said. "I could not thank those heroes enough for what they have
done for this nation. I wish I had met them in person so I could have said how
grateful I am for their sacrifices to give me this land of
opportunity.
"While praying for them and their families, I got absorbed in emotions and did not know for several minutes, with tears in my eyes, where I was until my friend reminded me that we must leave," he said. "Freedom is not, has never been, and will not be, free and cheap."
The cemetery's headstones carry the names of two U.S. presidents, explorers, literary figures, astronauts, Supreme Court justices, World War II hero Audi Murphy and big-band leader Glenn Miller.
Later, Saggy asked his daughter and his eldst son, Misbah to visit the cemetary. "They were highly emotional, too," said Saggy.
Above, Saggy poses in front of the United States Marine Memorial, commonly refered to as the "Iwo Jima Memorial," which stands near the cemetery. It is based on one of the most enduring images of World War II, a photograph Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal snapped as five Marines and one Navy corpsman raised the American Flag on top of Mount Suribachi during the battle for Iwo Jima in 1945. Rosenthal's Pulitzer Prize winning photograph was selected to represent all Marines near Arlington National Cemetery. The 32-foot tall cast bronze statue was designed by Felix W. de Weldon and formally opened by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1954.
Below, a photograph of the rows of graves at the cemetery. Over 285,000 Americans who gave their lives in the service of their country are buried at Arlington, from the Revolutionary War to the current war on terrorism in Iraq and Afghanistan.
