Capitol Tour, Part III

In addition to the monuments to the fallen soldiers of the Confederacy, there are multiple monuments to soldiers of other wars. The statue of the soldier on the left is from the Arkansas Vietnam Memorial. Like the memorial in D.C., there is a simple wall with names inscribed on it. The soldier stands atop a pedestal with the various branches of the armed forces named upon it. It is very tasteful and rather moving.

There is also a memorial to the various men from Arkansas (and they are all men) who have been awarded the medal of honor. I don't know how well you can see from this picture, but that is a statue of a soaring eagle.

It is surrounded by pedestals with bronze colored plaques for each man, with a brief bit of biographical information and a sort of silhouette. It is rather horrifying to see how many wars the United States have been in, and to think how many lives have been lost.

As an unrepentant pacifist, I believe that there is almost no time when war is an acceptable way to solve a problem, especially not when the problem is inflated, lied about, and almost completely manufactured. Today, however, on Veteran's Day, I do salute all the men and women, including my grandfather Richard Van Dyke, my cousin Richard James Van Dyke, my cousin Anna's husband, my friends Luke and Roger, and say thank you for being willing to take on the burden of service.

Addendum: And Owen. Thanks to Benjamin for reminding me.