This post wont be so much about football as it will the Tombs of the Unknown Soldiers in our National Cemetery in Arlington.
Former Idaho Governor and Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne was leading a tour for several Idahoans that are back in Washington for tonight's game. They were at the Tombs of the Unknown Soldiers, he told his audience he had one of his most moving experiences right there infront of the tomb of our first unknown soldier.
He relayed how one day he was visiting those monuments watching the guard walking his post infront of the tombs when he saw three young men walking up the stairs. Seeing the insignia on the mens polo shirts, he recognized they were part of the honor guard that walked post honoring these fallen Americans.
Dirk went over and introduced himself and learned one of the young men was actually captain of the guard. He asked the captain, " what do you think about when you are walking your post and its 2 a.m. and cold?" The captain replied he does not think about the cold, he thinks about his job and he thinks about how these soldiers surrendered more than their lives, I think about how they surrendered their earthly identities. Kempthorne was visibly moved as he shared that story during his local television interview, and so was I hearing it. It gave me a new perspective and appreciation for the different soldiers from different wars, it made me appreciate them and our countries history even more. I thought it was a story worth hearing and one worth repeating.
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