When visiting Arlington National Cemetery in Washington DC, you get a sense for how many servicemembers lost their lives since it was founded in 1864. Members of the military from some of the United State’s deadliest wars are buried there, including the American Civil War, the first and second World War, Vietnam, Korea and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. It was devastating to see how many 18 – 24 year old boys were buried there. Maybe it was because I am a father of three, but I can’t imagine how it feels to lose a child in a war and how it is possible to live normally after that.

I noticed a middle age man standing in front of a grave. I shot a few pictures and left. Suddenly, I returned and asked the man if I could interview him. I felt as though there was a story behind his visit. As he started talking I felt so much sadness and love. He was there visiting his father’s grave and we instantly had a connection because I had lost my father only few weeks earlier.

I watched as the soldiers that guard The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier changed shifts. It is a very simple act which is performed with extreme accuracy, perfection and reverence for those who died and will never have a grave marker that their family can visit.