Read Online Lined With Silver by Roseanne Evans Wilkins - Free Book Online Page B

immaculate suits.
    She doubted he’d spent half the night stewing
over their marriage like she had.
    After they finished, he asked, “What’s the
plan for the day?”
    “I want to tour the National Mall and then
watch the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown
Soldier.”
    “That happens every hour throughout the day,
so we’ll have to make sure we get there at the half hour. They like
the audience to be settled well before the ceremony begins.”
    “I hear they take it seriously.”
    “Very. It’s an honor to serve, and a lot of
the ceremony is symbolic, so it will seem strange and ritualistic,
but it has deep meaning for all the soldiers who serve.” He paused
and swallowed hard, and she suspected he was fighting tears. “We’ve
all shared the fear of dying without closure. It’s hard enough
having friends die. Knowing there are fallen soldiers who can’t be
identified—”
    Hesitantly, Sondra reached over to touch his
arm, offering some silent comfort.
    He focused and looked at her. “At least I
have the comfort of knowing I will see them again. Not all my
buddies share our beliefs.” He coughed to hide his emotion and then
changed the subject. “So on to the National Mall?”
    “Yes.” She grabbed her purse, gloves that had
dried in the night, her camera, and her coat. “Let’s go.”
    The day was as warm as Zack had promised.
Sondra sat in the taxi while he unlocked the car. The heat of the
day had thawed out the locks. In a few short minutes, he found a
parking stall close to the National Mall.
    The wind had died and they were able to
stroll through the shoveled walks in relative comfort.
    They spent the next couple of hours walking
around the National Mall and taking pictures. The Washington
Monument was closed for upgrades, but there were enough monuments
to explore that Sondra only felt a momentary twinge of regret.
    As she approached the Vietnam Memorial, she
felt a surge of fear from her previous experience, but the winter
sunlight was enough to show there were no muggers hidden in the
trees. Instead, there were milling tourists as intent on their
explorations of the monuments as they were.
    When they walked around the Memorial, Sondra
was saddened by the number of names on the wall. “I didn’t realize
how many had died.”
    “I don’t remember anyone talking about it in
school. It’s hard to imagine that many families missing their sons,
their brothers, their fathers.” Zack was scanning the names as he
answered. He stopped and pointed at one. “That was my mother’s
uncle. The story was that he died during a reconnaissance mission,
but I don’t know the details.”
    Sondra leaned over to inspect the name. “I’m
sorry for your family’s loss.” She rested her hand on his arm.
“Thanks for your service and sacrifice.”
    He covered her hand with his. “It’s a
sacrifice I think my family would make again. The cause of freedom
is worthwhile, even if the folks back home don’t always agree.”
    Sondra met his eyes a moment and saw a hint of
bitterness. The war in Afghanistan was about as popular as the
Vietnam War had been in its day. There were too many politicians
who were willing to put young American lives at risk, sending them
to fight without giving them the tools to win. After spending a few
more minutes at the Vietnam Memorial, they walked over to the
Korean War Memorial.
    The main memorial was in the form of a triangle
intersecting a circle. Black polished granite was sandblasted with
the images of photographs taken during the war. Within the walled
triangle were nineteen stainless steel statues in raingear. The
dusting of snow on the metal made them seem almost alive.
    Sondra said, “It’s amazing how every soldier
looks so different. And their uniforms look as different as the
individual wearing it. How come each uniform is unique?”
    “Each soldier represents a different military
branch.”
    “I can’t imagine how much time it must’ve
taken to do