Earliest Memorial Memories

I have two early memories of going to a memorial. My earliest memory, from about 8 or 9 years old, is going to the cemetery with my father to visit my grandfather's grave. I remember being confused as to where my dad was driving us. When we arrived, my dad led me across the grass. As we walked passed all the gravestones, I was very puzzled because I had never seen an area like this before. Finally we arrived at my grandfather's grave, which was also located right next to my uncle's grave. I watched my dad put down flowers at each of their graves and he immediately started crying. My dad was not one to show his emotions so this was almost frightening to me. Being confused and a little bit scared, I began crying as well.

My other memory of visiting a memorial was when my 5th grade class went on a school field trip to D.C. Although we visited many memorials, the Vietnam Memorial remains the strongest and most vivid memory to this day. Before going to the trip, we read a book about the Vietnam Memorial. I already had an image in my head as to what to expect, but the real-life memorial blew me away. The sheer size and the number of names were overwhelming. Being able to see each and every name made the memorial extremely powerful. My teacher explained that people will sketch over their relative's names. After watching others do this, the memorial seemed much more relatable. 

-Kasey Cannon