We Remember: Memorial Day 2015.
Every May, we remember and celebrate those servicemen and woman who served our beloved country and paid the ultimate sacrifice, as we observe Memorial Day. Here in St. Louis, thousands descend upon Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery to pay their respects and reflect on loved ones gone on. I decided to take a trip this year to capture these special moments of mourners as they spend the day.
I was a little cautious initially because these are very sensitive moments. Private and very vulnerable to say the least, but still a beautiful human story. Beloved mothers, fathers, grandfathers, sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, aunts and uncles, they are all there. It was amazing to see headstones of veterans who served in American conflicts from World War I to Korean, to the Iraq and Afghanistan War.
When I arrived, I kept telling myself to tread lightly, respect people’s space and moment with their loved ones. So in other words, 400mm lens. It turned out to be a perfect solution for grasping the emotion, but from outside the bubble. You could liken it to fishing. I would walk to a certain spot on the grounds and just sit on it and take what the moment would give you. Most of the morning, I tried to get creative with the angles of the headstones until more family began to arrive.
As you make your way through the cemetery, you discover these private special moments. Some all alone to their thoughts, families huddled together around a headstone, to little ones being introduced to their loved one and being told their story. It was beautiful to say the least.
After walking around for awhile, I managed to locate one of the dozens of JBNC staff and actually had them locate my loved ones that are buried there and managed to pay them a visit too.
It was an amazing experience to be out there today, to witness the raw human emotion and celebration of life. As a photojournalist, I really want to work on how to gain rapport, engage them to not just say “Sorry for your loss”, but rather “How was he/she?” and hear the stories of these loved ones and what they meant to them. It will certainly be an annual thing for me.
