The Washington DC Must-Do You Know Nothing About
There was only a huge tree and several feet between the two of us and Eric Herzberg’s mother. We were curious about what she was doing but wanted to remain respectful, so we kept to the walkway and didn’t let on that we were watching and feeling her pain.
For several minutes, we successfully fought the unrelenting urge to run up and console her – to tell her how shitty we still feel about what happened. Unable to trust our willpower any longer, we resolved to walk away.
We walked backwards, staring silently, until she was merely a dot in the distance.
We’ve been to Washington D.C. many times and have wanted to make it here for a few years now. Because it’s not something that’s showcased, like so many monuments and memorials, it’s easy to overlook. Honestly, it’s rarely even talked about.
It’s Section 60, and we recommend you check it out.
In a way-out-of-the-way part of Arlington Cemetery, you’ll find Section 60 – an area that serves as a reminder of the human toll exacted by the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Millions of people visit Arlington Cemetery each year to admire its serene setting and to honor those that have served our country. Unfortunately, most people who visit don’t make it over to Section 60. It’s off the beaten path and not marketed. We’ve heard – more than once – that those in power want to focus visitors’ attention on wars/loss in the distant past. It’s better to keep the reality of these things blurry and ambiguous, so the theory goes.
Arlington Cemetery came to life when, at the end of our visit, we made our way to Section 60. It made us feel something profound. Because most of the burials in this area are relatively recent, it feels more personal – lots of flowers, notes and pictures surround the graves. Not to mention the fact that, quite regularly, many of the sites are being prepped for burial.
In the short time we were there, we saw a mother and her two young kids visiting their husband/dad. We also witnessed three buddies – all in their early twenties – visiting the gravesite of a friend who died in Afghanistan. They hung out, smoked and enjoyed the emerging afternoon sunshine.
It was seeing Eric Herzberg’s mother, though, that hit it all home for us. We don’t know her personally. We were only able to sleuth the details out my meshing the information from the mini-tribute on the back of her car with the gravesite directory that stands nearby. According to the records, Eric died in 2006. He was only 20. Judging by the way things looked, his mother visits frequently and finds comfort in a sort of ritual – kneeling on the ground, tidying things up, fiddling purposefully with different items.
Parents aren’t supposed to lose kids. But it happens. War happens.
We wanted to tell her that we appreciate her sacrifice, that we can understand that it must be hell, that we haven’t forgotten what went on – and continues – over there on the other end of the world.
But we couldn’t… it wouldn’t have been appropriate in that moment.
But what we can do is show respect by getting to Section 60 every time we are in the area. Better yet, we can remember with more regularity the conflicts that happen around the world every day and the people who lose their lives because of it.
Heading to Washington DC? Make your visit to Arlington Cemetery a personal one. Go to Section 60. It will change you.
I went here when I spent a summer in D.C. in high school. It’s an experience I’ll never forget. Love that first photo.
Thanks, K! It was an overcast day – all the better for visiting a beautiful cemetery.
Powerful post, I’ll make a point of visiting Section 60 on my next visit. Thank you for honoring our fallen soldiers.
Erika
Powerful stuff.
Love this!!
So true, this one is usually passed on and it shouldn’t be.
Also try Great Falls – three great overlooks (one where you’ll feel like you can touch the rapids) and here’s a link w/ directions http://www.nps.gov/grfa/planyourvisit/directions.htm
Thanks for the tip, Maria. Just went to the site – looks beautiful.
It makes sense to me that the government wouldn’t want people remembering the enormous costs of all these war games, and I wish it wasn’t the case. War hurts everyone, on either “side”. Glad you’re showcasing the lesser-known part of this DC site.
We’re glad we finally made it to Section 60. We had heard about it years ago on NPR.
Just before walking down to Section 60, we were at the Tomb of the Unknowns section of Arlington. There were probably 200 people in that area. We overheard a teary-eyed mother telling her child that the Tomb of the Unknowns was a way to honor the “brave men” who “long, long ago” fought so that we can all have what we have today in America. Of course that’s a nice and well-intentioned sentiment, but it perpetuates our misguided thinking that war/conflict doesn’t happen now (and that men deserve all the praise).
It seems a lot less abstract when the graves are new and still being added to – this is a much more powerful way of looking at the cemetery than the usual.
Great post.
Things got real for us the minute we got to Section 60. It was very “alive” with loved ones who were visiting the recently deceased and with a majority of the grave sites dotted with flowers, notes, etc.
Now y’all are just plain STALKING my thoughts. That’s my favorite section of Arlington as well. For me, it’s because my brother is in active service in our Air Force. I pray every time I visit (something I hardly do anywhere anymore) that he is never there and I take time to bless the families, like Eric’s, in the hopes that they know somehow how much their son or brother or father’s etc sacrifice means to me.
I couldn’t ever serve. For so many reasons. And I don’t agree with everything our military does. But in section 60 that’s not the point. The point is to stop and be grateful for those who do. It’s a humbling place.
Three cheers for your brother, Kirsten!
It really is a humbling place. I think the clincher for us was doing the math on the markers (birth/death dates) and seeing lots of 20-24 year olds. What a price to pay.
Yes, we are stalking your thoughts. As such, we already know what you want us to write about next. It’s a tall order, but we’ll get to it soon
I visited the cemetery on my very first trip across the pond at the tender age of 20 (too many years ago to remember the year). It was a warm spring day and the fragrant blossom was in full bloom. The tranquil beauty was extremely moving.
It is a gorgeous place with an unbelievable setting. Just as it should be.
Great article. Eric Herzberg was a friend of mine and a fellow rugger for Severn River.
What a small world. Thanks for the comment. Glad we could connect over e-mail too.
I think a lot of USians forget that we’re at war, and have been for the last decade or so. This memorial is a potent reminder that there are soldiers out there right now risking their lives; whatever a person’s politics, I think it’s safe to say that most people probably just want the war to end so the soldiers can come home. Alive.
Let’s chat about this in Seattle. This summer
Excellent, gentlemen. A nice tribute to your experience and to people we should all care about.
My family actually has a long history with the Cemetery. Bravo.
Interesting, Abby. Would love to learn more.
Such a heart warming place. Never visited a cemetery, so dont know how it feels. But reading your post, it must be gut wrenching to watch people spend some time with their loved ones who are no more.
Have a nice day Guys:)
Beautifully written post, guys – I never even knew that this place existed, but of course it makes perfect sense.
Maybe it’s better in a way that it’s not on the tourist trail right now – you always get people posing in front of graves and the like otherwise (I saw it when I was in Terezin Concentration Camp and read a post about girls sunbathing in the Cambodian Killing Fields). That makes it a bit of a dilemma I guess…
Still, an important place to visit and to remind us of what’s happening in our world this very second.
Will you be through Washington DC during your RTW?
Thank you for honoring our fallen soldiers. this is really a great post…
I loved this! My uncle was buried in Arlington Cemetery in 1996. The ceremony was absolutely beautiful. I was young, but I would love to go back and visit him. You are right, the cemetery is absolutely breath taking.
beautiful. what a personal touch to a speedy city
Thank you for your beautiful writing about section 60. My husband is buried in section 60. Today is the one year anniversary of his passing. We visited him today and left flowers. It is very powerful to walk through there and see other services going on and know that they are in the same spot you were in just a year ago.
Glad you liked the post, Kristen. We were really moved by Section 60 and, upon leaving, knew we had to write about our experience. Visiting is certainly a good way to learn about profound sacrifice and to see how real (and current!) things like war and death are.
Great thanks to your husband.
Seen by few they gather first as unknown faces
Recall lone bugler’s taps, twenty-one gun salutes
They need space to mourn
Please no space for more
Just leave room for keepsakes photos and the truth
Soon they’re bound by faded yellow ribbons
Holding on to each other and shared memories
So many young lives
That gave of their life
Now join strangers as one in Section Sixty
I visited Arlington National Cemetery to be respectful of all who are buried there. I asked the employee who works at the counter who can give information on locating individuals. The employee told me that I could not visit Section 60. I asked why. The response, and I paraphrase, was so that the families of those buried would not be disturbed. I was suspect of this employee’s response. I am a post middle-aged adult, a professor of two major universities. I do not present as one who is assumed to be disruptive or disrespectful. As someone who has lost many in my life, I greatly value and appreciate any feeling of condolence, as demonstrated by a visit from a stranger.
What an interesting and unfortunate experience. Did you visit Section 60 anyhow, despite the employee’s dismissal?