By Tom Knopsnyder, Lawn & Tree Care Manager

Moyer & Son Inc. recently had the opportunity to work at Arlington Cemetery in Virginia. The people representing our Lawn & Tree Care group were Juan Lopez, Jim Torres, Hector Torres, and myself. We were in Washington along with many other companies across the country, donating our time to lime the cemetery. This is an annual service that the lawn care industry provides to the cemetery. 2006 marked the 10th anniversary for this event, making it even more special for all of us who were invited.

For those of you who have never had the opportunity to visit this landmark, it is truly remarkable. At first glance, it is amazing to see the cemetery with its statues of past great American heroes surrounding the property. After you go through the entrance, you are immediately drawn to the tombstones, mostly white, in line, over 640 acres. It is very quiet but for the daily funerals of fallen heroes who have recently given their lives for our country or who have served in other wars years ago.

The most intriguing thing for us was to see was the "Tomb of The Unknown Soldier". A soldier crosses back and forth in front of the tomb for one hour everyday. He is in full military dress and is carrying his gun on his shoulder the entire time. As I stood there and watched him march back and forth I found myself thinking about all of the men and women who gave their lives for this country. As the hour comes to an end two more soldiers appear for the "Changing of The Guard". This ceremony is something to witness as they check each soldier’s uniform and gun to make sure it is presentable to the "Unknown Soldier". It is then his turn to guard the tomb until the return of the soldier to relieve him.

Sacrifice stuck in my mind everyday of our visit. I know those people gave their lives so I could live in "Freedom" today. They gave up everything they had to make lives better for their families and mine. From this day forward, I will make it a point to say “Thank You” to every soldier I speak with.