At the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918, the armistice ending The Great War, the "war to end all wars", was officially signed. A year later, President Woodrow Wilson declared November 11th an official holiday with the following proclamation:
"To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country's service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations."
After two wars followed "the war to end all wars," Congress, in 1954, renamed the holiday to "Veteran's Day" in honor of those who served our nation in all wars, not just World War I. Today's photo, taken at the North Burial Grounds in Providence, symbolizes that concept. The graves before you are filled with men who served in World War I, World War II, and the Korean War. We remain a nation forever grateful for their service.
Post processing started with a mild contrast filter in Topaz Adjust. From there I adjusted adaptive saturation, protect highlights, protect shadows, and adaptive exposure. A sepia photo filter and a levels adjustment were added in PSE.
@chauncygirl Thanks for the Fav, Heidi! It's amazing the number of very strange looks you get when you're lying flat on your stomach taking a photo in a cemetery.
