1,321,612
25 May 2014 -- 145/365
Warwick, Rhode Island
That is how many men and women have given their lives in combat in service to our nation. The high price for freedom began in 1775 and continues through the present day. This weekend we honor all of them. Memorial Day, the last Monday in May, originated after the Civil War and was a day of remembrance for the soldiers, both Union and Confederate, that gave their lives in that bloody conflict. By the end of World War I, however, the day had been extended to commemorate the American soldiers that gave their lives in all wars, not just the Civil War. That, in fact, is the distinction between Memorial Day and Veterans Day. The latter honors all veterans, whereas Memorial Day honors those that died in combat. All 1,321,612 of them.
For today's photo, I visited Pawtuxet Memorial Park, a local veterans cemetery in Warwick. My intent was to photograph the "Avenue of Flags", some 300 large American Flags that line the roads in the cemetery. When I parked, though, I spotted this couple planting some flowers at the grave of their son who gave his life in combat during Iraqi Freedom. The man with the shovel looked up when I closed the trunk of my car, and I simply held up my camera. He nodded, and I took the photo and then left them to continue honoring their son's grave.
Post processing started with a classic filter in Topaz B&W FX. I adjusted color sensitivity sliders, adaptive exposure, regions, contrast, boost black, boost white, and protect highlights. A levels adjustment was added in PSE.
