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This post is a hard one. I’ve been considering it for nearly 18 days.
On one hand I am so afraid of making it sound like it’s about me – no, not even about me, but that it has anything to do with me at all. On the other hand I feel so small when I try to consider how I might speak for anyone else – whether it’s you, a family, a country. Who am I to speak for anyone else? And so, the more I’ve thought about it, I just feel like, well, it must be about me, for that’s the only voice I truly know.
I’m a United States Citizen. I was born in Denton, Texas in 1975. I was married to my wife Emily in Long Beach, California on May 29th, 1999. That was Memorial Day weekend, and I must confess that Memorial Day weekend has never been to me what it is intended to be. (And I wonder if in this I might be speaking for anyone else as well?) But today I’m seeing that it is more than another day off, a three-day weekend, or someone’s anniversary. Yes, it’s much more than all of that.
On May 5th I received word via an email from Melissa Martinez that her husband, Glen, had been killed on May 2nd while serving our country in Iraq. Both Glen and Melissa are Marines with whom I had the great privilege of spending the day with, and photographing, on December 30th, 2007 – their wedding day. Later in the day, May 5th, Melissa called me and asked if I would come photograph Glen’s Memorial service. Not that she wanted me to document the grief everyone was feeling, but so that I might participate in honoring a hero. I was humbled and grateful and accepted the invitation.
And so on Tuesday, May 13th, I watched a country honor a hero. A town salute. A family say goodbye. A wife bury her husband. And now I grasp for words to express what I’m feeling. I looked for a poem to lift our spirits. I looked to speeches from President’s to give us some perspective. But it just seemed that those words were not my own. And I just couldn’t pretend that this here blog and this here post are some grand things that can speak for the many. So, instead, I settle on using my words to speak to the few – you, dear reader – as if you were sitting here by my side. And here’s what I want to tell you:
I’m a United States Citizen. Born in Texas. 1975. Married. Two Kids.
And I’m free. Free because of great men like Glen Martinez. Friend, would you please join me in honoring our heroes? I realize this could sound false coming from me, but I tell you friend, I’ve seen things and I’m beginning to understand and so I beg your forgiveness and ask you again – would you join me in honoring our heroes? Remember, this weekend isn’t a long one just so we can have more time to play. We have Monday off so we can have time to remember. I’m getting that now and so, for me, this Memorial Day will be different. And I ask you – would you join me in honoring our heroes?
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| (I want to say a special thanks to a few. First, to God who gave us freedom. To Glen Martinez for his service. To Melissa Martinez for bestowing on me the greatest honor of my photographic career and for seeing in me someone who could do it. To Jolynne Aszterbaum who worked with me at the wedding and who flew out from California to be there for Glen, Melissa, the family, and me for the funeral. About half of the photos you see here were taken by her. To the Aszterbaum and Grana families for making this possible. To the Schaefer and Bolton families for your help as well. And to my family – to every day we have together living in freedom.) |
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