In Section 60, every day is Memorial Day for some family.
A year ago today, my daughter and I visited Matthew Seidler’s grave in Arlington National Cemetery to remember him. Post holidays and pre-spring there’s not much beauty in the frozen landscape.
I first heard of Matthew Seidler about a year after my dad died when my mom hung a quote up on the wall above her desk. “I cannot mourn for what will not be. I’ll cherish what was.”
After noticing the quote a couple times I asked her where it came from. She mentioned it was a fathe’rs comment after his son died in Afghanistan. I looked up the story that appeared in his hometown newspaper, the Baltimore Sun, when they reported on Matthew Seidler’s life and death as he was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
He was killed by an IED while serving to protect his fellow soldiers as EOD apprentice.
A couple years later and I couldn’t get his story out of my mind. And so it was a year ago today that we visited his grave, placed a stone on his gravestone and remembered him.
I regret I never had the chance to meet him.
I wish I had.
