The Value of Sacrifice: The True Cost of Land

“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.”
~ President Ronald Reagan

The stated purpose of this blog is to consider any and all interesting and impactful subjects that impact the land and those who seek to identify, acquire, and develop it. This discussion will be no different.

A few years ago, my wife was presenting at a conference in Washington DC over the Memorial Day weekend and I decided to tag along for the trip. I spent most of my time either visiting the museums along the National Mall or walking around the city photographing its landmarks and monuments. Work had been busy and somewhat stressful and so it was a peaceful interlude that allowed me to lose myself in my thoughts and photography.

At some point I crossed over the Potomac River and found myself at Arlington National Cemetery. I’ve always been very interested in history and there was so much of that present among those rows of marble headstones. The view from atop the hill on which what was once Robert E. Lee’s mansion sits was spectacular. You see out over the entirety of the city of Washington. You see the graves and monuments of some of the most famous Americans ever to have lived. You’ll find memorials to those lost in tragic events throughout American history such as those lost in the sinking of the battleship USS Maine, the Lockerbie Disaster, the Space Shuttle Challenger Memorial, and the memorial to those lost in the Pentagon on 9/11. Generals and admirals are buried there. Supreme Court justices are buried there. Presidents are buried there. The remains of the unknown soldier are protected by an honor guard that does not stand down regardless of time of day or weather. I stood there for a while watching the honor guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier cross back and forth over his prearranged path lost in thought.

I found that the experience not only allowed me moments of quiet reflection, but I started to feel very proud of my fellow Americans. I didn’t see any of the annoying behaviors which have become commonplace in modern society. No one took photographs at inappropriate times. No one was preening and then posting to social media. I didn’t see any misbehaving children or families arguing amongst themselves as is so common at theme parks and vacation spots around the nation. As a burial detail slowly moved along a road people stood to the side and removed their hats without having to be asked or told. I really did find myself proud of those there with me.

Then, as I began to wander away from the oldest and most visited portions of the cemetery, I found myself out among the seemingly endless rows of uniform white marble headstones. Laid out in perfect lines regardless of whether you look straight on or diagonal across the fields it’s hard not to be mesmerized by the experience. But as I continued walking, I was shaken from my calm reflectiveness as I saw a lone woman with two children laying out a small blanket on the grass and sitting down to have lunch. As my path was taking me in that direction, I started to focus in on the fact that these three were about to eat their lunch directly among the orderly graves. I’m not the type of person to make comments in public but I couldn’t believe what I perceived to be the audacity of this woman. I understand it can be difficult keeping control of tired and hungry children in public but I thought to myself that there’s a time and a place and this was neither. As I came closer I began to seriously consider politely asking this individual to find a more appropriate place to have lunch with their children.

Just as I was coming to the point when I would have to either speak up or continue past her in silence, I watched her take a moment away from her kids lean over and kiss one of the headstones. As I watched this, I read some of the information on the face of the tombstone and realized that this soldier had died relatively recently while deployed to Operation Iraqi Freedom. The realization suddenly dawned on me that this woman had every right to sit down and feed her children where she did. I realized that this was that soldier’s widow and children and that this was the only way that they could be together as a family.

Very rarely do I witness or experience something that stuns me into both silence and humility but this had that immediate effect. I had gone from quiet self-righteousness to humbled in really no time at all. It’s been years now but the sight of her leaning in to kiss her husband’s tombstone has stayed with me throughout.

As the rest of us celebrate Memorial Day we will no doubt head out to backyard barbecues with family and friends, and baseball games, and beaches and mountain lakes. Having never served myself I cannot speak from experience, but I would like to think that those who have would approve of these plans as those freedoms are likely some of what they served to protect. But I would remind everyone that out there among the celebrations and the parties and the fun there are likely wives, and parents, and friends, and children sitting down on blankets among the rows of neatly placed white headstones and that it might be appropriate to give a few moments of thought to the cost they have paid so that the rest of us can enjoy our holiday weekend in so frivolous a fashion.

This blog is meant to discuss the many factors that can affect the value of a tract of land in the United States. While there is no shortage of topics that can be explored and contemplated relating to this topic I would remind us all that while we normally talk in terms of consideration and dollars, acreage and square miles, there is possibly no land in this country more valuable than that five foot by five foot square underneath the blanket laid out by that mother for her children that day in Arlington National Cemetery. Part of my job is to help put a value on land intended for projects situated throughout the United States, but I have no means with which to adequately describe the cost of that small square of land under that widow’s blanket. She, her husband, and their children paid a price for that small square of land that cannot be truly understood by the rest of us.

I wish you all a happy and safe Memorial Day weekend, and to those of you who have chosen to serve this nation, you have my eternal gratitude.

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The Value of Sacrifice: The True Cost of Land

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