Memorial Day 2016: Honoring Those Lost, Healing Survivors and More

Here are stories from across our Patch communities worth a read this Memorial Day weekend.

Memorial Day: Honoring the 400,000 People Buried at Arlington National Cemetery

There are more than 400,000 graves in Arlington National Cemetery. Every single one of them gets an American flag on Memorial Day. Each flag is placed exactly one shoe length in front of the headstone.

The unit is called the Old Guard, but its members are young. They say the experience of planting flags for the fallen is an honor. Humbling. Fulfilling.

“It’s an honor for every soldier here to be able to give back to these servicemembers that came before us that have done so much for this country,” said Capt. Jonathan Cohen of Chicago. >>> Read more.

Her Husband Was Killed in Afghanistan. She Went Skydiving to Celebrate Him.

The woman walking in front of Alicia Dickinson at Arlington Cemetery that September day in 2012 was old. She was also there to bury her husband.

At age 30, Alicia Dickinson was a widow.

“I remember walking behind her, thinking, ‘This is what it’s supposed to be,’” Dickinson said. “Not me.” >>> Read more.

Veterans Portrait Project: A Combat-Wounded Photographer Gives Back

Wounded during one of three combat tours, Stacy Pearsall found herself spending hours in VA waiting rooms, surrounded by others who had served the country and, often, paid a price. She felt compelled to honor and thank them “in the only way she knows how” -- photography.

That was the genesis of the Veterans Portrait Project. As she does nearly every Memorial Day, Pearsall is spending this weekend taking complimentary portraits of veterans – this time in central Oregon. She lives near Charleston, South Carolina.

“Memorial Day is a reminder that I must continue to live an honorable life,” she says, “to count myself blessed to have survived all I did, and to never take my comrades' sacrifice for granted." >>> Read more.

Memorial Day 2016 Flag Etiquette, When to Salute: 5 Things to Know

Many Maryland residents pausing Monday on Memorial Day to remember soldiers who died serving their country will fly flags at half-staff in tribute.

But the ritual is not as simple as raising the flag halfway up the pole and locking it in place. >>> Read more.

New PTSD Center Opens for Post 9/11 Veterans in Atlanta

When Matthew Barnes returned home from deployment, his life began to unravel. "I didn't think I was any different from anyone else; I thought it was normal to be numb to emotions that other people have, and not go anywhere or do anything. I divorced my first wife in 2005; I cut family and friends out of my life, and I had nightmares.

"As a Marine, you're taught that you don't go to a doctor unless you're dying, so a lot of guys like were self medicating."

Barnes sought treatment through Emory Healthcare's Veterans Program, which opened up a new, intensive outpatient treatment program for post-9/11 veterans last week in Brookhaven. “This program is truly an innovation in veteran health care, and that’s worthy of celebrating,” said Dr. Barbara Rothbaum. >>> Read more.