National City Christian Church

Washington DC. Inauguration Day -- an inauguration dedicated by the president to the troops. We spent it inside the church walking amid the pews, reading the momentoes left behind by loved ones. Music is playing and the memorial has one of the most contemplative environments ever.

Several boots have a small hand written paper tag that say simply, "You are not forgotten." There seems no rhyme or reason to where they are placed. Several states are included. But that is the theme of so many pairs of boots. One pair has two type-written pages telling of the life of the person. Another has 6 pages printed from a memorial placed on the internet. Photos, badges, even a bullet all tell a story of the lives lost. They become more than a name, age, rank and location. The loved who have visited want the life of their soldier to be known by other visitors. They want the fullness of that life to be known.

It is as if all of the mementoes say one thing -- "You are not forgotten."