Tombstone Tuesday: RIP Mom and Dad at Sacramento Valley National Cemetery

On Wednesday September 2, 2015 my husband and I, my brother and wife, and my two sons gathered at the Sacramento Valley National Cemetery in Dixon, California to unite my parents for all time. It was a small gathering but one that was satisfying, very emotional and with a closure that we all needed.

                       John Patterson Jr. and Mary Jane (Little) Gardner both laid to rest today

They are both veterans of World War II. My dad also served in the Korean War. They were each given honors and a 21 gun salute. Very moving. An American Flag was folded and presented on behalf of my father to me and another American Flag was folded and presented on behalf of my mother to my brother. After the ceremony we visited the grave site and watched the two small boxes being laid in the ground. Stones will be put in place in a couple of weeks. Sacramento Valley National Cemetery is a spectacular place, clean, well maintained, unfortunately with plenty of acreage to grow. It is on a very flat piece of land just off Interstate 80 in Dixon where there is nothing but HEAT, DUST,  and WIND and more DUST.

And a month had gone by and both stones are in place. They are buried side by side. But now there are so many more that have been buried that it is difficult to see their two stones,.......  and of course their stones look the same as the other 10,000.......  white. It is impressive to see the thousands of white stones in very straight rows acre after acre.