The Phantom March

I stood at the entrance to Arlington Cemetery waiting. I noticed some soldiers walking towards me. I didn't pay much attention until the men were quite close. It was then that I saw a very strange sight. The men were wearing uniforms from another time, another place. I thought that I must be seeing things when I began to sense more men around me. I stared as hundreds then thousands of men and women spewed out of the Cemetery. They appeared to drift right by me. I tried to talk but I couldn't. I just stepped in line and joined them.

I followed them across the Potomac and they marched right to the White House. It was dark and cold with signs that said keep out. I saw no one. Could it be abandoned? I did not know. I could see the looks of those near me. They appeared sad and confused. Without a word the crowd began to move. They stopped next at the Capitol building. It too was dark and the doors were chained. I stood on the steps of the Capitol and looked out over the endless movement of those guardians of freedom. I stepped down and fell in line. I was in the company of those that had suffered or died to protect this great nation. I didn't understand how but every war and every service was represented. I was overwhelmed.

The next stop on that mournful march was the Supreme Court. I drifted through the crowd to get a better look. What I saw frightened me. Lady Justice was prostrate on the steps of the Court with a giant Presidential Seal lying on top of her. I stood in that eerie silence wondering how. No answer was forthcoming. The great company began to move again. I hesitated not wanting to see anymore. At that instant I saw my father and uncle who had suffered much on the snowy fields of Belgium. I again joined the procession spell bound.

We were on the Mall walking towards Lincoln's Memorial. I could see some people standing at the top of the steps but couldn't make out what was happening. The crowd parted to allow me to pass. I climbed the steps to witness for myself what was taking place. Then recognition swept over me. There were George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin, standing to the left of a coffin. Opposite them were Abraham Lincoln, John Kennedy, and Martin Luther King. Fearing the coffin and what it held I climbed with trepidation. Hesitation gripped me as I stared into the eyes of those great men. Then shock overwhelmed me. There laid our great flag, the Declaration of Independence, and our beloved Constitution. Slowly they closed the coffin. The procession moved towards the reflection pool that became a great grave. Descending the steps and looking out over the largest gathering that I had ever witnessed was humbling. In all directions stood those who served this great land their numbers were legion.

With great care the coffin was buried and I could see tears in the eyes of those closest to me. I turned and looked up to the top of the Memorial and saw two men and a woman. I recognized all three. They were Saul Alinsky, Richard Clower, and Francis Piven. They had their arms raised to the heavens and three more were standing below them bowing. They were two men and a woman. I could not clearly see them as the scene began to fade and I awoke in great fear.