Adventure Archives - Page 23 of 23 - Books by Eric Douglas

Arlington National Cemetery

May 27, 2012 By Eric Douglas

A couple months ago, I had the opportunity to visit Arlington National Cemetery. I had been there before, but each time I visit I am struck by the power of the place.

Over the years, I’ve visited many different churches including some cathedrals churches in Europe that have been in continuous use for 500 or more years. When you walk into places like that, you feel the power of it. You feel the presence of all those emotions, the energy that has been poured into the place. You feel the presence of God. I believe even the staunchest non-believer (if he were being honest) could feel it.

A place like Arlington is exactly the same. Thousands of men and women have been buried there. Some died in battle, others years after their service. That doesn’t matter. Arlington, and the other cemeteries like it, are fortified and imbued with the energy that comes honor and service. And it is lovingly cared and looked after by people who revere the place and their own duty. And it is visited daily by family members and friends who remember as well.

Arlington is a national symbol, and it is a graveyard, but it is even more than that. And it has become that powerful “thing” because of the belief that the men and women interred there died for something greater than themselves. They died for duty, honor and country. They died for their brothers in arms, a bond that can actually be stronger than blood.

I’ve been conducting a series of interviews of veterans about their experiences during times of war. Nearly every one of them, no matter how much they wanted to get home and away from the war zone, has said they felt guilty for leaving their brothers behind when they left. Facing death and terror seems to draw them closer together, in spite of their fear. I spoke to a veteran of the Korean war, and his son a veteran of the Vietnam war last weekend. Both said, if it weren’t for their age they would return to service today and fight alongside our soldiers in Afghanistan. They said, simply, it was just what they felt the need to do.

Even though Arlington is a cemetery, I never get the feeling that it is about death. Just the opposite. It is about the lives of the men and women who served. I always find myself quiet when I walk through the gate as if feeling the weight of those lives. But when I leave, I always feel inspired and my steps are lighter. The strength of Arlington buoys me up.

Tomorrow is Memorial Day. It was created as a day to remember the lives of those who died in service to this nation…originally specific to the Civil War. Today, it has evolved to remembering everyone who has passed on whether they served or not. I don’t have an opinion on that but do believe we need to do what we can to remember those who served, every day..

The power of monuments

March 22, 2012 By Eric Douglas

Washington DC is full of monuments. (Yes. I know that is a fairly obvious statement. I get it.) I was there earlier this week and had to pick and choose which ones I spent my limited time appreciating. We hit all of the majors–Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, FDR and MLK.

Probably more moving, though, were the monuments to great events in history—wars. More importantly, those monuments are a tribute to the men and women who offered their lives as part of them—World War II, Korea, Vietnam. These were especially relevant as I have been interviewing veterans of each of these conflicts.

Women in Vietnam Memorial

Where the World War II monument had an almost festive atmosphere (it might have had something to do with the fact that it was 80 degrees and sunny out and that monument is full of water and fountains), the Vietnam Memorial has a much quieter, much more contemplative atmosphere. Both are appropriate to the situation, but it’s interesting to feel the power of each of these monuments. My own feelings and reactions changed while I visited them…influenced by nothing more than stone, water and emotions tied to history.

A place that you might not think of as a “monument” is Arlington National Cemetery. If you’ve never been there, plan to go sometime. I’ve been a couple times and each time I can sense the power of the place. It is beautiful, immaculate and quiet—even with the ever-present gardeners tending to the grounds.

As Bev and I walked up the hill toward the Tomb of the Unknowns, we heard the distinctive crack of a 21-gun salute. And then the second. And finally, the third. Another soldier was being laid to rest. I have no idea if it was a modern solider who died in Afghanistan or one who served years ago and returned home to die peacefully in his sleep. It didn’t matter to the men of the 3^rd Infantry Division’s Old Guard. They take their duties at Arlington extremely seriously.

We were fortunate to time our arrival (totally by happenstance) just before the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns followed by two wreath laying ceremonies. It was stirring to listen to a bugler from the Army Band play taps following the laying of the wreaths offered by visiting school children. I was relieved to see the Army sergeant in charge of the ceremony smile when he spoke to the children, because he seemed like he was a moving piece of granite up until that point.

On our way out, we saw a horse-drawn caisson pulling an open hearse with a flag-draped coffin. Another funeral was about to begin. A contingent of the Army Band was on hand to play. I noticed an interesting mix of emotions on the men and women of the band. They stood around waiting for things to begin, laughing and joking, but you could also see the seriousness of it. I watched one man help make sure another’s uniform was perfect, pulling and tugging it to make sure there were no wrinkles –and this was in the back. Everything had to be perfect for the honor they were about to bestow.

A different sort of monument, but one no-less powerful, was the monument to 9/11 at the Pentagon. It honors the men and women and children that died on the plane and in the building on that terrible day. It had a quiet, reflective air about it. We were there in the early evening, just after the sun had set. Lights illuminated each of the benches. Paul Ambrose died on Flight 77 when it crashed into the Pentagon. I didn’t know Paul, but I took several classes from his father at Marshall University. Paul was a Marshall University alumnus and had everything to live for. On that day he was flying to California to deliver a report on youth obesity prevention for his employer, the Office of the Surgeon General.

Each of these monuments served its own purpose and had its own feeling and spirit. And each must be seen in person to be appreciated. Monuments may only be cold stone, water and bronze. But they serve as triggers to something deeper inside of us. That is their ultimate purpose.

Being a Modern Journalist

February 17, 2010 By Eric Douglas

Years ago, as journalists, we were just writers or photographers or we made documentary videos. Today, with the ability to capture images, make them move and blend them together with audio and video, it’s an incredible time to be telling stories and these stories help us come together and understand each other better than we ever have before.

In just a few days, I’m off to Honduras. This trip is really shaping up to be a powerful project with wide-ranging reach. I’m going to meet some of the local divers and learn more about their lives and how they dive. That’s the first step to understanding what they do and why they do it. I’ll begin photographing them, and I’m taking along a digital audio recorder as well so I can record my interviews and capture sound bites along with the photos and videos—my new camera also shoots high def video. My goal is to present this as a full multimedia program when it’s done.

We’re planning to return to Honduras in the Spring to move this project along as well, conducting some DAN training for the local hyperbaric chamber and conducting some research as well. Can’t wait for this to get started.

Quick side note: Today, things have gotten even more amazing than they already were. Next month, I’m exhibiting a collection of my Russia Project photos in Moscow at an international film festival. This is an incredible opportunity to bring the project back to where it started 17 years ago. The organizers of that festival are also holding another film festival in France in May. I planned to go there as well, but wasn’t sure how I was going to afford it. The expenses are coming in lower than I expected and I just received, through the Foundation, a very large, incredibly generous donation. That makes it seem a lot more likely that this trip is going to happen..

Introduction

February 8, 2010 By Eric Douglas

For the last couple years, I’ve been interested in a project that combines my diving occupation with my journalism and photography background.

In two weeks, I’ll go to Honduras for work, but one of my tasks while I’m there will to begin photographing and documenting the lives of the Moskito Indians who harvest the sea using scuba. These groups exist all over the world: poorly trained and barely equipped, they dive over and over again to collect lobsters and sea cucumbers. In doing so, they often sacrifice their health and safety. They make dives that no recreational diver would do and hope to survive –often they don’t.

The name of this blog is Adventure with a Purpose. It’s the same motto that appears on my website as well. A friend gave me that idea while we discussed the importance of understanding the world by seeing it and experiencing it. Adventure for adventure sake is fine, but if you don’t learn about the world, and understand and appreciate the people that are in the world, you are still little more than a tourist. Nothing wrong with tourism of course, but its superficial. It’s fun to just walk around and look at things, but if you don’t stop and understand the people who built those things and develop an appreciation for what was in their mind when they did it, what have you learned?

Like I said, in two weeks, it’s off to Honduras and I plan to use this blog space as a way to send out updates from that trip. Two weeks after I get back from that trip, I turn around and go back to Russia to exhibit a collection of my photographs in Moscow. And the really cool part, I get to see Moscow through the eyes of someone who has never been there. I’m taking my mother along on that trip. I’ll be sure to post thoughts and impressions from that trip as well.

Come along for the ride and find a purpose!.