As the son of a professional military officer, I had often visited Arlington National Cemetery as a young person. Like many other young people, I had no real appreciation for what the cemetery and its hallowed grounds represented.
About ten years ago, following the death of my father, I was in Washington, D.C. on a business trip and had a bit of free time on my hands. I visited the cemetery and was struck by the fact that there was very little published material regarding either its history or that of the people interred there. As I visited some of the sections of the cemetery rarely seen by the average tourist it seemed to me that many of these people were in danger of becoming lost to history.
It was then that I began the research, which continues to this day, and which I hope will culminate in THE definitive history of this, the GREATEST of America’s military cemeteries.
Please join with me in celebrating the lives and deeds of some of America’s heroes.
With your help and input, I am hopeful that this Webpage will remain new and informative. I will be adding to it frequently and certainly welcome any comments that you may have which will assist me in reaching this goal.
Michael Robert Patterson was born in Arlington and is the son of a former officer of the US Army. So it was no wonder that sooner or later his interests drew him to American history and especially to American military history. Many of his articles can be found on renowned portals like the New York Times, Washingtonpost or Wikipedia.
Reviewed by: Michael Howard