Texas State Cemetery, Austin

Visiting the Texas State Cemetery was quite a pleasant surprise. What started out as a family joke about finding Fred Gipson's grave (the author of "Old Yeller") turned into a fascinating look at the Republic of Texas and the support of Texans through Texas' history. The sections of Civil War graves lead to a discussion of the history of the North and South. Visiting Tom Landry's grave led to a discussion of the Dallas Cowboys. John Connolly's grave led to a discussion of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. There are monuments to soldier, sailors, statesmen and citizens who helped maintain the Texan identity. The visual history of Texas in the main building is worth the time it takes to go through it. But one of the most moving spots, for our family, is the memorial to Texans who lost their lives in the attacks of 9/11/2001 which contains two beams from the World Trade Center. Being able to touch these beam pieces and see the scarring and warping in them is a profound memorial to the Americans who lost their lives in this act of terrorism upon our nation.