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Today we honor those whole gave their lives in battle. The men and women buried here are for the most part young people who, in defense of America’s values, made the ultimate sacrifice. Whenever I am in Zachary Taylor National Cemetery I am moved by the sacrifice of these fallen Americans who did what had to be done to preserve liberty for all of us. I wish each one of them could have survived and returned home to their family and friends to enjoy a long and happy life but sadly that was not their fate.

Wars are waged by politicians, be they in defense or in agression, yet war is almost always fought by the young whose lives are forever changed by the act of participation. It would be wonderful if mankind could eliminate wars but unfortunately that does not seem to be our nature.

I salute all who occupy this sacred ground and hope that my images do them justice as they muster for their final formation. As the US Marines say Semper Fidelis. Rest in Peace you brave souls.

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For those who are interested in what processing I applied to these images; I used a single exposure and processed it exclusively in Aperture 3. The sepia version was also created in Aperture 3 from the color version with the simple addition of the Sepia adjustment in the Aperture 3 adjustment menu.

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Don’t forget the sale on Topaz Clarity ends on May 31st.

http://www.topazlabs.com/705.html

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