Quote:
Originally Posted by DaFace
Again, I agree - it's not logical. But if you have trouble understanding the purpose of guarding the Tomb of the Unknowns, I'd imagine you'd have similar feelings toward just about every monument we have. After all, what does a giant, phallic hunk of rock have to do with George Washington for example? Monuments are strange things - they exist purely to give us something to remember.
In this case, the only difference is that it's so important for us to remember that its existence isn't enough to elevate it as high as is warranted, so we (as a country) have determined it requires the addition of a symbolic "guard" to emphasize its importance even more.
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Add a of bits to that... Those who lost loved ones and had nothing to bury and the belief of an after-life (if there is one) for those who did come home (often times a very hard thing to deal with). It's important to have a reminder that we'll never give up, never forget, never stop trying, to find an honor those who didn't come home. For bones in a grave it may mean little, but for those who sacrificed their loved one whom might be what's represented in that crypt, it's nice to know that they'll be forever remembered and thought of respectfully. And for those who have returned without all their brother's in arms, memorials like this mean a lot. They have a place to visualize and in some cases exercise their pain.
I'm not sure about the after-life, but I know if you've ever been part of it, even if to just see these memorials, "The Wall", The WW-I memorial, the WW-II, the Korean War" memorials, or "The Tomb" it's humbling.
So I think these monuments mean as much to those who returned as for those who lost somebody who didn't return. And for them, it's priceless. As for the country, if it were just a brown sign on the side of the road showing that some guys came this way as they traveled west, would it mean much? Both important, both meaningful, but in reality....not...