If anything, Arlington Cemetery reflects the essence of the American ideal that all men truly are created equal.  Whether considered by the world as “the greatest among us,” or “the least among us” – in the end, the common bond of our shared humanity and our shared belief in all that our nation stands for - brings us together – side by side – as human beings and as Americans.

There is no more poignant example of this than a grave marked with the name James Parks.

James Parks was born a slave – forced to work the fields of Arlington when it was still a private estate.  James Parks never left Arlington - not because he was forced to stay, but because he so loved the land.

When he was freed after the Civil War, Parks chose to stay at Arlington as a groundskeeper – a position in which he served for nearly 40 years.

Today, the grave of this former slave who gave his life to Arlington is but a few feet from that of a graduate of the US Naval Academy who went on to become a Captain in the US Navy. Only at Arlington….only in America.