Arlington National Cemetery And The Healing Power Of Landscapes

Allentuck Landscaping Company Serves At Arlington National Cemetery

Arlington National Cemetery is a special place. As the final resting place for over 400,000 service members, it is truly our country’s hallowed ground. It also happens to be a beautiful 600 acre Class 3 arboretum.

Yesterday marked the 22^nd annual National Association of Landscape Professionals Renewal & Remembrance at Arlington National Cemetery. This annual event brings together over 450 of our peers from across the country for a day of service on the grounds. Every participant comes to the event at their own expense, some even closing their businesses to make the trip. Materials and equipment are also donated by our vendor partners. Our work includes aerating and liming turf, upgrading irrigation systems, performing tree work, plantings, and hardscape construction. There is also a children’s project to give the children of our members the opportunity to make a positive impact as well.

Allentuck Landscaping Company was well represented with eight of us attending the event. Our team took part in the landscape planting project as well as assisting in the irrigation and retaining wall projects. I was extremely proud of the effort our team member’s put forth. They did a fantastic job.

The day began with an opening ceremony at the Women in Military Service Association memorial. The fountain and stonework of this memorial provided an inspirational setting for us to reconnect with old friends and prepare for our day.

The highlight of the day for many of us was the opportunity to listen to Colonel Priscilla Quackenbush (Ret.) share her story as an Army nurse who has served overseas and here at home at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. Priscilla and her husband Bob are friends of mine, and I had asked her to speak to our group. Although I knew a little about her service, one never really knows all of the details of what people do in their careers.

One of Priscilla’s responsibilities while at Walter Reed was to personally meet wounded soldiers as they arrived back in the U.S. at Andrews Air Force Base. One of the first things she did was assure the soldiers that they are home and safe. She next asks them if they wanted anything. Many of them asked to call their mothers, which Priscilla facilitated. Many of them also asked to be arranged on the transport bus so that they could look out of the window and see plants, flowers and lawns.

Iraq and Afghanistan are dry, arid countries. There are not many green plants there. Our soldiers recognize that they miss seeing green plants and familiar nature. It is reassuring and therapeutic for them to see green plants and helps them begin to heal.

The landscape at Arlington National Cemetery is also reassuring and therapeutic. For families and friends visiting the final resting place of their loved ones, the beauty and tranquility of the landscape at Arlington provides calm and peace. To be in nature always sets the mind at ease. For many, returning year after year and seeing how a nearby tree has grown and matured gives a sense that Arlington is an eternal place that will always exist. Hearing a nearby bird sing helps lift their spirit in times of sorrow. The gentle quiet of Arlington puts their minds at ease and provides tranquility.

As landscape professionals, we know we only play a very small role in what makes Arlington the special place that it is. We also know that if the work we do at Arlington helps someone find peace and heal, it is worth it.