Another Memorial

It was sad shooting yet another memorial for Marines killed in Afghanistan. It is impossible to imagine the pain the family members go through in dealing with losing a child. On one hand, they died for a noble cause, on the other, they were a young men or women that had a long prosperous life ahead of them.
On the photo end, it is always a challenge to come up with something a bit different, especially when you are confined to a tight space. My main interest is seeing/studying the reactions of the Marines. They are usually very stoic and lack much emotion. When they do break down or shed a tear, it's a pretty rare sight. I sometimes just look at their faces and try to imagine what they are thinking. "How would Mom react if it was me, what friends and family members would attend my memorial, what would my buddies say about me as they stand at the podium and share stories, how would the wife and kids get by"? It has to be a hard realization that in a Marine's line of work, there is a very good chance that any one of these guys gals could have that portrait picture and boots and rifle up on the podium in the very near future.