Unusual Veterans Day tribute left at the World War II Memorial

WASHINGTON (FOX 5 DC) - As the sun set on the nation’s capital Monday, hours after the day’s most prominent Veterans Day celebrations had come and gone, some tributes to those who’ve served remained — both expected and not.

“It’s definitely different than everything else you’re seeing today with all the wreaths and stuff,” Raynah Bourne said.

She was standing at the north end of the World War II Memorial, beneath a nearly full moon and the towering Washington Monument, looking down at a small basil plant that someone had left behind along with a handwritten note.

“Please pick one leaf in memory of my brother John,” it read. “Battle of the Bulge. My brother. My hero.”

“I think that’s kind of cool that people do stuff like that,” Dave Jackson said, shortly after picking a lead off the plant. As it turned out, a lot of others thought the same thing.

“It’s inspiration for your life, you know?” said Caesar Ledo.

Added Daniel Musto, “This person left a plant here in memory of his brother so when I smell the basil, perhaps in the future I’ll think about that battle or this memorial or this moment or World War II in general.”

An unusual and yet perfectly fitting tribute — for Veterans Day, for heroic brother John, and maybe for his unnamed sibling too.

“If they come back in a couple days and all the leaves are picked,” Bourne said. “They have that moment of yeah, someone took 10 seconds out of their day to read my note and remember this one person and think about other people in their lives.”