Bald Eagle Lands on Grave at US Military Cemetery



Frank Glick, an amateur photographer, captured this amazing image at Fort Snelling National Cemetery in Minnesota. He thought that the family of the veteran buried at that gravestone might like to have a copy, and did some research on Sgt. Maurice Ruch.

Ruch, a veteran of World War II, was a US Army marksman who served in the Aleutian Islands and earned a Bronze Star. Then he went home, became an engineer and got married. John Tevlin of the Star Tribute spoke with Ruch's widow, Vivian, and best friend, Jack Kiefner:

I told Vivian that some cultures believe the eagle is a symbol, not only of patriotism and dignity, but a messenger between heaven and earth. She nodded solemnly.

"I'd say the eagle had a very good eye when he landed on Maurie, and he was respected," she said.

"I miss him," said Vivian as she picked up the photo. "He was a good man and a good provider."

"The eagle couldn't have picked a better person," said Kiefner.


Link -via American Digest

Ah, the gauntlet has been thrown down. But why, I ask, should the onus be on vonskippy to prove that the picture is not real? That's like asking him to prove that the scratches on that guy's car weren't made by Bigfoot.

In this day and age, it would seem that the onus should be on the photographer to demonstrate the validity of his/her photograph, especially in such unique circumstances as this.

Or is this indeed a unique circumstance? Does this perhaps happen all the time, and he was the fortunate one who actually got the shot?

To quote Plato, "Science is nothing but perception."

Perception is the process of attaining awareness or understanding of the environment by organizing and interpreting sensory information. (Pomerantz, James R. (2003): "Perception: Overview". In: Lynn Nadel (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Cognitive Science, Vol. 3, London: Nature Publishing Group, pp. 527–537)

Now, if we perceive a picture, whether shopped or not, does it become real due to our collective perception?
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@Aramax

Don't knock scavangers, they are born survivors. Humans are part of the same catagory just like our brothers and sisters the rats & cockroaches.
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Half or more of these comments should have already been deleted for being disrepectful!! Doesn't seem that someone is doing their job!! I hope those making the nasty comments don't ever need their back covered by another Veteran, cause they just might be the one that ends up in the ground. You people and just plain rude, spoiled and ungrateful for the ancestors and current members of the service that fought and gave you the rights that you have!! May be you should go live in Afganistan or Pakistan, or Iran. You might develop some respect for your freedom and for you elders!
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Not only big, but apparently magical.

Look close at the photo (zoom in 200-300%) and you can see a nice halo of smeared pixels all around that big bird. Yet somehow, all those tombstones don't have that effect.

Since people are oh so sure it's not photoshopped then that bird must have the aura of national pride surrounding it. Way better then a double rainbow.

People are so gullible - patriotic fops for the sake of patriotism, even more so.
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When we were in the funeral procession to bring my mother in law (A proud USN WWII vet) to Ft Snelling we were buzzed by a huge bald eagle. He came up from the river valley and buzzed the hearse as if to pay his respects. It was a very memorable fly over.

There is a large population of bald eagles in the area around Fort Snelling, there is a state park along the river and a large wetland preserve/wildlife refuge as well.
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Im leaning toward fake too. I definitely see the pixel halo. The other thing I noticed was the shadow of the eagle. It slants down and to the left and yet the sun seems to be coming from the left as well (certainly not from the right). Also, one of the grave markers in front of it has a similarly elongated shadow (without an eagle on it) and the rest of them seem to have no shadow.
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Hey Sazzyphraz... why dont you take that snotty opinion and go somewhere else.. and for your information I AM an Honorably Discharged, Partially disabled (Service Connected) US Military Veteran.. STILL Serving in the Guard..
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Several of the shadows look "off." I'm not seeing an eagle-shaped shadow, just the shadow of the headstone. And there is a sort of pixel halo around it. It does look a little Shoppy, yeah. But it's a lovely image and if it makes people happy, that's all good.
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I want it to be real so I will call it real for me.You people decide for yourselves. Disabled v.n.vet. here asking for a little compassion from fellow humans please chill out.CHAZ
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Couldn't the "pixel smudge" simply be a result of JPEG compression? Even the middle of bird's back is "smudged" as well as tons of other things in that picture if you zoom in enough.

There is a slightly higher resolution version of this image here that I think backs this theory up:

http://www.startribune.com/local/124543223.html

(click the "view larger" link in bottom right)
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I have no problem with the eagle being PhotoShopped on to the grave marker. It's a lovely idea. However,as a consumer and a photographer, I am disappointed that it is being passed off as a real, unmanipulated, image.

Unless this eagle is on steroids, his size is way out of proportion with the grave marker. A real eagle would not be as tall as the marker. The sharpness of the outline of the eagle is also greater that the marker on which he is pearched.

Sorry, Frank. Passing this off as a real picture is less than honest. This detracts from the idea. Suggest you give the money back.
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I'm not expert in photoshop, but my eye tells me it is. Eagles are very large, but I agree that the pixel halo is definitely off (esp if this guy is using any decent nikon it should be a decent photo clarity, and knowing how to use the basics)and the shadow cast by that particular grave looks a shade lighter than the other shadows and a very crisp outline/ edge on it.
Just go on sites like deviantart to see wonderfully made photoshops, and your magazines.

Perhaps the eagle had flow or swooped by, and it made a great idea for it to have landed. It isn't out of the question that this might have actually happened, and the guy just tried to recreate what he had saw before.
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I would love to have a framed copy of this photo hanging in my home. Does anyone know where a copy can be obtained?

Perhaps the photo is trying to remind us all of this:

It is foolish & wrong to mourn the men who died.
Rather we should thank God that such men lived.

General George S. Patton Jr.
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If you compare the shadow of the headstone the eagle is perched on to the headstone in the foreground, they're practically identical...the eagle itself has NO shadow. Photoshopped, but a very patriotic picture for sure!
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