“Remove yourself from the path!” That statement whipped across the sidewalk leading to the plaza with all the forceful impact that a Drill Sergeant could muster. And it was directed at me!
As we had exited the tram-bus, the driver had announced that the military guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was changing any moment.
In my haste to gain an optimal place to observe the distinguished event, I had trotted down what seemed an obvious route, the sidewalk leading to the plaza of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
I took little notice of the many spectators who respectfully lined the sidewalk, not realizing that I had stepped right into the direct route of the Relief Sentinel.
With much chagrin and not too little embarrassment, I stepped off the path onto the grass and tried to hide myself behind the other spectators.
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is one of Arlington National Cemetery’s most revered memorials.
The neoclassical, white marble sarcophagus stands atop a hill overlooking Washington, D.C. Since 1921, it has provided a final resting place for one of America’s unidentified World War I service members, and Unknowns from later wars were added in 1958 and 1984.
The inscription etched upon the sarcophagus reads, “Here rests in honored glory an American soldier known but to God.”
A sentinel stands guard over the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, in any weather.
The Changing of the Guard takes place as the sentinel is relieved every hour on the hour between October 1 to March 31 and every half hour April 1 to September 30.
The 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, traditionally known as “The Old Guard,” provides the ceremonial unit. Dressed in impeccable, crisp, dark blue uniforms, they present a dignified ballet of the highest discipline.
After my ignominious entry to the plaza, I joined my wife, who had taken a more discreet route, and the rest of the crowd standing in rapt silence while the guard performed the most moving ceremony of utmost respect.
“The Old Guard” Stands Watch Over the Tomb
With practiced deliberation and a steely focus, the relief commander conducted a rigorous inspection of the relief sentinel.
Then, as the exchange of guards is made, all three saluted the Unknowns with the commander and relieved guard exiting in stoic unison.
Even after the change had been orchestrated, the crowd lingered in reverent silence and watched the sentinel.
Twenty-one measured, rhythmic steps, stop, turn with a click of the heels and face east for a count of 21 seconds, turn again with a click of the heels, face north for a count of 21 seconds, execute a sharp “shoulder-arms” motion in order to place his rifle on his shoulder closest to the enthralled but silent gallery, signifying that he stands between the Tomb and any possible threat, and then proceeded for precisely 21 steps.
Twenty-one steps, 21 seconds, 21 seconds, twenty-one steps. The number 21 symbolizes the highest military honor that can be bestowed, the 21-gun salute.
Each weekday, Arlington National Cemetery conducts 20-25 funerals and receives another 35 requests for services.
Flags at the cemetery are flown at half-staff from one-half hour before the first scheduled memorial funeral service until one-half hour after the last service of the day.
The Cemetery Lies in Arlington, Virginia
When visiting the wooded land on the west side of the Potomac River across from Washington, D.C., its history and famous occupants can make you forget that, above all else, Arlington is hallowed ground.
We had made it a point to make our first visit to Arlington during a recent trip to our nation’s capital. With flowering tulips and budding trees of early spring as a backdrop, we entered the grounds of Arlington on an unusually warm April afternoon.
The Welcome Center, located by the main cemetery entrance, houses several vignettes describing the inner workings of Arlington, including a statue of Taps being blown.
You are allowed to walk the grounds, however, at 639 acres the cemetery is expansive. So we opted for the tram tour with its hop on/hop off option which allowed us to disembark at various stops and explore on our own.
As the tram slowly moved through the verdant, rolling bucolic surroundings, you cannot ignore the most famed images of Arlington: the small rectangular white marble markers that spread across the grounds in tight, uniform formation.
The Simple White Marble Headstones
These most recognizable headstones are issued by the Department of Veteran Affairs, free to former and current service members for their dedication to the country.
The upright white marble headstones (13″ x 42″ x 4″) generally contain 11 lines of text, with or without an emblem of belief. Today, the markers stand at parade-rest as if awaiting taps.
One of those simple white marble headstones honors Major Audie Murphy. Before he became a Hollywood movie star, he was one of the most decorated American combat soldiers of World War II.
Families can opt to pay for more elaborate markers, and you do see these noticeably different markers liberally scattered throughout.
Journalist Nicholas Proffit, who was formerly on the burial detail at Arlington National Cemetery, characterized the numerous memorials and gravestones as “gardens of stone.”
John F. Kennedy and Family
The cemetery, with its infinite landscape of hundred-year-old trees, rolling hills, and verdant lawns, is also a place of beauty. It creates an atmosphere of quiet harmony for both visitors and those laid to rest.
One of the most visited grave sites is that of John F. Kennedy, who became the second U.S. President to be buried there (William H. Taft was the first).
Eleven days prior to Kennedy’s assassination, he visited Arlington for the 1963 Veterans Day services. The President spoke to a National Park Service ranger who later recalled the President saying the view was so magnificent he wished he could stay forever.
President Kennedy lies at rest just below the Arlington House overlooking the view he loved. Covered in Cape Cod granite with simple black slate markers, the President, two of his children, and his wife, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, lie beneath.
At the head of his grave, the iconic Eternal Flame burns as a symbol of hope.
As we walked up to the site, a woman turned away, brushing tears away from her eyes. I understood the emotional impact.
My first recollections of President John F. Kennedy are of his televised funeral procession. His flag-draped coffin carried upon a horse-drawn caisson made a powerful impression on my young consciousness.
For this reason, our first stop was met by myself with mixed emotions.
The Known and Unknown are Buried at Arlington
Nearby, Robert Kennedy is also buried. Bowing to his previously expressed thoughts, his grave is adorned with only a cross and a flat marker.
Standing before his grave, its humble markers imparted a greater impact and sense of loss far more than any oversized monument.
While we awaited the tram for the next stop, we wandered the area, discovering, among other sites, Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s gravesite.
Mrs. Ginsburg served the highest court for 27 years and is one of 14 justices interred at Arlington. She is buried alongside her husband, who served in the army.
Our next stop was the Memorial Amphitheater and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
Several Monuments Honor the Fallen
Throughout the hundreds of acres of Arlington National Cemetery, several dozen monuments, statues, and memorials commemorate the fallen. Some are majestic, some are simple and direct. All invoke memories.
After the ceremonial Changing of the Guard, we explored the nearby USS Maine Memorial. Its explosion was the impetus of the Spanish-American War, and its salvaged mast stands in honor over the remains of 230 service members.
A few yards away, we encountered the Space Shuttle Challenger Memorial, where the cremated remains of the seven Challenger astronauts were buried.
Each stop, each new discovery, awakened reminiscences long forgotten. Arlington has a way of stirring memories that had long been pushed aside.
Arlington House and Robert E. Lee
Our final stop was the Arlington House, a Greek Revival-style mansion with 8 colossal columns. The history of Arlington House is the history of Arlington Cemetery.
Built by George Washington Parke Custis, the adopted grandson of our first president, George Washington, it was inherited by Mary Custis upon her father’s death.
Arlington was her and her husband’s home at the beginning of the Civil War.
Mary Custis’ husband was Robert E. Lee. A career officer with the United States Army, he had resigned his commission to follow Virginia into the Confederacy and eventually became the commander-in-chief of its armies.
The Union took control of the estate in 1861. Gen. Montgomery C. Meigs, the head of the Quartermaster Corps, was tasked with locating grounds for the many deaths brought on by the war.
By the third year, Meigs cast about for a new graveyard to accommodate the rising tide of bodies. His eye fell upon Arlington.
The Impact of the Civil War
He decided to create a devoted vault for the remains of over two thousand unknown soldiers in Mrs. Lee’s rose garden. Upon the tomb, he raised a sarcophagus in their honor.
This was the first memorial at Arlington to be dedicated to soldiers who had died in battle and whose remains could not be identified.
The beginnings of a National Cemetery were in place, but not until after years of wrangling in the courts by the heirs was it finalized in 1883.
Today, this pedigreed home stands high above the broad, green pastoral setting overlooking all of Washington, D.C. From left to right, we could see the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Monument, the Capitol Dome, and the Jefferson Memorial.
Before we left, I walked over to the Tomb of the Civil War Unknowns. The side of the memorial features the following inscription:
BENEATH THIS STONE
REPOSE THE BONES OF TWO THOUSAND ONE HUNDRED AND ELEVEN UNKNOWN SOLDIERS
The Beginnings of Memorial Day
The 639 acres that comprise Arlington National Cemetery are a beautiful and wonderful final resting place and are a fitting honor to not just the many Unknowns but also to the over 400,000 veterans and their families that are buried there.
Notably, the first National Decoration Day, now known as Memorial Day, celebration took place on May 30, 1868, at Arlington National Cemetery, where a crowd of 5,000 gathered to decorate the graves of Civil War soldiers with flowers.
We had come to Arlington National Cemetery as tourists. It is a place that deserves more than that.
We ended our day in reverence and silent respect for the hundreds of thousands who lived, served, and honored our country and who now lie in quiet repose overlooking the nation’s capital.
If you go
Arlington National Cemetery is located across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. at the end of Memorial Avenue, the parkway which extends from Memorial Bridge, near the Lincoln Memorial.
Arlington is accessible from all the major roadways in the D.C. area like Interstate 95, the Capital Beltway (I-495), the George Washington Memorial Parkway, and the Baltimore-Washington Parkway (I-295).
There is no entry fee to visit Arlington National Cemetery. However, there are parking fees if you use the parking garage.
There is a fee for the tour. Adults: $19.50, Children: $10.75, Seniors: $15.00. Uniformed military are free. More information here.
Arlington National Cemetery Tours and Tickets
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