The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

On November 11, 1921, known as Armistice Day, the tomb of the Unknown Soldier, with the interred remains of an unidentified WWI soldier, was dedicated in Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia.

Inscription: “Here rests in honored glory an American soldier known but to God.”

Since 1937, twenty-four hours a day, every day of the year, despite rain, snow, hurricane-force winds, or other inclement weather, a sentinel, who is a member of the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, known as the Old Guard, walks the black mat; to protect the tomb from those who would desecrate this important memorial. (There are a few contingencies in place should the weather pose bodily harm to the guard.)

With precision, the tomb sentinel performs a military drill with twenty-one steps across the mat, ninety-degree turns, pausing for twenty-one seconds a couple of times. They move again with precision, the M-14 to the shoulder away from the tomb, signifying the protection between the tomb and any possible threat. The procedure is repeated until the time for the changing of the guards.  The tomb guard’s rifle and sidearm are not loaded with live ammunition.  When the white gloves are worn (leather ones are now worn in inclement weather), they must be dampened to ensure a secure grip.

The 21-gun salute is the highest (symbolic) military honor; therefore, the number 21 is referenced several times in the procedures performed by the tomb guard. The on-duty sentinel uniforms must be impeccable, with no designation of rank showing while on duty.  This way, they never outrank the unknown soldiers that they honor.

The average age of the members of this elite group is 22, and they are typically Private First Class (PFC) through Specialist (SPC).

They must be in excellent physical condition, with an unblemished military record.

Their height must be for men: between 5’10” and 6’ 4”; and for women: between 5’8” and 6’2”.

Their weight must be proportionate to their height and build.

Volunteers go through a rigorous training program; only 10% pass the tests.

Although their training is rigorous, the MYTH that they must commit to 2 years during which they live in a barracks under the tomb; and are not allowed to drink alcohol or curse on or off duty for the rest of their lives … ISN’T TRUE!

Beneath the large sarcophagus, the remains of a soldier who died in WWI are laid to rest.  In front of the sarcophagus are two crypts containing the remains of soldiers who perished in WWII and the Korean War.

There was a fourth interment in the crypt representing the Viet Nam era.  The body was disinterred and identified, through DNA testing in 1998, as 1^st Lieutenant Airforce Michael Joseph Blassie, who was shot down in 1972.  Lieutenant Blassie’s body was returned to his family, and the decision was made to keep the Vietnam crypt a cenotaph (a grave without a body).  The inscription reads, “Honoring and Keeping Faith with America’s Missing Servicemen.”

Before DNA testing was available, identification of a fallen soldier was difficult because battlefields were strewn with parts of the dead, sometimes miles apart.  Attempts were always made to identify and gather as much of the remains as possible.  However, many graves of battlefield victims buried here in the US and overseas “each” contain the remains of multiple soldiers.

Valid military records are imperative in the quest to identify the remains of thousands of soldiers killed in action.  A fire destroyed eighteen million records in the National Personnel Records Center located in St. Louis in 1973.  Eighty percent of the Army records for personnel who were discharged between 1912 and 1960 were lost.  Seventy-five percent of the Air Force records for those discharged between 1947 and 1964 were also burned.

As we honor our fallen heroes this Memorial Day, we must also remember the family of those soldiers who cannot be located or identified.  Many families wait and hope to know more.

Approximately 400,000 people (not just soldiers) are buried in Arlington National Cemetery.  The following is a small list of those whose names are easily recognized (not necessarily Southerners but at rest on Southern soil):

Abner Doubleday, a graduate of West Point and a distinguished military hero from the Mexican-American War, who is “erroneously” credited with the invention of baseball but accurately credited with the patented invention of the first cable car in San Francisco, died in 1893.

Joe Louis (Lafayette, Alabama), heavyweight champion of the world and an army veteran of WWII, died in 1981.

William Howard Taft, 27^th President of the United States and one of only two presidents buried at Arlington, died in 1930.

John F. Kennedy, the 35^th President of the United States, died in 1963.  Jackie Kennedy and two children are buried beside John Kennedy. Companion plots are available side by side or a single plot (double depth) where a casket is buried on top of another.

Robert Todd Lincoln, son of Abraham Lincoln, was an Army Captain who served in the Civil War under General Ulysses S. Grant, who died in 1926.

John Herschel Glenn, Jr. first American to orbit the Earth in 1962.  He was a fighter pilot with 59 combat missions in WWII and 90 in Korea and died in 2016.

Lee Marvin, WWII sniper and a purple heart recipient for spinal injuries from a gunshot.  Later he received much acclaim for his acting abilities and died in 1987.

Maureen O’Hara, actress, died in 2015; is buried with her third husband, Brigadier General Charles Blair, Jr.

Charles Durning, an Army Ranger, was the recipient of three purple hearts, the silver star, the bronze star, and the French Legion of Honor.  He was in one of the first waves of troops landing on Omaha Beach on D-Day. His military career also included the battle of the Bulge and his capture by German troops, escaping what is known as the Malmedy Massacre.  He was a dancer and an actor who appeared in over two hundred movies and died in 2012.

The oldest grave at Arlington: Pvt. William Christman from the 67^th Pennsylvania, buried May 13, 1864. He died of complications from measles just after he was recruited into the Army and never saw combat.

The most visited graves at Arlington: John Kennedy, President of the U.S., with the eternal flame marking his grave, and Audie Murphy, the most highly decorated soldier in U.S. history.  His grave is across from the amphitheater with a walkway that accommodates large numbers of visitors.

Arlington National Cemetery is built on 1,100-acre plantation land that belonged to George Washington Parke Custis, the grandson of Martha Washington, step-grandson of President George Washington.  Part of an inheritance from his father.  He willed the land to his daughter, who was married to Robert E. Lee.  In 1883, U.S. Government bought what is now Arlington Cemetery from Robert E. Lee for $150,000.

More than 400 Confederate soldiers are buried in Arlington.  The section near the front gate where they were originally buried was in disarray, with vegetation overtaking many of the graves.  The tombstones, made of wood, were disintegrating.  In 1900 the Confederate soldiers were disinterred and re-buried with their graves arranged in concentric circles.  The tombstones are pointed at the top rather than rounded as are others; folklore has it that they didn’t want Yankees sitting on their tombstone.  The Southern Cross is inscribed at the top with the name and dates of birth and death if known.

Two thousand one hundred and eleven Confederate and Union soldiers are buried beneath the tomb of the Civil War Unknowns.

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