Page Updated: February 09, 2024
Arlington National Cemetery
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier - Arlington VA
On May 13, 1864, Private William Christman became the first military burial in what would soon become known as Arlington National Cemetery.
It is the mission of Arlington National Cemetery to lay the Nation’s veterans to rest with dignity and honor.
Approximately thirty funeral services are conducted each weekday with additional services on Saturday.
Flag-draped caskets, three-rifle volleys, and the lingering sound of Taps acknowledge lives of service and valor.
Our visit to Arlington National Cemetery was one of the most moving lump- in-your-throat experiences we’ve ever had.
And I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have a tear or two sneak up, too.
At the Visitor Center we read the interpretive displays and picked up a detailed map of the cemetery. Since the map is not exhaustive, visitors are encouraged to download the ANC Explorer app.
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
The Changing of the Guard occurs every half hour from April 1 through September 30, and every hour from October 1 through March 31. Tomb guards are referred to as Sentinels, and the precision with which this ceremony is performed is so mesmerizing, we saw it twice.
Memorial Amphitheater
Our visit was February, and we had an hour between ceremonies. We passed the time seeing the Memorial Amphitheater and the Memorial Display Room. Items of the Memorial Display Room include gifts from across the world honoring America’s Unknown.
Among the sea of white headstones on the landscape are unique monuments, memorials, and memorial trees. There are memorials for ships, shuttles, nurses, the Battle of the Bulge, Pan Am Flight 103, and two presidents.
Every war and military conflict in American history is represented within the grounds of Arlington National Cemetery. Hundreds of acres hold the final resting place of hundreds of thousands of active-duty service members, veterans, and their families.
We thank them for their service.
-b&b
National Museum of Natural History
Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello
