Even if two feet of snow hits the Washington, D. Infantry Regiment The Old Guard stay outside no matter what. Their job is to guard the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier 24 hours a day, every day of the year, in any weather, in full dress uniform with an M rifle.
They march for 21 paces in front of the tomb, face north to stand at attention for 21 seconds, then march 21 paces back. Sentinels at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, who are required to memorize seven pages of cemetery history in their trial phase and recite it verbatim before earning their post, conduct the Changing of the Guard once each hour on the hour starting Oct.
In summer, they conduct the ceremony every half hour. Visitors can observe the Changing of the Guard, a moving ritual guaranteed to inspire you. A wide array of notable graves are located at Arlington National Cemetery, from Gen. George C. Among others:. The eternal flame, lighted by Mrs. Kennedy on Nov. The nozzle and electric ignition system includes a constantly flashing electric spark that relights the natural gas if the flame in case of rain, wind or accidents. The assassination of President Kennedy, at age 46, stunned the nation.
Kennedy was buried adjacent to his brother in The gravesite is adorned with a simple white wooden cross and a small grey granite foot marker. After his assassination in , President John F. Kennedy was laid to rest in Arlington. Each year millions of people visit the gravesite of the 35th President marked by an eternal flame. The first female surgeon in the U. Army, Dr. She also trained nurses for the Japanese Red Cross in the early s. Mary Lee Fitzhugh Custis' cousin, Mary Randolph, was recorded as the first person to be buried on the grounds that would later become Arlington Cemetery.
Joe Louis Barrow, known to the boxing world as Joe Louis, is considered one of the greatest heavyweights of all time. Lee served as the executor of his father-in-law's will and never owned the property. After the Lees abandoned the property at the start of the Civil War, the U.
From the property's heights, rifled artillery could range every federal building in the nation's capital. The estate was seized not to punish the Custis-Lee family, but rather for its strategic value. On May 13, , the first military burial was conducted for Private William Christman. Army, who was responsible for the burial of soldiers, ordered Arlington Estate used for a cemetery. The existing D. Arlington officially became a national cemetery on June 15, , by order of Secretary of War Edwin Stanton.
The original cemetery was acres, and has since grown to acres as of early Arlington became a segregated cemetery, just like all national cemeteries at the time, and remained segregated by race and rank until , when President Harry S. Truman desegregated the military. Members of the Cabinet, Senate, and House along with several hand-picked Generals were also on hand to witness the presenting of the Medal of Honor and the Distinguished Service Cross to the unknown dead.
Also honored were unknowns each from Great Britain, France, Italy, Belgium, and Romania which marked the only time these medals were issued to foreign combatants. Years later after the end of the Second World War, the selection process for the next unknown soldier from that war had to be postponed with the outbreak of war on the Korean Peninsula. At the conclusion of the Korean War, four new candidates from that war were selected for burial at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from the National Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu.
These four flag-draped coffins were placed in the stead of Master Sergeant Ned Lyle for the important task of selecting one for burial at Arlington. Unlike in previous selection processes, two were chosen in this case from both the European and Pacific theaters. When the procession entered the cemetery grounds, a squadron of 20 fighter planes flew overhead with one plane missing from each formation to symbolize a fallen or missing brother-in-arms.
The Marine Band played the National Anthem and a bugler sounded attention three times. After a long moment of silence, President Eisenhower placed a Medal of Honor on each casket. Many years later, in , the final unknown soldier from the Vietnam War was laid to rest; however, because of advances in genetic science and DNA technology, the body was exhumed in and tested.
It was decided that the crypt that contained the remains of the Vietnam Unknown will remain vacant. The sarcophagus built above the tomb of the soldier who served in WWI sits in front of the three marble slabs that identify the crypts of the soldiers from WWII, Korea and Vietnam.
It was constructed in out of seven large marble panels collectively weighing 79 tons. On one side, is a relief of three Greek figures each representing Peace, Valor, and Victory. On the other side, there are sculpted six inverted wreaths each representing a major campaign from WWI. The U. It is a role fraught with pomp and circumstance of the highest order.
For those in training to become full-fledged Sentinels, the rigors are many. From am, there is a daily inspection of living quarters after which the prospects themselves are evaluated. Uniforms are inspected with a fine tooth comb to ensure that the garment is immaculate down to the prescribed distances between medals and other parts of the uniform jacket.
If there is one reason, besides paying their respects and the historical significance of the place, that visitors from all over the world visit Arlington National Cemetery is to witness the iconic changing of the guard. Since April 6, , the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier has been guarded 24 hours a day, days a year with zero exception. Every hour during winter and every half hour during the summer and daylight hours, one guard relieves another from their post in a ceremony with the precision of a Swiss watch.
While on duty, the Tomb Sentinel marches 21 steps across a black mat passing the grave markers of each of the unknowns. He then turns degrees and faces east for exactly 21 seconds. Afterward, he then turns north for another 21 seconds which is followed by a crisp shoulder arms movement where the guard places his rifle on the shoulder nearest to the spectators to symbolize that he stands between the tomb and any outside threat.
The guard then paces 21 steps to the north, turns, and repeats the entire process until he is relieved.
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