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TIMOTHY JAMES LAWSON

ANC Employees Lay Wreaths at Headstones

By Kevin M. Hymel, Historian on 12/18/2023

On Dec. 15, 2023, the day before the public comes to Arlington National Cemetery to lay wreaths on headstones as part of Wreaths Across America, ANC employees spread out in Section 37 to lay wreaths themselves. This practice is a holiday tradition to give those who work at the cemetery a chance to honor those laid to rest.

Tomb Guards Lay Wreaths at Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

By Kevin M. Hymel, Historian on 12/18/2023

At exactly 10:15 a.m. on December 16, 2023, four Tomb Guards from the U.S. Army’s 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard), each holding a holiday wreath, marched out to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery. Sunlight gleaned off their visors as a hushed crowd watched. They stopped, faced the tomb, and saluted.

A Fallen Hero from the Korean War, Home at Last

By Kevin M. Hymel, Historian on 12/16/2023

U.S. Army Cpl. Gordon D. McCarthy lived a hard life before he was killed in combat on the frozen hills of North Korea on Dec. 2, 1950. According to his niece, Marilyn Stanton, McCarthy’s mother died six months after he was born. His grandparents, uncles and aunts raised him while his father worked. When his father remarried, McCarthy gained three more brothers, but when he was only 15 years old, his father died in a lumber accident

The Meanings of “Wreaths” for One ANC Employee

By Kevin M. Hymel, Historian on 12/14/2023

Like many staff members at ANC, Quality Assurance Specialist Patrick McGrady has family members buried or inurned at the cemetery. McGrady, who served for 14 years as an Army mechanic, visits his parents’ niche in Columbarium Court 7 almost every day. McGrady’s father, a major in the Marine Corps, served during the Vietnam War and earned a Bronze Star for his actions.

World War II POW—and Bataan Death March Survivor—Buried at ANC

By Kevin M. Hymel, Historian on 12/14/2023

When U.S. Army Pvt. David Whipple’s descendants could not attend his funeral service at Arlington National Cemetery on Nov. 3, 2023, Army soldiers and an Army Arlington Lady made sure he was laid to rest with honor and dignity.

Joint Burial Service for Two WWII Fliers

By Kevin M. Hymel, Historian on 12/14/2023

U.S. Army Air Forces navigator 2nd Lt. Porter M. Pile and radio operator Tech Sgt. James M. Triplett went down with their B-24 bomber over Germany on Sept. 27, 1944. For the next 79 years, Pile and Triplett were considered missing in action.

24 Notes

By Kevin M. Hymel, Historian on 11/6/2023

During wreath laying ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery’s Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Master Sgt. Matthew Byrne marches out to the Tomb, brings his bugle to his lips and slowly sounds out the 24 notes of the bugle call Taps. When finished, he tucks the bugle under his arm, salutes and marches away.

Medgar Evers: Civil Rights Icon and World War II Veteran

By Kevin M. Hymel, Historian on 6/12/2023

It’s easy to identify Medgar Evers’ grave marker in Arlington National Cemetery’s Section 36, either from Schley Drive or the nearby walkway. Stones, military tributes, flowers, and other tokens of veneration often adorn his headstone and the ground around it. An icon and martyr of the civil rights movement, Evers is buried at ANC because of his U.S. Army service during World War II, and because his wife, Myrlie, eventually decided she wanted to give the public the opportunity to visit his grave.

British Prime Minister Speaks of Unity During ANC Visit

By Kevin M. Hymel, Historian on 6/7/2023

“We continue to work together,” British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told Arlington National Cemetery superintendent Charles “Ray” Alexander as he toured historic displays inside the cemetery’s Memorial Amphitheater on June 7, 2023. Sunak had been speaking about the historically strong bond between the United States and the United Kingdom