Easter Sunrise Service

Join Arlington National Cemetery and Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall for the annual National Military Easter Sunrise Service on Sunday, March 31, 6:30-7:30 a.m.

Published on: Monday, March 4, 2024 read more ...

AUTHORS

JENIFER LEIGH VAN VLECK

Miss America—and Air Force Officer—Madison Marsh Pays Tribute to Our Nation’s Military at ANC

By Kevin M. Hymel, Historian on 3/7/2024

Laying a wreath at Arlington National Cemetery’s Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was doubly special for Miss America Madison Marsh, who also serves her country as a 2nd lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force. Not only was she honoring the sacrifices of the nation’s fallen; she also came to visit the grave of her grandfather, Col. Arthur Henry Marsh, who had served in World War II, Korea and Vietnam as a U.S. Army chaplain.

From Air Force Honor Guard to Air Force Chaplain

By Kevin M. Hymel, Historian on 3/6/2024

On a crisp March morning in Arlington National Cemetery’s Section 54, U.S. Air Force Chaplain (Capt.) Andrew Lloyd oversaw the funeral service for an Air Force enlisted man who served his country. “For over 150 years, since the Civil War,” he told a group of twenty mourners, “our nation has honored her fallen patriots here at Arlington Cemetery.”

NASA Honors Astronauts Buried at ANC

We are here to remember so that we never repeat the mistakes of the past,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson told a gathering of more than 100 NASA employees, family members and friends at Arlington National Cemetery on Jan. 25, 2024, NASA’s annual Day of Remembrance. “Because of Apollo 1, Challenger and Columbia, we honor 17 souls deep in our hearts.” Traditionally held on the fourth Thursday in January, the NASA Day of Remembrance commemorates the crews of Apollo 1 and space shuttles Challenger and Columbia—all of whom are honored with monuments at ANC. The timing of the annual remembrance reflects the anniversaries of the three disasters, which happened to occur between the dates of Jan. 27 and Feb. 1.

WWII Veterans Gather to Remember Battle of the Bulge

By Kevin M. Hymel, Historian on 1/29/2024

On Jan. 25, 2024, about 60 people, including six World War II veterans, gathered at Arlington National Cemetery’s Battle of the Bulge Memorial to lay wreaths and remember the fallen from one of the deadliest campaigns of World War II.

Volunteers Brave Bitter Cold to Remove Wreaths from ANC

By Kevin M. Hymel, Historian on 1/24/2024

Ankle-deep snow and temperatures hovering below 25 degrees could not keep people from Arlington National Cemetery to honor servicemembers and their families on Saturday, Jan. 20, 2024. They gathered at the gates for the cemetery’s 8 a.m. opening to pick up the wreaths laid at headstones and niches on Dec. 16, 2023, as part of the annual Wreaths Across America event.

Former Tomb Guard Pins Son with Badge

By Kevin M. Hymel, Historian on 1/16/2024

When Bryan Campagna pinned the Guard, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Identification badge onto the chest of his son, Staff Sgt. Isaiah Jasso-Campagna, it symbolized more than a father honoring his son. Campagna had earned his own Tomb badge as a Tomb Guard decades earlier, making the pair only the second father-son badge earners in the history of the Army’s 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard).

Pearl Harbor Medal of Honor Recipient Laid to Rest at Arlington National Cemetery

By Kevin M. Hymel, Historian on 1/4/2024

When word came to abandon ship, Seaman 1st Class James Richard Ward remained at his post. The USS Oklahoma, docked at Pearl Harbor on the morning of Dec. 7, 1941, had just been blasted by a series of Japanese torpedoes and began to capsize. Instead of charging out of the turret he manned, Ward held a flashlight to guide his fellow seamen out of danger. His selfless sacrifice saved countless lives and earned him the Medal of Honor.

Thousands Lay Wreaths at ANC

By Kevin M. Hymel, Historian on 1/4/2024

They lined up by thousands to honor the nation’s fallen during the holiday season. When Arlington National Cemetery opened on the morning of Saturday, Dec. 16, 2023, civilians and military personnel alike retrieved wreaths from trucks and headed across the grounds to place them at headstones and columbarium niches. 

Remembering Clifton Pollard, JFK’s Grave Digger

By Kevin M. Hymel, Historian on 11/22/2023

John Metzler Sr. apologized when he asked Clifton Pollard to work on a Sunday to dig the grave for President John F. Kennedy. But Pollard didn’t mind at all. “It’s an honor for me to be here,” he said. The president had been assassinated on Friday, Nov. 22, 1963, and Pollard had been called at home Sunday morning to come to work that afternoon. He had dressed in his work overalls that morning in anticipation of the call.