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Arlington National Cemetery Hosts 18 Medal of Honor Recipients on National Medal of Honor Day

When Medal of Honor recipients Allan Kellogg, Jr., and Kenneth David placed a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery on National Medal of Honor Day, David thought of only one thing, “I reflected on the seven members of my squad who lost their life that day.” 

Hand in Hand, Sisters Bid Farewell to Their Parents

Sisters Dianne Schildt and Carol Moleskie held hands during the funeral service for their parents on March 19, 2025. Their father, U.S. Navy Construction Mechanic (Diesel) Petty Officer 2nd Class Leonard A. Moleskie, had been married to their mother, Helene “Dolly,” for almost 60 years until her passing in 2013.  

Marine Corps General, a “Gentle Warrior,” Laid to Rest

When Susan Smith received the tri-folded American flag that had been draped over the casket of her husband, U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Norman Harold Smith, she held it to her chest and did not let go until the end of her husband’s funeral service. 

U.S. Senate Youth Program Students Visit Arlington National Cemetery to Honor and Learn

More than 100 U.S. Senate Youth Program students came to Arlington National Cemetery on March 7, 2025, to learn about the cemetery’s history and honor those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for their country.  

WWII Bomber Crewman Missing for 71 Years Buried at Arlington National Cemetery

U.S. Army 2nd Lt. Francis “Buddy” Callahan never returned from his bombing mission over Brunswick, Germany. On April 8, 1944, enemy fighter aircraft shot down his B-24 bomber, nicknamed “Little Joe,” before it could reach its target. Fellow bomber crews reported seeing no one from the 10-man crew exit the stricken aircraft as it fell out of the sky.  

Army National Guard Vietnam Veteran Laid to Rest at Arlington National Cemetery

On Feb. 21, 2025, almost 200 people gathered in Arlington National Cemetery’s Section 47 to bid a final farewell to Capt. James Lee Bohanan, a U.S. Army Vietnam War veteran, husband and father.  

“That Standard Will Never Fall”: Commander of the Guard Bids Farewell to Unknowns

At exactly 3 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, amidst pouring rain, U.S. Army Capt. Henry Newstrom walked in measured steps onto the plaza to conduct the changing of the guard at Arlington National Cemetery’s Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Although Newstrom had performed this ritual more than 180 times during his tenure as commander of the guard, this time was different.

“Whatever It Takes”: Persian Gulf War Veterans Honor Their Fallen

Veterans of the U.S. Army VII Corps who fought in the 1991 Persian Gulf War came to Arlington National Cemetery on Feb. 14, 2025, to honor their fallen.

“He Gave His Life:” USS California Sailor Killed at Pearl Harbor Laid to Rest at Arlington National Cemetery

By Kevin M. Hymel on 2/20/2025

Sharon Gunselman cried when she learned that the remains of her uncle, U.S. Navy Seaman 1st Class Aaron Lloyd McMurtrey, who died at Pearl Harbor 83 years ago, had finally been identified. She wished that her mother, aunt and grandmother could have been there for the news. “They mourned him their entire lives,” Gunselman said. “They hoped that maybe, somehow, he had gotten amnesia or something, and he would one day walk in the door, but obviously that did not happen.” On Feb. 13, 2025, a group of 15 family and friends gathered at Arlington National Cemetery  to say a final goodbye.

Coast Guard Members and Descendants Remember the 80th Anniversary of the USS Serpens Tragedy

By Kevin M. Hymel on 2/12/2025

The worst loss of life in United States Coast Guard history occurred on the night of Jan. 29, 1945, when the cargo ship USS Serpens exploded and sank off the coast of Guadalcanal, in the Pacific Theater of World War II. More than 250 men lost their lives. On Jan. 29, 2025—the 80th anniversary of the tragedy—descendants of crew members, along with Coast Guard members, gathered to attend an annual remembrance ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery’s USS Serpens Memorial.