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.
“Laying a wreath not only symbolizes the sacrifices of our U.S. military,” said Marsh on March 5, 2024, as she prepared to walk out on the cemetery’s Memorial Plaza. “It also symbolizes some of my family heritage.”
Marsh’s grandfather’s service did not initially influence her decision to attend the U.S. Air Force Academy. He passed away when she was only six, but his service now serves as a lodestar that guides her military service. “Being able to know, firsthand, people who have served and have given their lives for our country is very important to me,” she said. “I get to have that as a piece of my story.”
The day’s intermittent rains held off as Marsh, wearing her “Miss America” sash, placed a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. When an Army bugler sounded Taps, instead of placing her hand on her heart Marsh reflexively saluted, as anyone in the military would do.
Laying the wreath filled Marsh with patriotic pride. “I am so grateful for our country,” she said afterward, “and the opportunities that we get to have every day because without the people buried here, we wouldn’t be the country that we are.”
Before Marsh headed to Section 2 to visit her grandfather’s grave, she reflected on her sobering visit to the cemetery. “I’m at the beginning of my military career,” she said, “and seeing what other people have given makes me even more proud to put on my uniform and solidifies why we wear the uniform every day.”
