More than 100 high school students from the U.S. Senate Youth Program came to Arlington National Cemetery on March 8, 2024, to honor the nation’s fallen and lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
The program is a week-long scholarship and educational experience sponsored by the U.S. Senate for outstanding high school students and provides an in-depth view of the Senate and the federal government. The program selects two students from each state, the District of Columbia and the Department of Defense Education Activity. Seventeen military officers escorted the students to the cemetery.
Chief of Staff for Army National Military Cemeteries and Office of Army Cemeteries Col. Michael Binetti greeted the group before escorting the four who would lay the wreath to the Memorial Amphitheater, where he provided an overview of exhibits in the Display Room and explained ANC’s history. After Binetti’s briefing, the four students walked out to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and laid a custom-made wreath adorned with a plastic dove. They then placed their hands over their hearts as an Army bugler sounded Taps.
Seeing the dove inspired one of the wreath layers, Julianna Lee, from Duxbury, Massachusetts. “The dove is my family symbol,” she explained after the ceremony. Lee, whose father served in Iraq and whose entire family serves in uniform, found the ceremony to be a profound experience. “I’ve heard the bugle a lot at different memorials and ceremonies,” she said. “It’s beautiful every time.”
For Madison Finch of Leavenworth, Kansas, who also comes from a military family, laying the wreath felt like home. “We do a lot of these ceremonies were I’m from,” she said. “It was impressive to see it at the highest level.”
Robert Rasmussen, from Grafenwöhr, Germany, another one of the wreath layers, said, “Being part of the ceremony is truly what it means to be part of something greater than myself. I want to serve and be part of that same mission that those buried here took part in.”
The wreath laying at ANC serves as a special highlight of the Senate Youth Program. After seeing every branch of the government, the visit to ANC allows students to understand the ultimate sacrifice in public service. “It shows these students that people in uniform lay their lives on the line for them,” explained Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Alexandra Miller, who serves as the program’s senior mentor. “I know they get the gravity of that.”
