National Military Easter Sunrise Service: April 20

The annual Easter Sunrise Service, hosted by Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, will be held at Memorial Amphitheater on Sunday, April 20. 

Published on: Wednesday, April 2, 2025 read more ...

AUTHORS

Author: Kevin M. Hymel
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WWII Marine Killed at Tarawa Interred at ANC

By Kevin M. Hymel on 10/10/2023

When a representative from the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) told Cheryl Cronin that her uncle, Marine Pvt. First Class Lawrence E. Garrison had been positively identified 80 years after his death in battle, she was overwhelmed. “I prayed really hard that this would happen in my lifetime,” she said. On Oct. 5, 2023, Cronin and a handful of family and friends laid Garrison to rest at Arlington National Cemetery.

Marine Osprey Crew Chief Buried at ANC

By Kevin M. Hymel on 10/5/2023

Alexia Collart’s eyes filled with tears as she accepted the flag that had been draped over her son Marine Cpl. Spencer R. Collart’s casket. Her daughter Gweneth, sitting beside her, openly wept. Bart Collart, Cpl. Collart’s father, held back tears. The family’s grief spread to the crowd of more than 100 family and friends, who either dabbed their eyes or let the tears roll down their cheeks.

Twenty-one-year-old Cpl. Spencer died on Aug. 27, 2023, when the V-22 Osprey aircraft in which he was flying as the crew chief crashed in Australia during a training exercise. A month later, on Sept. 25, he was laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery.

First Tomb Badge Awarded to Female Infantry Soldier

By Kevin M. Hymel on 9/22/2023

Army Pfc. Jessica Kwiatkowski made history on Sept. 18, 2023, when she became the first woman infantry soldier to earn the Guard, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Identification Badge. Other women have earned the badge, but they have come from other career fields. Tomb Guards who earn the badge also earn the distinction of being referred to as Sentinels.

MIA Pilot Killed in World War II Bombing Mission Buried at ANC

By Kevin M. Hymel on 9/15/2023

Lt. William Baily Montgomery gave his life to save others. As a B-24 Liberator bomber pilot in the Eighth Air Force during World War II, his bomber took flak over Saint-Cyr, France, near the German border, on June 22, 1944. Montgomery and his copilot struggled to get their shot-up bomber home. Once they reached the English coast, Montgomery ordered his crew to bail out. Seven crewmen successfully left the aircraft, leaving Montgomery, his copilot, and engineer. The bomber crashed into a farm in West Sussex, England, killing the three.

Remembrance of WWII British General Orde Wingate Held at ANC

By Kevin M. Hymel on 9/14/2023

“We are rightly celebrating Maj. Gen. Orde Wingate’s contribution to Israel and his very strong support for the creation of a Jewish state,” said Dame Karen Pierce, the British Ambassador to the United States, to a small crowd gathered in Section 12 of Arlington National Cemetery, a few feet from the headstone bearing Wingate’s name. About 30 people, mostly British and Israeli officials along with American Jewish war veterans, came together to honor Wingate on Sept. 8, 2023.

Outpouring of Tribute to Tuskegee Airmen Nurse

By Kevin M. Hymel on 8/30/2023

Friends and family of Lt. Irma Cameron Dryden, the last living Tuskegee Airmen nurse, came to Arlington National Cemetery to honor her life at her funeral service on Aug. 24, 2023.

After 72 Years of Marriage, Sailor and His Wife Inurned Together at ANC

By Kevin M. Hymel on 8/24/2023

Seventy-two years.

That’s how long Ernest “Ernie” and Norma Faye Barchers, Jr. were married. They married in 1948, a year after they first met in church. The marriage only ended when they passed away in 2020 and 2021, respectively. They were inurned together at Arlington National Cemetery on Aug. 22, 2023.

All-American Paratroopers Lay Wreath at ANC

By Kevin M. Hymel on 8/14/2023

Under mostly sunny skies and light breezes—perfect jump weather—veterans of the 82nd “All American” Airborne Division gathered at Arlington National Cemetery’s (ANC) Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on Aug. 9, 2023, to lay a wreath and remember their fallen comrades in arms.

Wisconsin Veterans Visit ANC Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

By Kevin M. Hymel on 8/14/2023

Almost 200 veterans from Wisconsin, along with their escorts, came to Arlington National Cemetery (ANC) to watch the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on July 28, 2023. Among the group were two Vietnam-Era U.S. Army veterans who earned the Medal of Honor: Spc. 5 (Ret.) Jim McCloughan and Sgt. 1st Class (Ret.) Sammy Davis.

Tomb Guard Braves Storm

By Kevin M. Hymel on 8/14/2023

Army Pfc. Jessica Kwiatkowski leaned forward as she walked against the wind and rain. As a Tomb Guard with the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard), she walked her twenty-one steps in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery in the middle of a violent rainstorm on the evening of Saturday, July 29, 2023. Amid the storm, she walked her post without the ability to see.