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 ...

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Author: Kevin M. Hymel
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Italian Prime Minister and ANC Curator Discuss History

By Kevin M. Hymel on 8/1/2023

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni surprised Arlington National Cemetery’s Curator Rod Gainer when she told him about the history of Italy’s Unknown Soldier. As Gainer was concluding a personal tour of ANC’s Display Room, which features a historical exhibit on the American Unknown Soldier, Meloni explained how the Italians chose their unknown soldier from World War I.

Marine Major General Reinterred at ANC

By Kevin M. Hymel on 7/21/2023

Marine Maj. Gen. Harry K. Pickett, a veteran of World War I and World War II, deserved a more honorable funeral than the one he initially received near Darjeeling, India, in 1965. Fifty-eight years later, on July 19, 2023, Pickett received a military funeral honors with funeral escort service at Arlington National Cemetery (ANC).

Family Gathers at ANC for Korean War POW-MIA Memorial Service

By Kevin M. Hymel on 7/10/2023

Pvt. First Class Alfred C. Bordeau joined the U.S. Army at age 17, spent his 18th birthday in a North Korean prisoner of war camp, and died before he turned 19. He left behind no wife or children, and his body was never returned to the United States. Yet his extended family made sure he would be remembered in a memorial service at Arlington National Cemetery (ANC) on July 7, 2023.

British Prime Minister Speaks of Unity During ANC Visit

By Kevin M. Hymel on 6/7/2023

“We continue to work together,” British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told Arlington National Cemetery superintendent Charles “Ray” Alexander as he toured historic displays inside the cemetery’s Memorial Amphitheater on June 7, 2023. Sunak had been speaking about the historically strong bond between the United States and the United Kingdom

Public Reflects on Flowers of Remembrance

By Kevin M. Hymel on 6/1/2023

They stood in a line that stretched from the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier to the western entrance to the Memorial Amphitheater, each person holding a flower. On Sunday, May 28, 2023, people from across the United States, and further, came to Arlington National Cemetery (ANC) to honor those who had fallen in duty to their country. Each laid a flower at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, a new tradition at ANC called Flowers of Remembrance Day.

Old Guard Soldiers Place Flags at ANC Headstones

By Kevin M. Hymel on 5/25/2023

The soldiers of the 3d U.S. Infantry (The Old Guard) never rush when they place American flags in front of headstones and niches at Arlington National Cemetery (ANC) in preparation for Memorial Day.

ANMC Preservationists Help Rebuild Gates at Soldiers' and Airmen's Home National Cemetery

By Kevin M. Hymel on 5/25/2023

Two Army National Military Cemeteries (ANMC) preservationists are leading the effort to restore two historic gates at the Soldiers’ and Airmen’s National Cemetery in Washington, D.C. Caitlin Smith, ANMC’s cultural resources program manager, and Daniel Holcombe, the conservation program manager, are overseeing the restoration of the main entrance and lodge gates to their post-Civil War status. Smith and Holcombe provide subject matter expertise to ANMC staff, ensuring that preservation best practices are incorporated into every project.

ANC Staff Prepare the Cemetery for Memorial Day

By Kevin M. Hymel on 5/23/2023

On May 22, 2022, Arlington National Cemetery’s Superintendent Charles “Ray” Alexander strapped on a safety harness and climbed into a cherry picker. The machine raised him about 30 feet to the apse of the cemetery’s Memorial Amphitheater. Once he reached the top, he pulled on a rope attached to an American flag below. As he drew up the rope, the flag unfurled out of its box as U.S. Army Sgt. Maj. Donny Davis, the senior enlisted advisor to ANC’s executive director, steadied the flag and ensured it did not touch the ground.

Dutch Flowers of Appreciation

By Kevin M. Hymel on 5/10/2023

As Arlington National Cemetery prepares for Flowers of Remembrance Day on May 28, 2023, it is a fitting time to remember some other ways in which flowers have honored military service and sacrifice.