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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“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.

NASA Crews Remembered, Honored

By Kevin M. Hymel on 2/4/2025

On Jan. 23, 2024, NASA officials, along with colleagues and family members, came to Arlington National Cemetery for the annual NASA Day of Remembrance, honoring those astronauts who bravely served and sacrificed. Traditionally held on the fourth Thursday in January, the NASA Day of Remembrance commemorates the crews of Apollo 1 and Space Shuttles Challenger and Columbia—all of whom are honored with monuments at ANC. The timing of the annual remembrance reflects the anniversaries of the three disasters, occurred between Jan. 27 and Feb. 1.

Veterans and Congress Members Remember the Battle of the Bulge

By Kevin M. Hymel on 1/29/2025

On Jan. 23, 2025, a large group from the Battle of the Bulge Association—including five members of Congress and four World War II veterans—gathered next to the Battle of the Bulge Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery for an annual ceremony to honor Americans who served and sacrificed in that pivotal World War II battle.

Completing the Mission: Volunteers Remove Wreaths Despite the Cold

By Kevin M. Hymel on 1/15/2025

“We’re here to complete the mission we started in December,” said Chris MacArthur of Alexandria, Virginia, with his arms full of holiday wreaths. MacArthur was one of 2,000 volunteers who braved icy roads and temperatures below 20 degrees to retrieve wreaths from headstones in the snow-covered sections of Arlington National Cemetery on Jan. 11, 2025. When asked if he had second thoughts about coming to the cemetery when he saw the morning snow, he said, “Not for one second.”

“It Brings Me Peace": Thousands Participate in Wreaths Across America Day at ANC

By Kevin M. Hymel on 12/18/2024

On Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024, thousands of people braved cold temperatures to honor the country’s fallen by laying holiday wreaths at Arlington National Cemetery (ANC) — one of more than 4,900 locations nationwide to participate in Wreaths Across America Day

Descendants Visit Grave of First Soldier Buried at ANC

By Kevin M. Hymel on 12/10/2024

Robert Christman sat in his walker-rollator in Arlington National Cemetery’s Section 27 as his niece handed him a wreath with a bright red bow on top. He started to lay the wreath at the headstone of U.S. Army Pvt. William Christman, his distant cousin, but paused. He then stood up, bent over and laid the wreath. When asked why he stood, he explained, “It’s a thank you and a promise to keep it going.”

Carrying History: A Pallbearer’s Reflection on President Kennedy’s Final Journey

By Kevin M. Hymel on 11/27/2024

“We came through here,” James Felder said as he stood at the base of President John F. Kennedy’s gravesite at Arlington National Cemetery (ANC), recalling how he helped carry the President’s casket along with seven other military pallbearers up a hill to the burial spot

Seven Tomb Guards Receive Rare Tomb Badge in Record Pinning Ceremony

By Kevin M. Hymel on 11/21/2024

In a unique ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery on Veterans Day, Nov. 11, 2024, seven Tomb Guards simultaneously received the rarely awarded Tomb Badge (officially referred to as the Guard, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Identification Badge). The event may have set a record as the largest pinning ceremony in recent history.

ANC Celebrates Fall with Its Last Horticulture Tour of the Season

By Kevin M. Hymel on 11/15/2024

On Nov. 1, 2024, Arlington National Cemetery (ANC) Horticulturist Kelly Wilson led a group of about 20 gardening enthusiasts through the cemetery, with red, orange and yellow leaves crunching underfoot, to explain the cemetery’s trees, plants and flowers on the season’s last Fall Horticulture Walking Tour.