ANC Remaining Open

In the event of a government shutdown, ANC will remain open for funerals and visitors. Please note that Arlington House is run by the National Park Service and will be closed.

Published on: Friday, September 29, 2023

AUTHORS

ANC Education Program Holds Inaugural Teacher Workshop

By Kevin M. Hymel, Historian on 7/31/2023

Teachers from around the region—and the country—came to Arlington National Cemetery on July 21, 2023 to learn about ANC’s Education Program and using the materials in the classroom. The teacher workshop provided educators with five professional development hours and was led by ANC’s History Office and members of the cemetery’s contract education team.

Marine Major General Reinterred at ANC

By Kevin M. Hymel, Historian 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, Historian 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.

Medgar Evers: Civil Rights Icon and World War II Veteran

By Kevin M. Hymel, Historian on 6/12/2023

It’s easy to identify Medgar Evers’ grave marker in Arlington National Cemetery’s Section 36, either from Schley Drive or the nearby walkway. Stones, military tributes, flowers, and other tokens of veneration often adorn his headstone and the ground around it. An icon and martyr of the civil rights movement, Evers is buried at ANC because of his U.S. Army service during World War II, and because his wife, Myrlie, eventually decided she wanted to give the public the opportunity to visit his grave.

British Prime Minister Speaks of Unity During ANC Visit

By Kevin M. Hymel, Historian 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, Historian 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, Historian 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, Historian 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, Historian 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.