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Old Guard Continues Memorial Day Tradition of Placing Flags at Arlington National Cemetery

By Kevin M. Hymel on 5/24/2024

Memorial Day weekend starts early at Arlington National Cemetery. At dawn on the Thursday morning prior to Memorial Day, soldiers of the 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment (the Army’s official ceremonial unit, also known as The Old Guard) lead this revered tradition known as “Flags In.”

Historians Commemorate ANC's 160th Anniversary with a Special Tour

By Kevin M. Hymel on 5/20/2024

To commemorate the 160th anniversary of the establishment of a military cemetery at Arlington, ANC’s History Office led a public tour in Section 27 on May 13, 2024. Command Historian Dr. Stephen Carney and Senior Historian Dr. Allison Finkelstein described how the Civil War led to the cemetery’s creation and early development. 

Sailor Who Dove off the USS Oklahoma Identified Eight Decades Later

By Kevin M. Hymel on 5/20/2024

During the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, 20-year-old Seaman First Class Frank “Cremo” Hryniewicz dove off the battleship USS Oklahoma to escape strafing enemy aircraft. He never resurfaced. Although his remains were later recovered from the ship, they could not be identified and were buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Hawaii.

Fielding Relationships: ANC Horticulture and Interment Operations Team Up with Nationals Park Grounds Crew

By on 5/20/2024

On Monday, May 13, members of Arlington National Cemetery’s Horticulture and Interment Operations directorates teamed up with the grounds crew at Nationals Park, home of Washington D.C.’s Major League Baseball team, the Washington Nationals.

WWII Soldier Who Died in the Bataan Death March Buried at ANC

By Kevin M. Hymel on 5/14/2024

Pvt. Doyle "Wayne" Sexton of the U.S. Army Air Forces bravely fought the Japanese in the Philippines for three months in 1942, but tragically succumbed to the harsh conditions of the Bataan Death March three months later. He died in a Prisoner of War (POW) camp on July 19, 1942, and was buried in the camp cemetery in a common grave. He was only 23 years old. For decades, Sexton remained unknown until 2023, when scientists from the Defense POW / MIA Accounting Agency identified his remains.

Former ANC Employee Provides Special Opportunity to Veterans from Altoona

By Kevin M. Hymel on 5/14/2024

Three retired U.S. Army veterans rose from their wheelchairs, stood, and walked across Arlington National Cemetery’s memorial plaza to place a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. All three then snapped sharp salutes when an Army bugler sounded Taps. The men had come from their retirement facility in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on May 2, 2024, to honor their fallen comrades and those who gave their lives for their country.

2023 Coca-Cola 600 Champion Ryan Blaney Visits ANC

By Kevin M. Hymel on 5/14/2024

Ryan Blaney, the winner of 2023’s NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600, came to Arlington National Cemetery on May 1, 2024, to honor those who sacrificed all for their country. ANC Superintendent Charles Alexander, Jr. and Deputy Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Strategic Engagement Melanie Fonder Kaye greeted him and his group.

Missing WWII Bomber Crewman Buried at ANC

By Kevin M. Hymel on 4/25/2024

Twenty-two-year-old Sgt. Irving R. Newman never returned from his bombing mission over Sicily in May of 1943. The B-24 Liberator bomber, of which he was a crewmember, took enemy anti-aircraft fire and his pilot tried to land the bomber on the island of Malta, but the burning aircraft crashed into the Mediterranean Sea short of the runway. Nine of the bomber’s crew were rescued, but Newman went down with the aircraft.

Army General Brings French Teenagers to ANC to Honor Liberators

By Kevin M. Hymel on 4/19/2024

On June 12, 1944, six days after D-Day, paratroopers from the 101st Airborne Division liberated the French town of Carentan, uniting the American-held beachheads on Omaha and Utah Beach. The people of Carentan never forgot about their liberation and today still host visiting 101st soldiers. Local teenagers even help teach American soldiers about the battle. 

Army Band’s First Female Drummer Plays for Japanese Prime Minister

By Kevin M. Hymel on 4/15/2024

Once Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida finished laying a wreath before the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery on April 9, 2024, Sgt. 1st Class Sidonie McCray played muffled ruffles on her drum, signaling that the Army bugler was about to sound Taps. It was an important moment for both. Kishida paid homage to his American ally’s history of sacrifice, while McCray served for the first time as the Special Drummer for a head-of-state ceremony.