Easter Sunrise Service

Join Arlington National Cemetery and Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall for the annual National Military Easter Sunrise Service on Sunday, March 31, 6:30-7:30 a.m.

Published on: Monday, March 4, 2024 read more ...

Third Infantry Division Memorial

A nine-ton gray obelisk commemorates the service of the Army's 3rd Infantry Division

Section 46

The 3rd Infantry Division Memorial was approved by President George H. W. Bush on September 29, 1988 and dedicated on August 15, 1990. It is located on the north side of the curved part of Memorial Drive, near the Canadian Cross, the Challenger and Columbia Memorials, and Memorial Amphitheater. The nine-ton gray obelisk stands several feet behind its roadside marker, which lists battles fought by the U.S. Army's 3rd Infantry. Famed World War II Medal of Honor recipient and 3rd Infantry member Major Audie Murphy is buried nearby in Section 46, along the flagstone walkway on the south side of Memorial Drive.

The U.S. Army organized its 3rd Infantry Division at Camp Greene, North Carolina on November 21, 1917 — seven and a half months after the United States entered World War I. All units of the division were in France by March 1918, and it entered combat for the first time that May. On July 15, 1918, the 3rd Division distinguished itself defending the Marne River at Chateau-Thierry, forty-five miles northeast of Paris, earning it the proud nickname, "Rock of the Marne."

The 3rd Infantry Division again fought with distinction during World War II, participating in four amphibious landings and combat in North Africa, Italy, Sicily, France, Germany and Austria. During the Korean War, the Division played a crucial role in the defense of South Korea. It returned to Germany in 1957 as part of the NATO Defense Force, and was stationed there when the Third Division Memorial was dedicated in August 1990.

  CAMPAIGNS KILLED WOUNDED MISSING
WWI (1917-1918) 6 3,401 12,764 691
WWII (1941-1945) 10 5,558 18,766 554
KOREA (1950-1953) 8 2,160 7,939 292