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 ...

Brothers of President John F. Kennedy

19332368266_09c3532381_c

Section 45


Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. (1915-1944)

The eldest of nine children born to Joseph P. Kennedy and Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. was a World War II U.S. Navy pilot. Sent to England in the fall of 1943 to fly B-24's with the British Naval Command, he was killed in an accident over the English Channel on August 12, 1944, while flying a top-secret bombing mission. His remains were not recovered. His memorial marker stands feet away from the graves of his youngest brother, Edward M. Kennedy, near the eternal flame that marks the gravesite of President John F. Kennedy. He was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross (the second highest award for valor), a Distinguished Flying Cross, an Air Medal and a Purple Heart.

Robert F. Kennedy (1925-1968)

One of President John F. Kennedy's two younger brothers, Robert F. Kennedy was a World War II U.S. Navy veteran who served as attorney general, senator and 1968 Democratic presidential candidate. On June 5, 1968, he was shot in Los Angeles, shortly after winning the California Democratic primary. He died the next morning. Renowned architect I.M. Pei designed his gravesite, which features a simple, white Christian cross and a granite plaza, like that of JFK's adjoining gravesite. Its inscriptions contain memorable quotes from RFK's 1968 presidential campaign and a 1966 speech that he gave in South Africa. 

Edward M. Kennedy (1932-2009)

Senator Edward "Ted" Kennedy, President John F. Kennedy's youngest sibling, was the third-longest-serving member of the Senate in U.S. history, representing Massachusetts for 43 years. After dying from brain cancer on August 25, 2009, he was interred in Section 45, just to the south of his brother Robert F. Kennedy. His grave is marked by a white wooden cross and a marble footstone. Sen. Kennedy was eligible for burial at Arlington National Cemetery by virtue of his service in the U.S. Army from 1951 to 1953, as well as his public service. (Section 45, Grave S-45-B)

► More about the Kennedy family, from the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum.