News
Scheduled Arlington National Cemetery Metro Station Closure Feb. 11-28

Scheduled Arlington National Cemetery Metro Station Closure Feb. 11-28

February 14, 2017

Visitors to Arlington National Cemetery who use the Metro will be affected by SafeTrack Surge 12. The maintenance will take place Feb. 11-28 on the Blue Line, with no trains running between the Rosslyn Station and Pentagon Station.  Arlington Cemetery Station will be closed, however, there will be a free shuttle service between the Pentagon and Arlington National Cemetery that drops off and picks up passengers adjacent to the Arlington Cemetery Station.

Arlington National Cemetery visitors have multiple travel options to visit the cemetery:

1) Use the free shuttle service between the Pentagon and Arlington National Cemetery.

2) Walk from the Rosslyn Metro Station to the Ord and Weitzle Gate adjacent to the Marine Corps War Memorial. (Approximately a .75 mile walk)


Metro
SafeTrack
Visitors
A true Valentine's Day love story

A true Valentine's Day love story

February 13, 2017

A true love story on this Valentine’s Day:

Today we remember Air Force Col. Donald Matthews (Feb. 22, 1919 – June 9, 1994) and U.S. Army 1st Lt. Rita Matthews (May 14, 1921 – April 27, 2011) whose love of country, service to others and love of one another sustained them through 50 years of marriage, nearly 30 years of combined military service and 10 duty stations.


Love Story
Military
Valentines Day
Arlington National Cemetery’s 2017 free history tours kick off Feb. 19

Arlington National Cemetery’s 2017 free history tours kick off Feb. 19

January 30, 2017

Each year, Arlington National Cemetery hosts free, guided history tours each month. The first tour of the season is Sunday, Feb. 19, beginning at 11 a.m. at the Arlington National Cemetery Welcome Center.

This month’s tour commemorates National African American History Month with a special lecture and tour of the cemetery. Guest speaker, Matt Penrod, park ranger with the National Park Service will join the Arlington National Cemetery Historian as they discuss the African American experience at Arlington starting from the Antebellum period and continuing through the Civil War and founding of the national cemetery.


Free Event
History Tour

Enhanced security measures coming to Arlington National Cemetery

January 27, 2017
 “Arlington is taking advanced security precautions to protect visitors, family members and staff. These security measures will be similar to the ones at museums in the National Capitol Region,” said Patrick K. Hallinan, Arlington National Cemetery executive director.

Wreaths Across America Clean-Up 2017

Wreaths Across America Clean-Up 2017

January 25, 2017

Wreaths Across America clean-up is scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 28, 2017, beginning at approximately 8:45 a.m., in Arlington National Cemetery. All cemetery gates will open at 8 a.m.

The cemetery will be closed to vehicle traffic until 3 p.m. ANC Tours, Arlington’s interpretative bus tour, will not operate this day. This is a walking event. Participants are encouraged to wear comfortable walking shoes and bring refillable water bottles.

Sign-up and pre-registration is NOT required. Volunteers are encouraged to show up at the designated time and place. This is a family-oriented event and we encourage families of all ages to participate.

Schedule of Events

7 a.m. – Metro rail opens (system-wide)

8 a.m. – Arlington National Cemetery gates open.

8:30 a.m. – Volunteer briefing at McClellan located just off of Eisenhower Drive.

8:45 a.m. – Clean-up begins.

Volunteers are asked to pick up ONLY those WAA wreaths placed in December, leaving any other wreaths or decorations in place. There will be several dumpsters placed throughout the cemetery to dispose of the wreaths. We have a very limited number of dumpsters available so we ask the volunteers to pack the wreaths as tight as possible in the dumpsters and to stay available at least until noon, if possible, to help with any extra wreath disposal needed at locations throughout the cemetery.

We have found it helpful if you bring a stick, pole, rope, rake or something equivalent to support carrying multiple wreaths per dumpster trip. Please dress for the weather and wear gloves and water-proof footwear.

Parking Information

Parking is limited to vehicles with permanent ANC Family Gravesite Passes and those with valid Handicap Permits ONLY. The Welcome Center Parking Lot will open at 8 a.m., and will have free parking until 2 p.m. Any vehicles arriving before the cemetery’s opening at 8 a.m., will be required to depart and return at 8 a.m.

There is public parking available in the Eads, Fern and Joyce lots. The Eads, Fern and Joyce lots are each about the same distance to the south Service Complex gate (the gate between the Air Force and Pentagon Memorials).

For safety reasons, no general public vehicles/ANC Family passes/Disability vehicles are allowed inside Arlington National Cemetery until 3 p.m. 

 

Metro Information 

Because of the large number of volunteers and lack of adequate parking, participants are highly encouraged to take Metro.

Metro stops:

1) Arlington Cemetery: Blue Line; Cemetery entrance: Main -- Follow signs to enter Visitor Center main gate.

2) Rosslyn: Orange and Blue Lines; Cemetery entrance: Ord & Weitzel (.7 mi) -- Follow signs to Iwo Jima Memorial. Continue south downhill toward cemetery. Entrance is an iron gate across the street from the end of the Iwo Jima Memorial access road.

3) Pentagon: Yellow and Blue Lines; Cemetery entrance: south Service Complex (.7 mi) -- Follow signs to Pentagon Memorial. Go west under S. Washington Blvd. Gate on right, off Columbia Pike, downhill from the Air Force Memorial.

 4) Pentagon City: Yellow and Blue Lines; Cemetery entrance: south Service Complex (.9 mi) -- Follow signs to the Pentagon Memorial. Cross under I-395 pedestrian tunnel. Go west under S. Washington Blvd. Gate on right, off Columbia Pike, downhill from the Air Force Memorial.


Wreaths Across America
Wreaths Across America Clean Up
Inauguration 2017 Road Closures

Inauguration 2017 Road Closures

January 17, 2017

With the Presidential Inauguration around the corner, visitors to Arlington National Cemetery can expect congestion, delays and detours leading up to Inauguration Day. The best way to get to Inaugural events is to take public transportation, bike or walk. There is no long-term parking in at Arlington National Cemetery. Be sure to plan ahead.

 

 

Jan. 19, 2017, Bridge Closures that may affect ANC Access

 

 

 

Bridge Restrictions

 

 

 

Memorial Bridge

 

•Restricted to pedestrians and authorized vehicles only starting at 7 a.m. on January 19.

 

 

 

Advice for the Day

 

•Be prepared for congestion, delays and detours.

 

•Heavy volume is expected on roads, bridges and highways across the region.

 

•If you must drive, be sure to have a full tank of gas before you leave, or you may become stranded while waiting in traffic.

 

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Jan. 20, 2017, Road & Bridge Closures on Inauguration Day

 

 

You can expect congestion, delays and detours on Inauguration Day.

 

•Best way to get to Inaugural events: take public transportation (expanded service), bike or walk.

 

•No long term parking in Arlington. Be sure to plan ahead.

 

 

 

Road Closures and Restrictions

I-395

 

•I-395 HOV northbound lanes will close at 3 a.m. on January 20.  HOV lanes on I-395 will re-open southbound at the end of the Inaugural address.

 

•I-395 main lanes and I-66 will be open to all traffic.

 

 

 

Bridge Restrictions

 

14th Street Bridge; Teddy Roosevelt Bridge

 

•All traffic will be diverted by MPD onto the Southeast/Southwest freeway beginning at 5:30 a.m.

 •Traffic coming across the Roosevelt Bridge will be diverted into northbound Potomac River Expressway to Pennsylvania Avenue or Whitehurst Freeway/K Street.

 

 

Key Bridge; Chain Bridge

 •Open to all traffic

  

Memorial Bridge (Complete)

 •Restricted to pedestrians and authorized vehicles only starting at 5 a.m.

 

Advice for the Day

•Be prepared for congestion, delays and detours.

•Heavy volume is expected on roads, bridges and highways across the region.

•If you must drive, be sure to have a full tank of gas before you leave, or you may become stranded while waiting in traffic.

 


Inauguration
Presidential Inauguration
Traffic and Road Closures

Veterans Day Media Events at Arlington National Cemetery

October 21, 2016

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Veterans Day Media Events at Arlington National Cemetery


Arlington National Cemetery developing options to extend the life of the cemetery

Arlington National Cemetery developing options to extend the life of the cemetery

August 30, 2016

 

The Honor Subcommittee, part of the Advisory Committee for Arlington National Cemetery met on Aug. 23 to discuss alternatives to extend the life of active burials at Arlington well into the future.

In response to Public Law 114-158, ANC is currently developing a report to Congress which outlines options that the Secretary of the Army may consider to keep the cemetery open for first rments and inurnments until well into the future.  The options being considered include: continuing with the existing eligibility, expansion options, and changing eligibility.  

If the cemetery continues with its current interment and inurnment rate, it will run out of space for first interments and inurnments within the next 25 years. 

The report is due to Congress mid-November.

Established within the charter of the Advisory Committee on Arlington National Cemetery, the Honor Subcommittee provides an independent assessment of methods to address the long-term future of the Army national cemeteries, including how best to extend the active burials and what ANC should focus on once all available space is used. 

The Honor Subcommittee also addresses the current eligibility requirements for interment and inurnment at ANC to ensure that recommendations serve and protect the interests of all service members and veterans, surviving family members, and the American public. Difficult choices need to be made regarding how ANC can continue to serve our Nation's veterans and their families well into the future. Now is the time to consider these options.

 



 



Turf Renovations Underway

Turf Renovations Underway

June 06, 2016

Arlington National Cemetery annually renovates more than 30 acres of turf. This process involves removing the old turf and weeds, tilling the soil, grading the grave sites, and planting new grass from seed. Each year the Horticulture Division assigns sections for renovation as needed. The long term result will be a much healthier, thicker turf and ground that is much more level.

Renovations this year will take place in parts of sections 7, 17, and 18, as well as all of sections 19, 22, 23, 24, and 46. For the next several weeks, you will notice signs and work being performed in these sections.

Please limit walking in these areas as much as possible, but feel free to continue to visit and leave flowers at grave sites in these sections.



Arlington National Cemetery announces its 2016 schedule of special narrated tours

June 03, 2016

Arlington National Cemetery’s History Office developed a series of informative lectures and tours that highlight the history of the United States through the eyes of its heroes buried at Arlington and the military conflicts that shaped the cemetery and the nation. The tours are narrated by Arlington National Cemetery historians and free of charge. Registration is required through Eventbrite. All tours start at Welcome Center at Arlington National Cemetery and require some walking. Women in Military Service Date: March 18, 2016 Time: 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Start Location: Arlington National Cemetery Welcome Center