To Serve

Our last stop of the day was at Arlington National Cemetery. We immediately walked up to The Tomb of the Unknowns to witness the changing of the guard. The Tomb of the Unknowns has been guarded continuously, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, since July 2, 1937. There is a meticulous ritual the guard follows when watching over the graves:

1. The soldier walks 21 steps across the Tomb. This alludes to the 21-gun salute, which is the highest honor given to any military or foreign dignitary in America. His weapon is always on the shoulder opposite the Tomb

2. On the 21st step, the soldier turns and faces the Tomb for 21 seconds.

3. The soldier then turns to face the other way across the Tomb and changes his weapon to the outside shoulder.

4. After 21 seconds, the first step is repeated.

This is repeated until the soldier is relieved of duty at the Changing of the Guard.

Right behind the Tomb is the Memorial Amphitheater which looks like the stage for a Greek play. We wandered around the cemetery and I was quite impressed by how pretty it was. There are beautiful gardens and gorgeous flowering cherry trees. The Arlington House was once the home of Confederate General Robert E. Lee and it overlooks the Potomac River, directly across from the National Mall in Washington, D.C., providing a great view. I wondered how the cemetery came to surround his house and found out the following story: By 1864, the military cemeteries of Washington and Alexandria were filled with Union dead, and General Meigs quickly selected Arlington as the site for a new cemetery. Meigs, a Georgian who had served under Lee in the U.S. Army and who hated his fellow Southerners who were fighting against the Union, ordered that graves be placed just outside the front door of the mansion, to prevent the Lees from ever returning. Meigs himself supervised the burial of 26 Union soldiers in Mrs. Lee's rose garden.

We also saw the graves of the many of the Kennedy’s

Edward:

Robert:

John:

Arlington is most famous for the grave of John F. Kennedy and the Tomb of the Unknowns but as you're walking around amidst the rows and rows of graves you can't help but wonder about the stories of the many soldiers there.