Our Nation's Most Sacred Shrine

We went to Arlington National Cemetery on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. There were a lot of people, but there was also a lot of ground to cover.



It is hard to imagine that each of these headstones represents a fallen hero or a family member.



I was fortunate enough to catch a Tomb of the Unknowns changing of the guard. Here is the sentinel by himself, right before the change. Continuous patrolling since the 1930s has caused discoloration on the ground where they walk.



This is in the middle of the guard change. It is a very elaborate ceremony. The guard asks that everyone stand up and remain standing during the ceremony. They say so at the beginning. So imagine this woman's embarassment when they stopped the ceremony to call her out for sitting back down!

The face of the Tomb has lettering, carved into White Yule marble entirely from Colorado. The inscription is almost impossible to see in this photo. It says

HERE RESTS IN
HONORED GLORY
AN AMERICAN
SOLDIER
KNOWN BUT TO GOD

Check out the FAQ page at the Society of the Honor Guard website. It answers many questions about the Tomb guard and the rituals. There have only been three female sentinels, because they have to be between 5'11" and 6'4". Wow!



Here is the Memorial Amphitheater. My Dad is in the picture... see if you can spot where.



Audie Murphy, the American legend, is so famous that his grave is on the map as a point of interest.



Here are the Space Shuttle disaster memorials.



This is the memorial for the rescue attempt to save the Iranian hostages. I did a paper on the attempt for a military history class. Those poor people were doomed from the beginning, thanks to a few crucial mistakes.



Theodore Roosevelt commanded the Rough Riders in the Cuba campaign. In case you hadn't guessed it... Theodore Roosevelt is my favorite president!



The brightness makes it hard to see, but this is Robert F. Kennedy's grave. It is on a small hill all by itself. I wonder if they will bury Ted next to him.



Here are the graves of President Kennedy and Jackie O, in front of the eternal flame. They also had a couple of infants who died, and are buried with them. Another thing I did not know!



Last but not least... the view from the Kennedys' gravesite. It is quite lovely.