Tomb of the Unknowns Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Memorial Day

The Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., is also known as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and has never been officially named. The Tomb of the Unknowns stands atop a hill overlooking Washington, D.C. On March 4, 1921, Congress approved the burial of an unidentified American soldier from World War I in the plaza of the new Memorial Amphitheater.

The white marble sarcophagus has a flat-faced form and is relieved at the corners and along the sides by neo-classic pilasters, or columns, set into the surface. Sculpted into the east panel which faces Washington, D.C., are three Greek figures representing Peace, Victory, and Valor.

The Tomb sarcophagus was placed above the grave of the Unknown Soldier of World War I. West of the World War I Unknown are the crypts of unknowns from World War II, Korea and Vietnam. Those three graves are marked with white marble slabs flush with the plaza.

The six wreaths (three carved on both the north and south sides on the Tomb are inverted to represent mourning. The six wreaths represent the six major battle campaigns of World War I: Chateau-Terrie; Ardennes; Oisiu-Eisue; Meusse-Argonne; Belleauwood; and Sommes.

Inscription (author unknown) on the back (west side) of the tomb:

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

CEMETERY HOURS: 7 Days a Week, 365 Days - 8AM - 7PM (April - September). 8AM - 5PM (October - March)

The Arlington National Cemetery homepage is a public service of Arlington National Cemetery. Information presented on this homepage is considered public information and may be distributed or copied. Use of appropriate byline / photo / image credits is requested. This file is a work of an employee of the Arlington National Cemetery, taken or made during the course of the person's official duties. As a work of the U.S. federal government, the image is in the public domain. Generally speaking, works created by U.S. Government employees are not eligible for copyright protection in the United States. See Circular 1 "COPYRIGHT BASICS" PDF from the U.S. Copyright Office.

Memorial Day Arlington National Cemetery 2011

Almost four million people a year visit the national cemetery across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C., where a constant vigil is maintained at the Tomb of the Unknowns. Arlington National Cemetery is the site of the changing of a military guard around the clock daily. On Veterans Day 1921, a coffin bearing the body of an unidentified soldier of World War I was entombed adjacent to the Memorial Amphitheater and a monument weighing more than 100 tons placed atop it in 1932. Nearby crypts bear the remains of unknown American service members of World War II and the Korean War. The remains of a previously unknown Vietnam service member were exhumed on May 14, 1998, identified as Air Force 1st Lt. Michael Joseph Blassie, and removed for burial.

Each Memorial Day and Veterans Day, a presidential wreath is placed at the tomb. This may explain why Arlington is America’s most well-known national cemetery, even though it is not the largest or the oldest. Some 230,000 veterans and dependents are buried on the cemetery’s 612 acres. From Pierre L’Enfant, George Washington’s aide during the American Revolution, to American service members killed during Operation Desert Storm, Arlington holds the remains of veterans representing every military action the United States has fought.

The Arlington National Cemetery homepage is a public service of Arlington National Cemetery. Information presented on this homepage is considered public information and may be distributed or copied. Use of appropriate byline / photo / image credits is requested. This file is a work of an employee of the Arlington National Cemetery, taken or made during the course of the person's official duties. As a work of the U.S. federal government, the image is in the public domain.

Generally speaking, works created by U.S. Government employees are not eligible for copyright protection in the United States. See Circular 1 "COPYRIGHT BASICS" PDF from the U.S. Copyright Office.

Memorial Day Remember

Memorial Day Mini Poster #1. was created by Patrick Harris of the Air Force News Agency. AF.mil is provided as a public service by the Office of the Secretary of Air Force (Public Affairs). Information presented on AF.mil is considered public information and may be distributed or copied. Use of appropriate byline/photo/image credits is requested. Generally speaking, works created by U.S. Government employees are not eligible for copyright protection in the United States. See Circular 1 "COPYRIGHT BASICS" PDF from the U.S. Copyright Office.

Iwo Jima Memorial

Iwo Jima Memorial. Date Photo Taken, 2/23/2010 9:58:00 AM. Byline, Cpl. Priscilla Sneden. VRIN#, 100223-M-0898S-137.JPG. Unit, Headquarters Marine Corps. Dateline, ARLINGTON, Va. Caption, The Marine Barracks Washington color guard, firing party, and Marine Corps Band, as well as Marines of Headquarters Battalion, Headquarters Marine Corps, participated in the 65th anniversary wreath laying ceremony, Feb. 23, 2010, in remembrance of the historic Iwo Jima flag-raisings in 1945. The ceremony honored the sacrifices of the Marines and sailors who fought the epic battle and the fallen Marines of all wars, to whom the memorial is dedicated.

ID. 13559.

This photograph is considered public domain and has been cleared for release. If you would like to republish please give the photographer appropriate credit.

Memorial Day Poppies of Flanders fields

Scottish and American Service Members Pay tribute to Fallen heroes Poppy wreaths lay at the base of the Scottish-American War Memorial May 25, 2009 in Edinburgh Scotland. The poppy is a major war remembrance symbol because of the poppies that bloomed across some of the worst battlefields of Flanders in World War I. Their red color is an appropriate symbol for the bloodshed of trench warfare. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Perry Aston) (Released) On Veterans Day and Memorial Day, support groups such as the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars raise funds for their charitable activities by selling paper poppies made by disabled veterans. This bright red wildflower became a symbol of World War I after a bloody battle in a field of poppies called Flanders Field in Belgium.

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below

We are the dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

Lt. Col. John McCrae, MD
Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps
Spring 1915

AF.mil is provided as a public service by the Office of the Secretary of Air Force (Public Affairs).

Information presented on AF.mil is considered public information and may be distributed or copied. Use of appropriate byline/photo/image credits is requested.

This image or file is a work of a U.S. Air Force Airman or employee, taken or made during the course of the person's official duties. As a work of the U.S. federal government, the image or file is in the public domain.

Generally speaking, works created by U.S. Government employees are not eligible for copyright protection in the United States. See Circular 1 "COPYRIGHT BASICS" PDF from the U.S. Copyright Office.