Everyday Blog

Over 4 million visitors, come through Arlington National Cemetery every year. It has over 200 acres and was originally set up to be a military natural burial site in the mid 1800’s . It is the second largest national cemetery in the United States with over 300,000 people buried there. This well known natural cemetery is situated in Arlington, Virginia and brings visitors here for various reasons. Some just want to be able to see a part of American history, some come to remember and honor the nation’s war veterans and others are there for a funeral service and burial of a friend or family member .

For those people that are there to go to a funeral, they are in the company of a lot of others every week at Arlington. They has average of about 28 funerals everday during the week with no funerals happening on the weekends. Veterans from all of the country’s] wars are buried at this cemetery all the way to Iraq and Afghanistan. There are certain traditions that happen is put on the gravesite in addition to a 21 gun salute honoring the soldier. They also follow the burial with the playing of taps and presenting the flag that was on the coffin to the family.

One of the most frequently visited sections of the Arlington national cemetery is the Tomb of the Unknowns. This is a tomb that was built and holds the remains of an unknown soldier from every war. It is meant to symbolize all of the service members that lost their lives during war. There was a ceremony when each Unknown Soldier was interred into the tomb by the presiding President of the United States at the time. The only war that is no longer represented is the Vietnam War where the remains were taken out and identified and then the family of that soldier preferred to have him buried near them. The Tomb of the Unknowns is guarded by the U.S. Army every hour of every day of the year .

There are famous people that are well known in American History that are also honored by being laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery. These people did not serve in the military but important to our history. There are quite a few explorers buried as well as some astronauts here. Also, laid to rest here are famous political figures like the Kennedy brothers. Famous literary and medical figures are burial here as well. There are also two Presidents of the United States buried in the cemetery and they are William Howard Taft and John Fitzgerald Kennedy. Many visitors like strolling all around and seeing all of the famous names buried in one cemetery .

If you wish to go to the Washington, D.C. area and make a stop at Arlington, Virginia to see this well known cemetery, it may be exciting to see it on a day that has special ceremonies surrounding it . Veteran’s Day typically has the current President speak in honor of those that lost their lives for our nation .