The Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia is one of America’s most popular monuments, and one of the most patriotic spots at that. It’s a military cemetery where thousands of soldiers and veterans are buried, and is also the resting spot of two Presidents, being William Howard Taft and John F. Kennedy. There are also memorials for both the Columbia and Challenger Space Shuttles. The Arlington National Cemetery is located on what once was the private estate of Colonel Robert E. Lee and Mary Anne Custis Lee, granddaughter of Mary and Abraham Lincoln. In 1862, the government seized the house because Mrs. Lee had failed to pay the property tax in person. The first person to be buried on the site was Private William Christman in 1864, and the cemetery was made an official military cemetery. In 1882, the Supreme Court stated that the US Federal Government was trespassing on the Arlington grounds, and so the land was returned to the Lee family. However, there were already over 10,000 graves on site, so George Washington Custis Lee sold it back to the government $150,000.
One of the most flocked-to spots of the cemetery is the Tomb of the Unknowns, also known as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The remains of unknown soldiers from World Wars I and II and the Korean War are buried inside the tomb. It honors all unknown American soldiers, paying tribute to them for their courage and their ultimate sacrifice to their country. The remains of a Vietnam War soldier were once interred here, but in 1998 his remains were exhumed and with DNA testing, the remains were identified as those of Air Force 1st Lt. Michael Blassie. Since then, it was decided that the crypt that once held the remains of the Vietnam Unknown would forever remain empty. The Tomb is also guarded 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, through rain, sleet, and snow, by the Society of the Honor Guard. The Guard changes every 30 minutes with an elaborate ceremony that has to be seen to be believed. The Tomb has been guarded this way since 1926.
Another well-visited spot is the Kennedy family’s burial plot. There you will find the resting places of President John F. Kennedy, his wife Jackie, and their infant children Arabella and Patrick. Arabella had been stillborn, and Patrick was born premature and only lived for two days before dying of respiratory distress syndrome. Directly above the grave of JFK is the Eternal Flame, a monument that Jackie had requested be made. The flame remains lit no matter what, including through layers of snow.
You can take a free tour of the cemetery with DC By Foot on Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. The guided tour lasts for 2 hours, and you will be told about the history and the criteria of being buried at the cemetery, and will be led to many different sites. There is also a riding tour called Tourmobile Sightseeing, which is a touring bus, which you can take for a very low price of $8.50 per adult and $4.25 per child ages 3 to 11.
The Arlington National Cemetery is open 8 am to 7 pm daily from April to September, and 8 am to 5 pm daily from October to March.
