Arlington:​​​​​​​
Of all the national cemeteries across the United States, Arlington National Cemetery is without question the most famous. It honors those who have fought for our nation's freedom from the Revolutionary War to Iraq and Afghanistan. Since its establishment on June 28, 1864, Arlington has become the final resting place for over 400,000 veterans and their immediate families. In addition, pre-Civil War dead were reinterred after 1900, dating back to the Revolutionary War.
Silence and respect at the  'Eternal Flame,' a presidential memorial at the gravesite of assassinated United States President John F. Kennedy.
U.S. Presidents buried at Arlington National Cemetery include John F. Kennedy and William Howard Taft. Some of its more famous residents are film actor and songwriter Audie Murphy (U.S. Army), one of the most decorated American combat soldiers of World War II; former boxer legend Joe Lewis (U.S. Army); academy award winner Lee Marvin (U.S. Marine Corps) and a memorial headstone to former prominent band leader Glenn Miller (U.S. Army), who to this day, remains missing in action. 
Arlington National Cemetery is the home of several well-known historic sites, including the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, which is a tribute to unidentified fallen soldiers who fought in World War I, World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. A white marble tomb guarded 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, by Tomb Guard sentinels from the elite 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, known as 'The Old Guard.' Formed in 1784, The Old Guard is the oldest active-duty infantry unit in the Army.
An eternal flame, lit by First Lady Jacky Kennedy, burns from the center of a five-foot circular granite stone at the burial site of John F. Kennedy. After JFK's burial, she lit the flame with a gas-soaked rag on a stick. The Kennedy family paid actual costs in the immediate grave area, while the federal government funded improvements in the surrounding area that accommodated the visiting public. As a result, millions of mourners and tourists paid their respects at what became a focal point of Arlington National Cemetery.
In May 1864, Quartermaster General Montgomery C. Meigs (Union Army) selected Arlington House and its 200-acre grounds as a military burial site. The house and surrounding land belonged to Confederate General Robert E. Lee. Meigs wanted to ensure that Lee could not return to the property after the war. Private William Henry Christman was the first Union soldier interred at Arlington. Christman, from Pocono Lake, Pennsylvania, enlisted on March 25, 1864, with the 67th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment. He died of measles on May 11, 1864. Arlington was formally established as a cemetery on June 28, 1864.
Today, its 639 acres provide a solemn place to reflect upon the sacrifices made by the men and women of the United States Armed Forces in the name of the country.
Those eligible to be buried at Arlington include active-duty military and retired reservists, recipients of the military’s highest honors, and former POWs. Each year for Memorial Day, a flag is placed by every tombstone, monument, and columbarium row in the cemetery. Volunteers continue this practice during the holiday season with wreaths instead of flags.
A monument to Brigadier General Edmund Rice, a soldier in the United States Army and Medal of Honor recipient. At Gettysburg on July 3, 1863, Rice was a Major with the 19th Massachusetts Infantry. He was awarded the medal for conspicuous bravery on the third day of the battle on the countercharge against Pickett's division; he fell severely wounded within the enemy's lines. He was awarded the medal on October 6, 1891.
Lieutenant (JG) William W. Parish was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross in recognition of his devotion to duty while flying a United States Navy Bomber on anti-submarine missions in the Bay of Biscay in 1943.
Rain or shine, 24/7/365, the Tomb Guard sentinels watch the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Sentinels are typically volunteers from the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, the oldest active-duty infantry unit in the Army, commonly known as the Old Guard. Only the best of this elite regiment can apply for the coveted position. Sentinels wear no symbols of rank as a sign of respect to those interred. On duty, a Sentinel marches 21 steps down the black mat in front of the tomb, then waits 21 seconds before taking another 21 steps back. Why 21? It represents the highest symbolic military honor, the 21-gun salute.
The military guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is changed in an elaborate ceremony which happens every hour on the hour from October 1 through March 31 and every half hour from April 1 through September 30.
 As part of this prestigious ceremony, the relief commander conducts a detailed white-glove inspection of the oncoming Sentinel's M-14 rifle, checking each part of the rifle once. Then, once the rifle is handed back, in the blink of an eye, in a lightning-fast drill movement, a detailed uniform inspection is conducted before the guard changeover can occur.
Four people have been buried in the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, one each for World War I, World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. However, thanks to advances in mitochondrial DNA testing, the body buried on behalf of soldiers in Vietnam was later exhumed, DNA tested, and identified as Air Force 1st Lt. Michael Joseph Blassie. He had been shot down near An Loc, Vietnam, in 1972. After his identification, Blassie’s family moved him to Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St. Louis. Instead of adding another unknown soldier to the Vietnam War crypt, the crypt cover has been replaced with one bearing the inscription, “Honoring and Keeping Faith with America’s Missing Servicemen, 1958-1975.”
Many of our nation's most significant military figures are memorialized at Arlington national cemetery; this equestrian sculpture of Major General Philip Kearny Jr. overlooks Sherman Drive. Commissioned in 1837, Philip Kearny studied cavalry tactics at the famous French cavalry school at Saumur and fought with the Chasseurs d'Afrique in Algiers (1840). His fearless character in battle inspired his French comrades to nickname him "Kearny le Magnifique" (Kearny the Magnificent). After receiving the French Legion of Honor, he returned to the United States and prepared a cavalry manual for the U.S. Army based on his overseas experiences. 
Private First Class (PFC) Denton Winslow 'Mogie' Crocker, Jr., served with 'A' Company, 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division in Vietnam. He arrived in-country on October 8, 1965, and on June 4, 1966 (240 days later), he was hit by small arms fire in the Kon Tum Province, a region of the Central Highlands. He died almost immediately; he was killed the day after his 19th birthday. Crocker acted as point man, advancing up a hill at night to seize a high feature. 
Private First Class (PFC) Lynn A. Moore (my father-in-law), 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment (PIR), 3rd Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division. Sadly, my wife's father died on May 1st, 1965, in a car accident two months after she was born.
Audie Leon Murphy was an American soldier during World War II; he was one of America's most decorated combat veterans. He received every military combat award for valor from the United States Army, with French and Belgian awards for heroism. In addition, Murphy received the Medal of Honor for valor at 19 for single-handedly holding off a company of German soldiers for an hour at the Colmar Pocket in France in January 1945 before leading a successful counterattack while wounded and out of ammunition.
Private Michael Burns, Company A, 63rd New York Infantry. The Burns grave is in the rear of Arlington National Cemetery and has a large oak consuming the Civil War infantryman's site. Unfortunately, the standard stone marker is right next to the tree, which looks a good century old and couldn't have been there when Burns was buried in 1864. 
Virgil Ivan 'Gus' Grissom was a United States Air Force pilot, a member of the original Mercury Seven selected by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as a Project Mercury astronaut, and was the second American to fly in space in 1961. Grissom was a World War II and Korean War veteran. He received the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal with an oak leaf cluster, two NASA Distinguished Service Medals, and the Congressional Space Medal of Honor posthumously. Grissom, commander of Apollo 1, died along with his fellow astronauts Ed White and Roger B. Chaffee in a fire during a Command Module pre-launch test on Launch Pad 34 at Cape Kennedy. The capsule interior caught fire due to a spark in a high-oxygen environment killing all three.
References:
Bertuzzi, B. (2022, May 9). 22 Things You Never Knew About Arlington National Cemetery. Veterans' Outreach. Veterans’ Outreach. Retrieved February 24, 2023, 
from https://veteransoutreach.org/22-things-you-never-knew-about-arlington-national-cemetery/?gclid=Cj0KCQiA3eGfBhCeARIsACpJNU_jFdXHdzZq6FqdQOAb7fmBKNvXTQKWipJ3EO1ZisFNnZ1egoOWS8IaAlFIEALw_wcB
Facts on Arlington National Cemetery. (n.d.). WETA. Retrieved February 24, 2023, 
from https://weta.org/press/facts-arlington-national-cemetery
Guide to Visiting Arlington National Cemetery, Washington DC. (n.d.). Retrieved February 24, 2023, from https://washington.org/DC-guide-to/arlington-national-cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery--Civil War Era National Cemeteries: A Discover Our Shared Heritage Travel Itinerary. (n.d.). NPS.Gov. Retrieved February 24, 2023, from https://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/national_cemeteries/virginia/arlington_national_cemetery.html
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