Welcome to the Arlington National Cemetery.
Located in Arlington Country, Virginia, this grand military cemetery is one of the very
largest cemeteries in the whole United States.
The history of this cemetery dates back to early 19th century.
During this period, the area you are standing in was known as the Arlington Plantations,
owned by a step-grandson of George Washington.
In the center of the plantations lied the Arlington House, which still stands as a centerpiece
of today's cemetery.
The estate was later passed down to Robert E. Lee, a military academy graduate and a
United States Army officer.
During the outbreak of the American Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln offered Lee
the command of the Federal army.
Lee didn't want to give Lincoln an answer right away, as he wanted to see how the state
of Virginia would act.
Virginia had not yet taken side in the civil war, but when they later did, the chose the
Southern Confederate side.
Lee did the same thing, and became a commander of the Army of Northern Virginia instead of
a Union commander.
This gave Lee a poor reputation amongst the Union officers.
During the Civil War, the hospitals and burial grounds near Washington DC became overcrowded.
In 1864, Quartermaster General Montgomery C Meigs suggested that Lee's Arlington Estate
and its surroundings would be acquired and made into a cemetery for Union casualties.
The acquired surroundings were also an important strategic area for the defense of Washington
DC, as it lied on the opposite side of the Potomac River.
After the Civil War, a heir to Lee's acquired property sued the government for their claiming
of the land.
The Supreme Court ruled in the favor of the Lee's heir in which the land was returned.
A year later, the land was sold back to the government and it has ever since been used
as a national cemetery.
Today's Arlington National Cemetery is divided into several sections, depending on during
which war the individual died or his/her occupation.
Veterans from all the nation's wars are buried in the cemetery, from the American Revolution
through the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
In total, more than 300,000 people are buried in this cemetery, making it the second largest
of all the 130 national cemeteries in the United States.
The largest one is the Calverton National Cemetery, on Long Island, New York.
This cemetery also holds more then the plus 300,000 graves.
Within the cemetery you can find several memorials, often dedicated to a specific war, a specific
regiment or to an individual.
You can for example find a white statue dedicated to all the army nurses, known as the Nurse
Memorial and the USS Maine Memorial which consists of a salvaged mast from the sunken
ship USS Maine.
Near the center of the cemetery you will find the Arlington Memorial Amphitheater.
The marble theater was built between 1915 and 1920 as a place for honoring US soldiers.
Today, state funerals and memorial days are held annually on the site.
It is also the home of the Tomb of the Unknowns, also known as Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
The tomb can be found just east of the theater, on the top of a hill, overlooking Washington
DC.
The tomb has become one of the most popular places in the cemetery.
It is the grave of unidentified soldiers from several major wars, including the First and
Second World War, the Vietnam War and the Korean War.
The tomb however, doesn't only honor these specific soldiers, but rather all soldiers
who died for their country but who never was identified.
Today, the Arlington National Cemetery conducts more than 6000 burials each year.
The funerals, including interments and inurnments, average well over 20 per day.
30 minutes before the first funeral until 30 minutes after the last funeral each day,
the flags in the cemetery are flying at half-staff.
The cemetery is however not only a place of grief, but also a place to remember all what
these people fought for and to honor their ultimate sacrifice.