A Must!

• September 30, 2009
• Rated 5 of 5 by mrsmadis0n from Greensboro, North Carolina

You definitely can't visit DC without visiting the Arlington National Cemetery.

Make sure to see the JFK memorial and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

From journal History and Fun

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Arlington National Cemetery - A True Memorial for the Times

• September 21, 2009
• Rated 5 of 5 by stvchin from Tustin, California

Arlington National Cemetery (ANC) is America’s most notable military cemetery and considered hallowed ground. It’s located in Arlington, Virginia, just west across from Washington DC across the Potomac River from the Lincoln Memorial. There is a Metro rail station stop adjacent to ANC, there is a pay parking structure for those that want to drive, or you can walk across the Memorial Bridge from the Lincoln Memorial to ANC. It’s less than a mile to walk the bridge to ANC, and it’s a very nice walk too.

The approach to ANC via the Memorial Bridge is flanked with two large bronze statues. One of these statues is titled "Valor" and the other is titled "Art of War," each with a man on a horse and a woman with a shield guiding the horse. Once across the Memorial Bridge on the ANC side, there are several memorials along Memorial Drive leading up to the entrance. On the right we pass the Seabees memorial, and the left has a statue of "The Rider," which commemorates the Rough Riders of the Spanish American War. From here, you can see the ceremonial entrance to ANC, where Memorial Drive ends at the Hemicycle, a very large monument in the shape of a semicircle, which also houses the Women’s War Memorial. We actually turn off to the left prior to the Hemicycle to the parking lot and visitor’s center. The visitor’s center has restrooms, a gift shop, information desk with maps of ANC, which are very handy due to the fact that ANC sits on 624 acres. The only buses allowed inside ANC are the Tourmobile. On a hot day, the walk around ANC can be a bit of a burden for some especially since ANC is hilly, so the $27 tickets for the Tourmobile might be worth it.

Our first stop up in ANC is up the hill to John F. Kennedy’s Eternal Flame. The placement of the memorial is aligned with the Memorial Bridge and the Lincoln Memorial. The Eternal Flame is a continuously lit gas flame memorial at John F. Kennedy’s gravesite. It’s a very solemn place. The Eternal Flame is in a granite circle above the grave markers of John F. Kennedy, Jacqueline Kennedy, their son Patrick, and their stillborn daughter Arabella. The dates for their two children are especially saddening, Arabella’s dates being the same day born and deceased, and Patrick’s being only 2 days apart. I wasn’t born when President Kennedy was assassinated, but you can’t help but to come away with some sort of sympathy and sadness, as well as respect when viewing the Kennedy’s gravesite.

Just visible beyond the Kennedy gravesite is Arlington House, originally home of Confederate general and famous Virginian, Robert E. Lee. Story goes that the United States designated his home and the grounds around it for Arlington National Cemetery, so Lee could never return to his home to live there. However, as time wore on, Arlington House was designated the Robert E. Lee Memorial, serving as a measure of respect to Lee.

We continued up the hill towards the Tomb of the Unknowns. As we walked past different sections of ANC, we looked at the names and dates on the different grave markers and tombstones. It’s saddening, yet interesting reading the dates and accomplishments of the people on the tombstones.

At the Tomb of the Unknowns, there is a large white marble sarcophagus which represents the unknown soldier. There is an inscription which reads "HERE RESTS IN HONORED GLORY AN AMERICAN SOLDIER KNOWN BUT TO GOD." The Tomb of the Unknowns was first created to honor the unknown World War 1 soldier, and the unknown from later wars are represented by white plaques directly in front of the sarcophagus. The three plaques are for World War 2, The Korean War, and Vietnam. The unknown soldier that was originally buried under the Vietnam plaque was identified, exhumed from the Tomb of the Unknowns, and given a proper burial. There is a soldier with a rifle guarding the Tomb of the Unknowns at all times. The soldier walks 21 steps across a rubber mat, then faces the tomb for 21 seconds, then walks 21 steps back and repeats until the changing of the guard. The 21 steps and 21 seconds represent a 21 gun salute. It was over 100 degrees on this sunny and humid August day, yet the guard continued his watch over the Tomb of the Unknowns with his sunglasses and dark colored wool uniform. The tomb is guarded regardless of the weather.

During the summer, the changing of the guard occurs every 30 minutes, and occurs 1 hour apart during other seasons. We watched the changing of the guard. It’s a very precise process. As the current guard continues his route, a replacement guard and commander will approach. The commander addresses the crowd regarding the ceremony and asks for complete silence. Then, he thoroughly inspects the replacement guard’s uniform and rifle. In unison, and without visual cues, all three, the current guard, replacement guard, and the commander turn and walk to the opposite end of the rubber mat, then back to the center, where the current guard is relieved and the replacement guard takes his place. The whole ceremony takes about 10 minutes and is quite fascinating to watch. The soldiers are very precise and deliberate in their movements, and able to perform synchronized movements without seeing each other nor with any verbal cues.

Directly behind the Tomb of the Unknowns is the Arlington Memorial Amphitheater. It’s a white marble amphitheater which is modeled after old Roman amphitheaters. State funerals and Memorial and Veteran’s Day ceremonies are held here. Walking out of the rear of the amphitheater, we see several more distinct memorials. There are the memorials for the Space Shuttle Challenger, Space Shuttle Columbia, and Iran Rescue Mission. Next to these three memorials is the Canadian Cross, honoring US citizens that served and died in the Canadian military during World War 1, World War 2, and Korea. Beyond those memorials is the USS Maine Memorial. These are very interesting in themselves. These are events I was taught in school, yet have largely forgotten as a result of time. Not many "Remember The Maine" anymore, but the USS Maine Memorial at ANC helps us to never forget. The actual mast of the armored cruiser USS Maine stands tall as part of the memorial.

We saw other military honor guards prepare for actual funerals, and we saw funeral processions drive down Memorial Drive into ANC. That was yet another sobering observation. There were a lot of other parts of ANC that we didn’t have time to explore. Given the time, I would have liked to have seen the other memorials on the grounds. A lot of memorials are about things we may have learned in history classes in school, but have put in the back of our minds and largely forgotten until seeing their memorials at ANC. Although quite somber, this is a good activity for everybody. I heard little children asking their parents about memorials to particular events and what they meant and what happened then. These times make for good history lesson opportunities with their kids. I would make it a goal to watch the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns.

From journal Our Nation's Capital

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Arlington Cemetery

• August 28, 2009
• Rated 5 of 5 by tartlette from Bath, United Kingdom

This is America's national cemetery for military personnel and I think it is another one of those places which is a must see for anyone visiting DC.

GETTING THERE:

There is plenty of public transportation which goes there, including the metro (get off at Arlington National Cemetery). There is also a car park, which costs $1.75 for the first 3 hours and $2 per hour after that. We left our car in the car park and then picked up a tour for the rest of DC from the cemetery which is a good idea because parking can be very tricky in DC.

PRICES AND OPENING:

The cemetery is completely free. However, if you can't face walking around the cemetery and need to take transport you can go around with Tourmobile. This company is the only one which can drive its tours around the cemetery itself and seemed to be one of the best tour companies in Washington. The tour was $27 each for the Arlington and DC parts combined. I would highly recommend this as it gives you lots of information, gets you close to the attractions and you can get on and off as many times as you want in the day.

The cemetery opens at 8am every morning (including Christmas). In the summer months (Apr.-Sept.) it closes at 7pm and in the winter months (Oct.-Mar.) it closes at 5pm.

SOME HISTORY:

Arlington Cemetery was originally the part of the grounds of Arlington House. The land was taken from the Lee family (Robert E. Lee was a general during the American Civil War) for the burial of Civil War soldiers. The first burial was in 1864. Since then there have been over 300 000 people buried there.

THE EXPERIENCE:

The entrance building has toilets, an information desk, ticket counter for the Tourmobile company, a shop and a small display about the cemetery.

We bought our tickets for the Tourmobile bus and then made our way out to the bus stop which is just outside. The buses are very regular so you won't have to wait more than about 10 minutes. Each bus has a driver and a tour guide. The guides seemed to be retired people. You firstly make your way to the Kennedy gravesite. As you go around the guide talks to you. The guides were mostly really good. They were friendly and gave loads of interesting information that you don't get from walking around yourself.

Once the bus stopped we made our way up a short hill to the Kennedy gravesite. This is where JFK is buried. He is one of only two presidents buried in the cemetery (the other is William H. Taft). Also buried at the site are Jackie Kennedy, their son Patrick and a stillborn daughter. The assassination of JFK is one of the most famous events of the 20th century. Whenever I speak to people who were alive at the time they always remember where they were when they heard about it.

The graves themselves are very simple. There are two large, flat, black slabs set into the ground, one for JFK and one for Jackie and two smaller stones for the children. Behind the stones there is an eternal flame. The site is usually very busy meaning you will probably wait a few minutes to get close. Standing at this site is quite moving when you think of how Kennedy died.

There is a spectacular view of Washington itself from the grave site. Just below the graves on a platform overlooking the city Kennedy's inauguration address has been carved into the stone. This includes the famous line 'And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country'.

Just around the corner from the JFK grave is the grave of his brother Bobby. I think a lot of people could miss this one. It is a very simple white cross on the edge of a path. Behind this as you look at it is a small pool of water with quotes from Bobby Kennedy's civil rights efforts.

We spent about 20 minutes at the Kennedy gravesite before getting on to another bus to take us to the next stop. The buses only stop at each stop for about 8 minutes so you won't really have time to get back on the same bus. As you drive through the cemetery you get an idea of just how vast it is. Arlington still has around 28 funerals and internments a day which means that you are quite likely to see one.

There are not very many non-military personnel buried at Arlington. One which we drove past was the grave of the pilot of the plane which flew into the Pentagon on 9/11.

Our second stop was the Tomb of the Unknowns and the Amphitheatre. It was built in 1920. This has the names of various battalions inscribed into it along with quotes from Washington ('When we assumed the soldier we did not lay aside the citizen') and Lincoln ('We here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain'). It also has the quote 'Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori' (it is sweet and fitting to die for your country) which is famous as the 'old lie' in Wilfred Owen's poem written during the First World War. Despite the fact that I think this quote shouldn't be on any memorial (I agree with Owen), I liked the rest of the Amphitheatre.

The Tombs of the Unknowns are behind the Amphitheatre. Here there are four tombs. The main tomb which you can see is the white sarcophagus. Underneath this is the tomb of the First World War soldier. There are three other tombs which are represented by white slab grave stones. These contained soldiers from World War Two, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. I say contained because the Vietnam tomb now lies empty as they identified the body and it was reburied by his family. There is a soldier on guard here all the time. This part of the visit was very moving, the silence in this part of the cemetery is very obvious from everyone being engrossed in the surroundings and the tombs.

Opposite the Amphitheatre there are two other memorials which are worth looking at. The first is the memorial to the Maine disaster. This is made up from the mast of the USS Maine which sunk in 1898. The ship was destroyed by the Spanish off the coast of Cuba and took 260 lives. The memorial is interesting because it is quite different to other memorials, its not white marble and pristine looking - it looks a little worn but just as moving.

The other memorial is the memorial to the astronauts who died in the Challenger disaster. This is a bronze plaque which shows the space shuttle and images of the seven astronauts who died when the Challenger exploded. I like this memorial as it is very simple but the faces of the astronauts makes it very effective and more poignant. Their remains are buried below the memorial. Alongside this is a memorial dedicated to the astronauts in the Columbia Disaster. There are many other memorials throughout the cemetery but since we only had a short time we did not see these.

The final stop on the tour is Arlington House. We did not go inside this due to time constraints. I have been in before but it was a good few years ago. From what I can remember it is well worth a visit. This is the house of Robert E. Lee and his wife Mary Anna Randolph Custis and is set out as it was in the time of the Civil War. The house is at the top of the hill so it has great views over the city as well.

At the end of our visit we went to the shop. This was small and had the usual tourist fare of Washington postcards, posters and books. The prices were reasonable and I bought a book which I saw somewhere else later in the day at a more expensive price.

CONCLUSION:

So that should be a fair idea of what's to be seen in Arlington. There is a lot there and if you walk around and look at lots of the graves you can spend quite a long time here. It is definitely somewhere that I think is essential to visit if you're in Washington. I found the various memorials very moving and just the sheer volume of graves gets to you. If you have the time, spend it looking more closely at the graves, some of the inscriptions are really interesting. Even for those not hugely interested in American history I think this place is a must see. I think it's especially interesting for the generations that remember the Second World War, Korean and Vietnam Wars and the death of JFK.

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Arlington National Cemetery

• September 1, 2008
• Rated 5 of 5 by azsunluvr from Mesa, Arizona

The nearest metro stop to our hotel, the Pentagon Plaza, is just one stop away from the Arlington National Cemetery. After walking our little feet off for two days, I knew that the Tourmobile http://www.tourmobile.com/ was going to be our best option for this day, and at $7.50 per person, a great deal.
The Tourmobile makes 4 cemetery stops: Arlington Cemetery Visitors Center/Women in Military Service for America Memorial, the Kennedy Gravesites, Tomb of the Unknowns (Changing of the Guard) and Arlington House/Robert E. Lee Memorial.
Over 320,000 service members, from the Civil War to the present rest on this land. It’s a beautiful spot, 624 acres, across the Potomac River from the Lincoln Memorial. The land originally belonged to George Washington’s adopted grandson, George Washington Parke Custis, and was intended to be a memorial to George Washington. Parke Custis and his wife lived in the Arlington House until their deaths in the mid-1850’s. Their only daughter, Mary Anna, inherited the house. Mary Anna was married to Robert E. Lee. In 1861, when war was imminent and Lee resigned his commission in the US Army, they left the home and land knowing it was likely lost when he became a Confederate officer.
The government confiscated the land when Mrs. Lee did not return to pay the property taxes in person as was required. It was established as a national cemetery in 1864. The Lee’s son, George Washington Custis Lee, brought a suit alleging the land had been illegally confiscated and the land was returned to him. Congress then purchased title to the property from him for the sum of $150,000.
Since then, many heroes, known and unknown, have been laid to rest on these green hills. The Memorial and Eternal Flame at the Kennedy gravesites overlooking the beautiful city of Washington DC inspire tranquility. It’s natural to be hushed and contemplative when reading quotes from President Kennedy inscribed on the granite stones. Astronauts from the Challenger and Columbia disasters are buried and/or memorialized as well as others from the space program. A portion of the mast from the USS Maine is installed on a hillside with a memorial and another section is devoted to Chief Justices and Associate Justices of the United States Supreme Court.
Another famous area is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers. Walk through the stunning, white marble Memorial Amphitheater on your way to watch the changing of the guard. The Amphitheater hosts 3 official annual memorial services every year: an Easter sunrise service, a Memorial Day service and a Veteran’s Day service. A Memorial Display Room, between the Amphitheater and the Tomb of the Unknowns displays tributes to service members bestowed by many organizations and countries. Photos are also displayed that show the processionals and pageantry surrounding the burial of each of the unknowns.

The changing of the guard is a fascinating ceremony to witness. The tomb is guarded 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, rain or shine, snow, sleet or hail. The guards chosen as sentinels must meet very strict requirements and are all volunteers. It’s a great honor to qualify to guard this tomb of soldiers "Known but to God." The ceremony is very precise and meaningful. The changing of the guard occurs every half hour from April 1-Sept 30, and every hour the rest of the year.
I highly recommend using the Tourmobile. The tour is narrated and you may ride as much or as little as you want. Tour an area until YOU are ready to go, then catch the next bus.

From journal 4th of July in the Nation's Capital

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Arlington National Cemetery

• April 6, 2008
• Rated 3 of 5 by sararevell from London, United Kingdom

From journal The Two-Day Tourist in Washington DC

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