Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia, 7-27-2015 - 0

Written by Kris M. on July 6, 2021

Arlington National Cemetery VA

Road Trip Stops . Virginia . Washington DC

Arlington National Cemetery VA

Arlington National Cemetery wasn’t on our Roadtrippers itinerary at all, but my son had never been here so it was a must do.

Cemeteries aren’t really his cup of tea. But, being a military brat, it was important to take him there and show him the sacrifices made for our freedom.

We walked through the visitor’s center first, then the Women’s Memorial Center and then up to JFK’s memorial. While visiting, we talked about the flame and why it was there. We visited the relatives of JFK also buried around him.

Next, we visited some of the stones and statues on the way up to the Arlington House & Museum. After touring the Arlington House & Museum, we walked along visiting the Major General Philip Kearny memorial on our way to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

We stayed at Tomb of the Unknown for a while watching the changing of the guards. Then we walked down and sat on a bench nearby to rest. We met someone sitting near us and talked for a while. It was a nice conversation that my son and I both enjoyed.

By the point, we had been walking for a few hours and my ankles were pretty sore. My son was read to go as well, so we headed out.

About Arlington National Cemetery VA

The Arlington Estate was established, as a plantation, for George Washington’s step grandson to be a living memorial to his grandfather. After the passing of he and his wife, the estate was taken over by their daughter and son-in-law, Robert E. Lee. The Lees ended up abandoning the estate at the start of the Civil War, when Virginia seceded.

During the War, the U.S. Army seized the estate and built three forts on it: Fort Cass/Rosslyn, Fort Whipple/Fort Myer and Fort McPherson. The first military burial here was conducted on May 13, 1864, for Private William Christman. The Army Quartermaster in charge of burials at the time, Brigadier General Montgomery Meigs, ordered the Arlington Estate be used as a cemetery since Soldiers’ Home and Alexandria National Cemeteries were running out of space.

Arlington became a National Cemetery officially on June 15, 1864. It started out as 200 acres of burial grounds and has grown to 639 acres as of last year. The cemetery was segregated by race and rank, like all national cemeteries were, until 1948 when then President Harry S. Truman desegregated the military.

Approximately 400,000 veterans and their eligible dependents have been buried at Arlington National Cemetery. There are service members from every major war America participated in from the Revolutionary War to the conflicts we’re still fighting today. There is no better place to see the sacrifices made for our freedom.

The Cemetery is open to visitors daily from 8am to 5pm. All visitors must exit by 5pm.

The Arlington National Cemetery is located at 1 Memorial Avenue, Arlington, VA 22211. Phone: (877) 907-8585.

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