Two-Hour Walking Tour Preview

About Arlington National Cemetery

Arlington National Cemetery, our nation's most hallowed ground, is the final resting place of nearly 430,000 veterans and their eligible family members. Their stories embody service and sacrifice, innovation and perseverance, and the historical connections between the American military and society. ANC represents the American people for past, present and future generations, while immersing guests in the cemetery's living history.

The cemetery was established during the Civil War to accommodate the sudden influx of military dead who could not be transported home. On May 13, 1864, the first military burial was conducted for Pvt. William Christman, and Arlington officially became a national military cemetery on June 15, 1864. The original 200-acre cemetery has since expanded to 639 acres. Service members from every one of America's major wars, from the Revolutionary War to today's conflicts, are buried or honored here.

Arlington is an active cemetery, conducting 24 to 27 funeral services each weekday. ANC also hosts more than 3,000 ceremonies each year, including the National Memorial Day Observance and the National Veterans Day Observance. In addition to gravesites, monuments and memorials, the cemetery's serene, iconic landscape — rolling green hills dotted with majestic trees and ornamental plants—serves as a living tribute to those who have served and sacrificed for the United States. Meanwhile, exhibits in the Welcome Center and the Memorial Amphitheater Display Room, featuring artifacts and historical photographs, explain ANC's origins, history and meanings.

Guidance for Your Visit

• Please review our security requirements: screening procedures, prohibited items and information about acceptable forms of identification. Allow time to go through security screening, and bring minimal to no bags or bulky items.
• Click here for a printable map of the cemetery, including locations of restrooms and water fountains. You may also find these locations by returning to the ANC Explorer app.
• We welcome visitors with disabilities. If you have an accessibility or accommodation concern, please contact us at 877-907-8585.
• Consult our visitor tips for overall guidance. Please be mindful that ANC is an active cemetery. During your visit, you may encounter funeral services and/or visitors mourning loved ones. Speak quietly and remain at a distance from funerals or sites or active mourning.
• Enjoy the space appropriately. You may walk on the grass to visit a gravesite, but activities such as running, climbing, bicycling and picnicking are not allowed. Please do not sit on or damage monuments, headstones, plants or other property. They are historic features of this sacred site, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
• Stay hydrated! The cemetery grounds are vast, and the weather can be very hot and humid during the summer. You may bring bottled water or purchase it at the Welcome Center or in Memorial Amphitheater. Food and alcoholic beverages are not allowed.
• Please review our safety guidelines. Call 911 for emergency situations. To report any suspicious activity within the cemetery, call Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall Department of Emergency Services at 703-588-2800.

The creation of the President John F. Kennedy gravesite, one of the most-visited and poignant memorials at Arlington National Cemetery, forever changed ANC’s landscape.

On Nov. 25, 1963, three days after his assassination in Dallas, President Kennedy was laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery. He remains one of only two presidents buried at ANC. (The other is William Howard Taft, who died in 1930 and is buried in Section 30.) Kennedy’s televised state funeral, watched by millions, led to an unprecedented increase in requests for burials at Arlington. The cemetery, long revered as a sacred site of mourning and memory, now emotionally resonated with the American public on a new level.

The nation’s 35th president, and its youngest, embodied a sense of hope, vitality, and national renewal. His inaugural address — with its famous line, “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country” — infused a new spirit of civic responsibility into Americans, particularly younger generations who would lead the protest movements and dramatic social transformations of the 1960s. The president’s inspiring rhetoric translated into landmark programs and reforms: the creation of the Peace Corps (1961); the development of the space program, including the first American human-crewed spaceflight (1961) and moon landing (1969); and an unprecedented federal commitment to civil rights, most significantly the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (enacted after the president’s death, but to which he had been committed to passing). Meanwhile, the handsome young president, glamorous First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy and their small children became cultural icons who embodied vigor, charisma and the image of an ideal American family.

President Kennedy is buried at Arlington National Cemetery due to his military service. Kennedy joined the U.S. Naval Reserve in October 1941, just two months before Japan bombed Pearl Harbor and the United States entered World War II. On Aug. 2, 1943, while on a nighttime patrol, Kennedy’s PT-109 patrol torpedo boat collided with a Japanese destroyer, which cut the small boat in half. Two crew members died, but Kennedy, although wounded, helped save 11 others. The survivors swam for hours until they reached an island. Over the next several days, they searched for food and fresh water on nearby islands until being rescued on Aug. 7, 1943. For these heroic actions, Kennedy received the Navy and Marine Corps Medal, as well as the Purple Heart.

Kennedy made his first official visit to Arlington National Cemetery on Veterans Day in 1961, when he addressed a crowd of thousands in Memorial Amphitheater and placed a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. He returned again for wreath-laying ceremonies on Memorial Day and Veterans Day in 1963 — the latter just 11 days prior to his assassination.

Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara (buried in nearby Section 2), one of Kennedy's key advisers, advocated for the president's burial at Arlington National Cemetery instead of the family’s plot in a Massachusetts cemetery. Mrs. Jaqueline Kennedy agreed. Inspired by the eternal flame at France’s Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, beneath the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, she came up with the idea for an eternal flame at President Kennedy's gravesite — which she lit during his state funeral.

The flame connects President Kennedy to America’s Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, a short distance away. The eternal flame also recalls words from Kennedy’s inaugural address: “In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger…. The energy, the faith, the devotion which we can bring to this endeavor will light our country and all who serve it — and the glow from that fire can truly light the world.” Quotations from the inaugural address and other speeches are inscribed into the granite walls surrounding the gravesite.

Other Kennedy family members are buried or memorialized nearby, including Mrs. Kennedy Onassis; two of the couple’s children who died as infants; and brothers Senator Edward Kennedy, Senator Robert F. Kennedy (along with his wife, Ethel Kennedy) and Joseph P. Kennedy Jr., all of whom served in the military.

In addition to its built memorials, Arlington National Cemetery has more than 140 Memorial Trees — living tributes to service members, units, wars or battles. This memorial tree was dedicated on May 8, 1932 in honor of the mother of the World War I Unknown Soldier. It is the earliest known memorial tree in the cemetery.

Women, and particularly mothers, were prominent voices in World War I commemoration. During and after the war, women joined organizations like the American War Mothers and the American Gold Star Mothers for community and support. In the 1920s, these organizations lobbied Congress to fund trips for mothers to visit the graves of their fallen sons in Europe.

Those mourning the loss of a loved one often find solace in a physical monument honoring the person they have lost. After World War I, family and friends of unknown service members lacked the closure of knowing the fate and final resting place of their loved ones. The United States government responded to their grief and loss by constructing the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and by sponsoring the Gold Star pilgrimages to Europe. The Mother of the Unknown Soldier Tree stands as a living memorial that embodies the nation's enduring commitment to those who have lost loved ones in war.

Learn More: Memorial Arboretum

Arlington National Cemetery's Memorial Arboretum is a living tribute to those who have honorably served our nation. Rolling green hills, majestic trees and a diverse collection of ornamental plants create a rich natural tapestry on these hallowed grounds. The cemetery's 639 acres blend formal and informal landscapes and feature more than 9,000 native and exotic trees. Some of the oldest trees, at nearly 250 years old, predate the first burials. Intimate gardens enhance the cemetery's beauty and sense of peace.

More than 140 memorial trees commemorate veterans (including Medal of Honor recipients), military units and battles. ANC was awarded Level III Arboretum accreditation in June 2018, and its Level III status was renewed in 2023. Only 45 renowned institutions worldwide maintain this prestigious accreditation. ArbNet (an interactive, international community of arboreta) created its Arboretum Accreditation Program to establish and share recognized industry standards for the arboretum community. Accreditation reflects an arboretum’s level of achievement of specific standards—including planning, governance, number of species, staff or volunteer support, education, public programming, tree science research, and conservation.

ANC’s horticulture professionals contribute to the arboretum community, tree science, and urban forestry through numerous collaborative research projects. They also actively engage in public outreach efforts, including public walking tours that focus on topics ranging from seasonal highlights to sustainability practices.

DO WE WANT TO INCLUDE LINKS HERE? To Horticulture website page? To the Memorial Arboretum walking tours? Or would that pull people away from this tour???

Throughout its history, the U.S. military has explored — first over the earth via land and sea, then into the skies, and finally into space. This legacy of exploration can be seen here at Arlington National Cemetery, the final resting place of many people who expanded our understanding of the earth, air and space.

The Space Shuttle Challenger and Columbia Memorials stand as poignant testimony to the heroism of Americans who sacrificed their lives while reaching for the stars.

President Richard Nixon authorized NASA to develop the space shuttle program on January 5, 1972. The first shuttle launch took place nine years later, with the launch of Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-1) on April 12, 1981. The space shuttle was the world’s first reusable spacecraft, and it was large enough to carry and deploy satellites, which were of particular interest to the military. During the 30 years of the space shuttle program, NASA carried out thousands of scientific experiments in space, studying human health, engineering, astronomy and physics. It also transported the materials for and the astronauts who built the International Space Station, which still operates today.

During 135 missions, the space shuttle program suffered two catastrophic accidents — both commemorated here at Arlington National Cemetery.

On January 28, 1986, Space Shuttle Challenger exploded just 73 seconds after takeoff, killing all seven crew members — including high school teacher Christa McAuliffe, who had been selected from among more than 11,000 applicants to become the first teacher in space. It took nearly two months to recover the remains from the ocean floor, about 18 miles off the shore of Cape Canaveral, Florida. On May 20, 1986, the comingled cremated remains of the seven Challenger astronauts were buried here. Two also have individual gravesites: Lt. Col. Francis R. "Dick" Scobee(Section 46, Grave 1129-4) and Commander Michael J. Smith (Section 7A, Grave 208).

On February 1, 2003, Space Shuttle Columbia was headed home after a 16-day scientific mission, its 28th venture into space. As Columbia re-entered Earth's atmosphere, it suddenly burst into flames, killing all seven crew members. This memorial honors the entire crew, and three astronauts whose remains could be identified individually also have gravesites in Section 46: Capt. David Brown (Grave 1180-1), Capt. Laurel Blair Salton Clark (Grave 1180-2) and Lt. Col. Michael P. Anderson (Grave 1180-3).

The Challenger and Columbia memorials honor these astronauts who sacrificed their lives in the pursuit of exploration and discovery.

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The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) was created by the National Aeronautics and Space Act, signed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower on July 29, 1958. The new agency (which absorbed the National Advisory Committee on Aeronautics, its predecessor) began operations on October 1, 1959, with 8,000 employees and a budget of $100 million. The first astronauts were all highly skilled test pilots with military experience.

When NASA began selecting candidates for astronaut training in 1959, it asked the service branches to provide lists of personnel who met certain strict criteria; candidates had to be qualified jet pilots and graduates of test pilot school, with a minimum of 1,500 hours of flying time. During NASA's first two decades, those selected to become astronauts tended to be current or former military pilots. The military background of early astronauts explains why many of them are buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

[Next? Bullet points for individual gravesites, e.g. Glenn? Link to edu tour and/or website???]

The USS Maine Memorial overlooks the remains of service members who died when the battleship exploded off the coast of Havana, Cuba on February 15, 1898.

As Cubans were fighting for independence from Spanish colonial rule, President William McKinley ordered the Maine to Cuba to protect U.S. political and economic interests on the nearby island. On the night of February 15, an explosion in Havana Harbor tore through the ship's hull, killing more than 260 sailors on board.

Historians are still unsure what caused the Maine's explosion, but popular sentiment at the time, encouraged by sensational journalism, blamed the disaster on the Spanish. Fueled by public outrage over the Maine's destruction, as well as concern for the Cuban rebels and opposition to European colonization of the Americas, on April 25, 1898, the United States declared war against Spain. "Remember the Maine!" became pro-war Americans' signature rallying cry.

Those who died in the Maine's explosion were initially buried in a Havana cemetery, due to Spanish policy. On March 30, 1898, Congress approved a bill authorizing for their remains to be disinterred and transferred to Arlington National Cemetery. On December 28, 1899, 165 remains (63 known, 102 unknown) were reinterred in Section 24 of Arlington National Cemetery, with a full military honors service.

Because the explosion occurred on the forward part of the ship, below enlisted sailors' quarters, only two of the approximately 260 killed were officers; the rest were enlisted men. Their jobs (engraved with their names on the memorial) included coxswain, fireman, coal passer, oiler and more. The names on the monument also indicate the multiethnic composition of the crew, reflecting the way America’s population was rapidly changing at the time. Some members joined when the ship was in port in Japan, China and the Philippines.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began raising the Maine in July 1910, and in March 1912, the Navy transported the mast of the ship to Arlington. It was placed onto a granite base meant to represent the turret of a battleship. The names of those who died in the explosion were inscribed onto the base. The monument is located on Sigsbee Drive, named after Admiral Charles Dwight Sigsbee, who was in command of the vessel when it exploded; Admiral Sigsbee survived the sinking. Located behind the memorial are two bronze mortars captured from the Spanish during the war. The memorial was unveiled and dedicated by President Woodrow Wilson in a large public ceremony held on May 30, 1915.

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The Spanish-American War, while brief — hostilities concluded by August 13, 1898 — had major historical consequences. The first significant military conflict after the Civil War, the Spanish-American War played a key role in reuniting the nation and strengthening American nationalism. It also expanded U.S. territory beyond the American continent: Spain ceded Guam, Puerto Rico and the Philippines to the United States, while Cuba (though nominally independent) became a U.S. protectorate. Famously described by Secretary of State John Hay as a "splendid little war," the Spanish-American War confirmed that by the turn of the twentieth century, the United States had become a global power.

Arlington National Cemetery contains more monuments and burial sites related to the Spanish-American War than any other location in the continental United States. These include: [what next? bullet points for individual monuments/sites??? link to the edu walking tour? the artifact???]

U.S. Army First Lt. Audie Murphy was one of the nation's most-decorated soldiers, earning 28 medals for his service during World War II — including the Medal of Honor, the United States' highest military decoration, along with three awards from France and one from Belgium. Murphy was wounded three times during the war.

Murphy grew up on a sharecropper's farm in Hunt County, Texas. After his father deserted the family, he helped raise his 11 brothers and sisters, dropping out of school in the fifth grade to earn money picking cotton. He was 16 years old when his mother died, and he watched as his siblings were doled out to an orphanage or to relatives. Seeking an escape from this difficult life, Murphy enlisted in the Army in 1942 — altering his birth certificate so that he appeared to be 18, one year older than he actually was. In May 1945, when victory was declared in Europe, he had not reached his 21st birthday.

Following basic training, Murphy was assigned to the 15th Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division in North Africa. First entering combat in July 1943, during the invasion of Sicily, he proved himself to be a proficient marksman and a highly skilled soldier. He consistently demonstrated how well he understood the techniques of small-unit action. Murphy landed at Salerno, Italy to fight in the Voltuno River campaign, and then at Anzio to be part of the Allied force that fought its way to Rome. Throughout these campaigns, Murphy's skills earned him advancements in rank. After the capture of Rome in June 1944, Murphy earned his first decoration for gallantry.

On January 26, 1945, near the village of Holtzwihr in eastern France, Lt. Murphy's forward positions came under fierce attack by the Germans. Against the onslaught of six tanks and 250 infantrymen, Murphy ordered his men to fall back to better their defenses. Alone, he mounted an abandoned, burning tank destroyer and, with a single machine gun, contested the enemy's advance. Wounded in the leg during the heavy fire, Murphy remained there for nearly an hour; he repelled attacking German soldiers on three sides and single-handedly killed 50 of them. He earned the Medal of Honor for these courageous actions, which stalled the German advance and allowed him to lead his men in their successful counterattack.

Murphy returned home from the war to a hero's welcome. Actor James Cagney convinced him to pursue a career in Hollywood, and Murphy acted in more than 40 films, including "The Red Badge of Courage" (1951), "Gunsmoke" (1953) and "To Hell and Back" (1955, in which Murphy played himself in a depiction of his war experiences). He died in the crash of a private plane in 1971.

Near Murphy's gravesite, a special flagstone walkway was constructed to accommodate the large number of people who stop to pay their respects to this hero.

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Medal of Honor citation:

"Second Lt. Murphy commanded Company B, which was attacked by six tanks and waves of infantry. Second Lt. Murphy ordered his men to withdraw to prepared positions in a woods, while he remained forward at his command post and continued to give fire directions to the artillery by telephone. Behind him, to his right, one of our tank destroyers received a direct hit and began to burn. Its crew withdrew to the woods. Second Lt. Murphy continued to direct artillery fire which killed large numbers of the advancing enemy infantry. With the enemy tanks abreast of his position, 2d Lt. Murphy climbed on the burning tank destroyer, which was in danger of blowing up at any moment, and employed its .50-caliber machine gun against the enemy. He was alone and exposed to German fire from three sides, but his deadly fire killed dozens of Germans and caused their infantry attack to waver. The enemy tanks, losing infantry support, began to fall back. For an hour the Germans tried every available weapon to eliminate 2d Lt. Murphy, but he continued to hold his position and wiped out a squad which was trying to creep up unnoticed on his right flank. Germans reached as close as 10 yards, only to be mowed down by his fire. He received a leg wound, but ignored it and continued the singlehanded fight until his ammunition was exhausted. He then made his way to his company, refused medical attention, and organized the company in a counterattack which forced the Germans to withdraw. His directing of artillery fire wiped out many of the enemy; he killed or wounded about 50. Second Lt. Murphy's indomitable courage and his refusal to give an inch of ground saved his company from possible encirclement and destruction, and enabled it to hold the woods which had been the enemy's objective."

Dedicated on May 15, 1920, the Memorial Amphitheater at Arlington National Cemetery is a stunning visual feature and the site for the annual National Memorial Day and Veterans Day Observances. The president of the United States, or a designated high-ranking official, typically gives remarks at these ceremonies.

By the early 1900s, Arlington National Cemetery's original amphitheater — now called the James R. Tanner Amphitheater — could no longer accommodate the large crowds that flocked to ceremonies held there. In early 1913, Congress authorized the construction of the new Memorial Amphitheater, and on October 13, 1915, President Woodrow Wilson placed the building’s cornerstone. The construction of Memorial Amphitheater marked a new stage in Arlington National Cemetery’s significance as a national shrine and monument to America’s service members.

The design of Memorial Amphitheater symbolizes the national meanings of sacrifice and references important aspects of American history. Designed by renowned architect Thomas Hastings, the colonnaded building consists primarily of Vermont-quarried Danby marble. Inscriptions on the frieze above the colonnade list 44 battles fought by the U.S. military, from the American Revolution through the Spanish-American War. The names of 14 U.S. Army generals and 14 U.S. Navy admirals (all from before World War I) are inscribed on either side of the stage. Other inscriptions feature quotations:

• Inside the aspe: "When we assumed the soldier, we did not lay aside the citizen." — George Washington, letter to the New York Provincial Congress, June 26, 1775
• Above the stage: "We here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain." — Abraham Lincoln, Gettysburg Address, November 19, 1863
• Above the west entrance: "Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori." ("It is sweet and fitting to die for one's country.") — Horace, Odes (III, 2, 13)

The Amphitheater's interior public spaces include the Display Room, which features exhibits on the history of Arlington National Cemetery and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Ongoing preservation projects aim to maintain this hallowed space for generations to come.

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is Arlington National Cemetery's most iconic memorial. For more than 100 years, this sacred memorial site — and the grave of three unknown service members — has connected visitors with the legacy of the United States Armed Forces throughout the nation's history. Standing at the heart of the cemetery, the Tomb inspires reflection on service, valor, sacrifice and mourning.

The Tomb sarcophagus stands above the grave of an Unknown Soldier from World War I, buried when the Tomb was dedicated on Nov. 11, 1921 (Armistice Day, now known as Veterans Day). Two additional crypts, for Unknowns from World War II and the Korean War, were added in 1958. A third crypt, added in 1984, once contained the remains of an Unknown from the Vietnam War. Following that Unknown's 1998 disinterment and eventual identification as Air Force 1st Lt. Michael Joseph Blassie, the empty crypt was rededicated in 1999 to honor all missing American service members from the Vietnam War. The three remaining Unknowns represent all unidentified service members who gave their lives for the United States.

Originally, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier consisted of a simple marble slab. During its early years, the unfinished Tomb served as a place of mourning for grieving families, many of whom had no other grave to visit. It also began to evolve into a site for military and diplomatic ceremonies. In 1926, after an open design competition, Congress authorized architect Lorimer Rich (buried in Section 48) and sculptor Thomas Hudson Jones, both World War I veterans, to design the sarcophagus. Their symbolic design features carvings of wreaths and three neoclassical figures representing Peace, Victory and Valor. An inscription on the west side reads, “Here Rests in Honored Glory an American Soldier Known but to God.”

The Changing of the Guard is an unforgettable aspect of ceremonial rituals at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. However, the Tomb was not always guarded. In its early years, visitors could walk up to and even touch it. Reports of disrespectful public behavior led to the establishment of a civilian guard in 1925 and a military guard the following year. In 1948, soldiers from the Army's 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) assumed this prestigious duty, which they continue to hold today. Known as Sentinels, these soldiers guard the Tomb 24/7. They provide security for the Tomb, lead ceremonies, maintain the sanctity of the space, and — most importantly — honor the Unknowns through the precision and perfection of their rituals.

At the World War I Unknown Soldier’s funeral in 1921, Secretary of War John W. Weeks (buried in Section 5) said, “We are gathered not to mourn the passing of a great general or other conspicuous person, but an unknown soldier of the republic…. Whether he came from the North, the South, the East or the West, we do not know. Neither do we know his name, his lineage, or any other fact relating to his life or death, but we do know that he was a typical American who responded to his country’s call and that he now sleeps with the heroes.”

To learn more about the Tomb and its history, explore the exhibits in the Memorial Amphitheater Display Room, located at the top of the steps in front of the Tomb plaza.

Joe Louis Barrow, known professionally as Joe Louis, was boxing's "Heavyweight Champion of the World." He held that title longer, and defended it more often, than any other boxer in history. Nicknamed the "Brown Bomber," he ended his 17-year boxing career with 68 wins, 54 knockouts and only three losses.

Louis was born in Alabama to sharecropping parents. In 1926, his family moved to Detroit in search of greater freedom and economic opportunities — part of the “great migration” of African Americans who moved from the rural South to the urban North during the early 20th century. In Detroit, Louis worked as an automobile assemblyman and began boxing in 1932, at the age of 17. Just two years later, he won the U.S. Amateur Athletic Union crown and turned professional.

Joe Louis suffered only one defeat in his first 69 fights: to Germany's Max Schmeling, the reigning world heavyweight champion, on June 19, 1936. One year later, Louis became the world champion after defeating James J. Braddock. He held the title of heavyweight champion of the world for 12 straight years.

In 1938, in one of the most famous boxing matches of all time, Louis faced Schmeling for a rematch. This time, Louis was the champion and Schmeling was the challenger. The match, which drew a crowd of 70,000 and earned the title “the fight of the century,” quickly became a symbol of the political and soon-to-be military conflict between the United States and Nazi Germany. Louis, knowing he needed to win this match, defeated Schmeling in the first round and immediately became a national hero.

In December 1941, shortly after the United States entered World War II, Louis enlisted in the Army. He served in the same segregated unit as Jackie Robinson, who would later become the first Black American to play major league baseball. During the war, Louis fought 96 exhibition matches before more than two million troops. He also donated more than $100,000 to Army and Navy relief efforts. He reached rank of sergeant and, in 1945, received the Legion of Merit for his contributions to troop morale.

After Joe Louis died on April 12, 1981, he was buried at Arlington with full military honors. Since his death, thousands of visitors have come to view the gravestone that bears a bas-relief image of the famous fighter and the inscription, "The Brown Bomber."

British Field Marshal Sir John Dill is the highest-ranking foreign military officer buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Knighted in 1937, Dill served in the South African War (1899-1902) and World War I, and he commanded British forces in Palestine during the interwar years. After the United States entered World War II in December 1941, the British government sent Dill to Washington, D.C. as its representative for the combined British and American chiefs of staff.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt awarded Dill the Distinguished Service Medal for his work in securing cooperation between British and American forces. Through the influence of his close friend Gen. George C. Marshall (buried in Section 7), Dill was buried at Arlington through a Congressional joint resolution approved by President Roosevelt in December 1944.

The site, at the intersection of two major cemetery roads (Roosevelt and Grant Drives), was selected for maximum visibility. The monument was unveiled by Marshall and dedicated by President Harry Truman on Nov. 1, 1950. At the ceremony, Truman described Dill as "a great man" who served "both our countries in the common struggle for a free and decent world."

Designed by internationally acclaimed equestrian sculptor Herbert Haseltine and cast in Belgium, the bronze statue depicts Dill in a British World War II-era military uniform, astride his horse. (It is one of two equestrian statues in the cemetery; the other honors Maj. Gen. Philip Kearny, a U.S. Army leader during the Mexican-American and Civil Wars.) The memorial is elevated on a polished dark granite plinth surrounded by a gray flagstone plaza. Two granite cannon bollards flank the stairs and path to the statue. On the bollards, bronze shields with inset ivory letters contain the text for Dill's Distinguished Service Medal citation and the Congressional Joint Resolution honoring him.

The pedestal design is attributed to noted architects William Welles Bosworth and Lawrence Grant White (of the firm McKim, Mead & White, which also designed the Memorial Avenue corridor). The landscape reflects the Beaux-Arts style popularized by the City Beautiful Movement of the early 20th century.

Thank you for visiting Arlington National Cemetery! We hope that your experience was meaningful and memorable.

To learn more about the cemetery and those laid to rest here, explore our Education Program: https://education.arlingtoncemetery.mil.

Arlington is a microcosm of American history. The Education Program features learning units on topics ranging from specific conflict eras (from the Spanish-American War to the Cold War), along with themes such as Military Intelligence, Military Technology, Arts and Culture, and Explorers: Earth, Air and Space. Materials include K-12 lesson plans, aligned with national standards, that support social studies, literacy, critical thinking and STEM skills. For families and "lifelong learners," we also offer thematic walking tours, readings and children's activities. All educational materials may be used either to enhance an in-person visit or for virtual exploration of the cemetery.

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