John F. Kennedy
At 3 p.m. on November 25, 1963, the state funeral of President Kennedy began. Mourners included President Charles de Gaulle of France, Chancellor Ludwig Erhard of the Federal Republic of Germany, Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia and Prince Philip of the United Kingdom. Fifty Navy and Air Force jets flew overhead, followed by Air Force One, which dipped its wing in a final tribute. Millions of people watched live coverage of the funeral on television, leading to an unprecedented increase in demand for burials at Arlington National Cemetery.The initial plot was 20 feet by 30 feet and was surrounded by a white picket fence. During the first year after Kennedy's death, up to 3,000 people per hour visited his gravesite, and on weekends an estimated 50,000 people visited. Three years after Kennedy's death, more than 16 million people had visited the gravesite.Because of the large crowds, cemetery officials and members of the Kennedy family decided that a more suitable site should be constructed. Construction began in 1965 and was completed on July 20, 1967. An eternal flame, lit by Mrs. Kennedy, burns from the center of a five-foot circular granite stone at the head of the grave.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. The 1965 Public Works appropriation included $1,770,000 for this purpose.
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
On November 11, 1921, the Unknown was placed on a horse-drawn caisson and carried in a procession through Washington, D.C. and across the Potomac River. A state funeral ceremony was held at Arlington National Cemetery’s new Memorial Amphitheater, and the Unknown was interred in the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Nationwide, Americans observed two minutes of silence at the beginning of the ceremony. President Warren G. Harding officiated at the ceremony and placed the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest military decoration, on the casket. Numerous foreign dignitaries presented their nations’ highest awards, as well.Originally, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier consisted of a simple marble slab. During its early years, thousands of visitors came to Arlington National Cemetery to mourn at the Tomb and to pay their respects to the Unknown Soldier and the military personnel he represented.The Tomb sarcophagus is decorated with three wreaths on each side panel (north and south). On the front (east), three figures represent Peace, Victory and Valor. The back (west) features the inscription: “Here rests in honored glory an American soldier known but to God.”
Welcome / Visitor Center
Screening ProceduresArlington National Cemetery aims to ensure the safety and security of all visitors and employees. The cemetery requires all visitors to go through physical security screening, in addition to identification checks and other security measures.Prior to the screening process, inform the screener if you have an internal or external medical device (pacemaker, artificial knee, stimulator, port, ostomy, insulin pump, glucose monitor) or if you have any medically necessary liquids, powders and/or medications with you. Prior to screening, we recommend that you separate these items from other belongings and label them with prescription labels. Please also alert the screener if you are carrying any accessories associated with liquid medication (such as freezer packs, IV bags and syringes).You may request screening by pat-down instead of screening by technology. Pat-down screening will be conducted in private.Anyone granted vehicular access to the cemetery — including funeral attendees, those with permanent family passes and employees — will be required to present a valid government-issued photo identification when entering the cemetery and will be subject to random inspections.Prohibited Items Explosives Firearms Knives (blades longer than four inches; switchblades) Narcotics Fireworks Alcohol Paint Mace, pepper spray and similar products Unauthorized media/photography equipment Tripods which cannot fit into a purse/small bag Taser or stun guns Flags larger than 8.5" x 11"PedestriansAll pedestrian traffic will be required to enter Arlington National Cemetery through one of four access points: The cemetery’s main entrance, on Memorial Avenue Ord-Weitzel Gate Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall Old Post Chapel Gate Service Complex gate, off Columbia PikeThe pedestrian access point from Memorial Avenue is through the Welcome Center. There are up to four screening lines for visitors.Please allow time to go through security screening when visiting the cemetery, especially large tour groups. To expedite the screening process, we recommend that visitors bring minimal to no bags. We strive to keep wait times to under 20 minutes.AccessibilityVisitors with disabilities may use a separate access point, in compliance with disability laws. Please see our accessibility page for more information. If you have an accessibility or accommodation concern about Arlington National Cemetery, please contact us at 877-907-8585.EmergenciesTo report any suspicious activity within the cemetery, please call Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall Department of Emergency Services at 703-588-2800. Call 911 for emergency situations.
USS Maine Mast
The USS Maine Memorial overlooks the remains of those who died when the ship 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. One hundred and two members of the crew survived.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.
Civil War Unknowns
Near Arlington House, in what was once part of the estate's famous rose garden, stands a monument dedicated to the unknown soldiers who died in the Civil War. The monument, dedicated in September 1866, stands atop a masonry vault containing the remains of 2,111 soldiers gathered from the fields of Bull Run (Manassas, VA) and the route to the Rappahannock River. The remains were found scattered across the battlefields or in trenches within an approximately 25-mile radius of Washington, D.C. Nearly 1,800 remains came from Bull Run alone. The mass carnage of the Civil War had quickly overwhelmed the capacity of existing cemeteries — especially in northern Virginia, where many of the war's early battles were fought. As Union officials looked for a solution to this problem, U.S. Army Quartermaster General Montgomery Meigs proposed that the Arlington House property, which the Army had occupied since May 1861, could be used as a burial ground. This was the first memorial at Arlington to be dedicated to soldiers who had died in battle and whose remains could not be identified. The vault likely contains the remains of Confederate soldiers as well as U.S. Army troops.
General Phillip Kearney
Commissioned in 1837, Philip Kearny Jr. 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.Noted for his leadership in the Mexican-American War (1846-1848), Kearny led a daring cavalry charge at the Battle of Churubusco and suffered a wound to his left arm, which was later amputated. When the Civil War broke out in 1861, Kearny returned to the Army in spite of his disability. Appointed as a brigadier general, he trained and commanded the First New Jersey Brigade. Kearny was killed in action on September 1, 1862, at the Second Battle of Bull Run.Confederate General Robert E. Lee returned Kearny's remains to the Union under a flag of truce, to ensure that he would receive a proper burial. Kearny was originally buried at Trinity Church in his native New York. Fifty years later, in 1911, his remains were reinterred at Arlington, in the eastern part of the Officers' Section (Section 2). President William Howard Taft presided over the reinterment ceremony.The Quartermaster General of the Army and the General Kearny Commission desired an equestrian monument to commemorate Kearny's lifelong association with cavalry troops. In 1914, the major general's remains were disinterred and moved again, to "an artistic setting that would harmonize with the size and dignity of the Monument." President Woodrow Wilson dedicated the appropriately magnificent equestrian statue on November 11, 1914. Sculptor Edward Clark Potter, best known for the marble lions in front of the New York Public Library, designed the monument, which is one of two equestrian statues in the cemetery (the other honors Sir John Dill). The sculpture portrays Kearny in a Civil War-era U.S. Army uniform, with one arm holding the reins of his horse. Note that his left cuff is pinned — an allusion to his amputated arm.
Memorial Amphitheater
Arlington National Cemetery's Memorial Amphitheater was dedicated on May 15, 1920. While Memorial Day ceremonies are held throughout the United States, many consider the services at Memorial Amphitheater to be the nation's official ceremony honoring American service members. The president of the United States traditionally gives an address during Memorial Day ceremonies at the amphitheater.Some 5,000 visitors attend each of the three major annual memorial services in the Amphitheater, which take place on Easter, Memorial Day and Veterans Day and are sponsored by the U.S. Army Military District of Washington. The Easter sunrise service begins at 6 a.m.; Memorial Day and Veterans Day services begin at 11 a.m. Many military organizations also conduct annual memorial services at the amphitheater.By the early 1900s, Arlington National Cemetery's original amphitheater — now called the James R. Tanner Amphitheater — could no longer accommodate the crowds that flocked to ceremonies held there. Efforts to construct a new amphitheater were led by Judge Ivory G. Kimball, an active member of the Grand Army of the Republic (a fraternal organization for Union veterans of the Civil War). For years, Kimball and the GAR lobbied Congress to authorize construction of a place for the public to honor American service members. Finally, in 1913, Congress passed legislation authorizing the construction of Memorial Amphitheater. President William Howard Taft (one of only two presidents buried at Arlington) signed that legislation into law on March 4, 1913. Judge Kimball participated in the groundbreaking ceremony on March 1, 1915, but did not live to see his dream completed. Ivory Kimball died on May 15, 1916 and was buried in Section 3 of the cemetery, near the Memorial Amphitheater he campaigned to build.President Woodrow Wilson placed the cornerstone of Memorial Amphitheater on October 13, 1915. By Armistice Day on November 11, 1918, nearly all of the building's exterior was complete. Interior construction was completed in June 1919. Designed by Thomas Hastings, the colonnaded building consists primarily of Vermont-quarried Danby marble. Its interior spaces include Memorial Chapel and Memorial Display Room, the latter of which features exhibits on the history of Arlington National Cemetery and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.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)
Space Shuttles Challenger and Columbia
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 at Arlington National Cemetery, in Section 46, Grave 1129. Two also have individual gravesites: Lt. Col. Francis R. "Dick" Scobee (Section 46, to the left of the memorial) and Commander Michael J. Smith (Section 7A, Grave 208).Family members and NASA worked together to erect the memorial in Section 46, near Memorial Amphitheater. Approximately 400 people attended the dedication ceremony on the morning of March 21, 1987, including Vice President and Mrs. George Bush. The astronauts' faces and names are carved into the memorial marker: Commander Michael J. Smith; Commander Francis R. 'Dick' Scobee; Ronald E. McNair, mission specialist; Ellison Onizuka, mission specialist; S. Christa McAuliffe, payload specialist; Gregory B. Jarvis, payload specialist; Judith A. Resnik, mission specialist.The back of the marker features the famous aeronautical poem "High Flight," written by Royal Canadian Air Force pilot John Gillespie Magee, Jr. in 1941:High FlightOh! I have slipped the surly bonds of earthAnd danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirthof sun split clouds, — and done a hundred thingsYou have not dreamed of – wheeled and soared and swungHigh in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there,I've chased the shouting wind along, and flungMy eager craft through footless halls of air.Up, up the long, delirious, burning blueI've topped the windswept heights with easy graceWhere never lark nor even eagle flew —And, while with silent lifting mind I've trodThe high untrespassed sanctity of space,Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.– John Gillespie Magee, Jr.
Major Audie Murphy
He wanted to join the Marines, but he was too short. The paratroopers wouldn't have him, either. Reluctantly, he settled on the infantry, and ultimately became one of the most decorated heroes of World War II. He was Audie Murphy, the baby-faced Texas farmboy who became an American legend. 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 — falsifying his birth certificate so that he appeared to be 18, one year older than he actually was. 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, because many of his superior officers were being transferred, wounded or killed. After the capture of Rome in June 1944, Murphy earned his first decoration for gallantry.Shortly thereafter, his unit was withdrawn from Italy to train for Operation Anvil-Dragoon, the invasion of southern France that began on August 15, 1944. During seven weeks of fighting in that successful campaign, Murphy's division suffered 4,500 casualties, and he became one of the most decorated men in his company. But his biggest test was yet to come.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 Panzer 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, repelling the attack of German soldiers on three sides and single-handedly killing 50 of them. His courageous performance stalled the German advance and allowed him to lead his men in the counterattack which ultimately drove the enemy from Holtzwihr. For this, Murphy was awarded the Medal of Honor, the United States' highest award for gallantry in action.By the end of World War II, Murphy had become one of the nation's most-decorated soldiers, earning an unparalleled 28 medals (including three from France and one from Belgium). Murphy had been wounded three times during the war. In May 1945, when victory was declared in Europe, he had still not reached his 21st birthday.Audie Murphy returned to a hero's welcome in the United States. His photograph appeared on the cover of Life magazine, and actor James Cagney persuaded him to embark on an acting career. Still shy and unassuming, Murphy arrived in Hollywood with only his good looks and — by his own account — "no talent." Nevertheless, he went on to make more than 40 films. His first part was just a small one in the 1948 film "Beyond Glory." The following year, he published his wartime memoir, "To Hell and Back," which received positive reviews. In 1955, he portrayed himself in the movie version of the book. Many film critics, however, believe that his best performance was "The Red Badge of Courage," director John Huston's 1951 Civil War epic based on the novel by Stephen Crane. Murphy retired from acting after 21 years, and subsequently bred race horses and pursued various business ventures. But he struggled financially, due to gambling and unsuccessful investments, and he declared bankruptcy in 1968. Murphy suffered from what is now known as post-traumatic stress disorder, experiencing headaches, depression and nightmares; he once said that he could sleep only with a loaded pistol under his pillow. In 1971, at the age of 46, Murphy died in the crash of a private plane near Roanoke, Virginia.Audie Murphy is buried in Section 46, just across from the Memorial Amphitheater. A special flagstone walkway has been constructed to accommodate the large number of people who stop to pay their respects to this hero. Medal of Honor citation:"2d Lt. Murphy commanded Company B, which was attacked by 6 tanks and waves of infantry. 2d 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, 1 of our tank destroyers received a direct hit and began to burn. Its crew withdrew to the woods. 2d 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 machinegun against the enemy. He was alone and exposed to German fire from 3 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 single-handed 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. 2d 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."
Canadian Cross of Sacrifice
The border between the United States and Canada remains the longest unguarded international boundary on earth, and the two neighbors have shared triumphs and tragedies throughout their history. In this spirit, in 1925 Canadian Prime Minister MacKenzie King proposed a memorial to the U.S. citizens who volunteered for the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) and lost their lives in World War I. More than 40,000 residents of the United States (including at least 35,000 U.S. citizens) enlisted in the CEF prior to U.S. entry into the war in April 1917. President Calvin Coolidge approved Prime Minister King's proposal for the memorial in June 1925, and on Armistice Day (November 11) 1927, the Canadian Cross of Sacrifice was dedicated. Designed by architect Sir Reginald Blomfield, the monument consists of a bronze sword adorning a 24-foot gray granite cross. The Cross of Sacrifice, which Blomfield designed for the Imperial War Graves Commission, marks nearly all British Commonwealth military cemeteries with 40 or more graves. It became an iconic memorial of World War I, its abstract, streamlined design a fitting cultural emblem for the modern era. The memorial's original inscription reads: "Erected by the government of Canada in honour of the citizens of the United States who served in the Canadian Army and gave their lives in the Great War, 1914-1918." Following World War II and the Korean War, similar inscriptions on other faces of the monument were added to honor Americans who served in the Canadian armed forces during those conflicts.The Canadian Cross of Sacrifice is located to the northwest of Memorial Amphitheater, across Memorial Drive.
Spanish American War Memorial
The Spanish-American War (April 25 to August 12, 1898)Arlington National Cemetery has more Spanish-American War memorials and gravesites than any other site in the United States. The nation's first major military conflict after the Civil War, the Spanish-American War played a key role in reuniting North and South, strengthening American nationalism and projecting U.S. power globally.In 1898, rebels in Cuba, then a colony of Spain, were fighting for independence from Spanish rule. During the conflict, President William McKinley ordered warships to Cuba to protect U.S. political and economic interests on the nearby island. On February 15, 1898, an explosion in Havana Harbor blasted through the USS Maine, killing more than 260 sailors on board. Historians are still unsure what caused the 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. The war did not last long. Within months, the U.S. Army had seized control of strategic Cuban territory such as the San Juan Heights, where the Rough Riders made their famous cavalry charge; the U.S. Navy blockaded Cuba and destroyed Spanish squadrons in the Pacific. On August 12, 1898, Spain effectively surrendered, and the U.S. and Spain signed a peace treaty on December 10, 1898. The treaty ended Spanish rule in Cuba, but made the island, while nominally independent, a U.S. protectorate. Spain also ceded Guam, Puerto Rico and the Philippines to the United States. In the Philippines, however, U.S. forces would fight to suppress a nationalist insurgency until July 1902. The Memorial: History and SignificanceIn April 1900, the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America undertook the responsibility of constructing a memorial to those who had died during the Spanish-American War. Founded in 1891, this civic organization consisted of women who could claim a family lineage dating to the original thirteen colonies. The National Society of the Colonial Dames of America was one of several such heritage groups established in the late 19th century, as white Americans sought to create and sustain notions of national identity in the wake of the Civil War. The Society also exemplified how women, before winning the right to vote, could participate in politics and public life through voluntary civic organizations. In the era of the Spanish-American War, the public work of commemorating the dead became one important way for women to have influence in society. The Society raised funds and created an Executive Committee for the Spanish War Memorial and Marker, electing Winifred Lee Brent Lyster as chair. In March 1901, the committee's design received approval from the Army's quartermaster general and Secretary of War Elihu Root. Just over a year later, on May 21, 1902, President Theodore Roosevelt dedicated the memorial. Approximately 50 feet tall, the Corinthian column is constructed of Barre granite. At its top, a bronze eagle perches on a sphere. Black granite spheres stand at each corner of the base, and 44 bronze stars line the border of the upper base. Behind the monument stand four Spanish naval guns captured during the war. The two inner guns are from the Spanish-American War era; the outer two, from destroyed Spanish vessels, date to 1857 and 1831.At the time of the memorial's dedication, the National Society of Colonial Dames also presented to Arlington National Cemetery a bound volume, entitled "Book of Patriots," containing the names of all U.S. service members who died during the war with Spain, regardless of their place of burial. The book initially resided at Arlington House. In October 1964, the National Society of Colonial Dames placed a bronze tablet at the rear of the memorial, which reads: "To the glory of God and in grateful remembrance of the men and women of the armed forces who in this century gave their lives for our country that freedom might live." A second tablet, also placed in 1964, simply states, "In honor of all who serve our country."
Nurses Memorial
The resting place of 653 nurses who heroically served in the U.S. armed forces, Section 21 is sometimes known as the "Nurses Section." Against a background of evergreens, an 11-foot-tall white Tennessee marble statue appears to gaze reverently upon the deceased nurses that lie before her. Representing "The Spirit of Nursing," the figure wears simple attire with her hair pinned up, a practical style many early twentieth-century nurses adopted while working. In September 1936, President Franklin D. Roosevelt received a request that "a suitable and respectable monument be erected to the Unknown Nurse in Arlington Cemetery." The Army's quartermaster general, responsible for all new memorials at the cemetery, denied the request, arguing that no unknown nurses were buried at Arlington. However, the superintendent of the Army Nurses Corp and the Navy Nurses Corp, Major Julia C. Stimson, continued advocating for a monument in memory of the Army and Navy nurses interred at Arlington National Cemetery. In May 1937, Roosevelt's secretary of war granted this request, and the quartermaster general approved the erection of "some suitable monument" on a rounded knoll south of Rear Admiral William T. Sampson's tomb. Although the Commission of Fine Arts had suggested a male sculptor, Frances Rich was ultimately chosen to design the memorial. The daughter of silent film star Irene Rich, Frances Rich was a Smith College-educated artist and actress who studied sculpture with acclaimed teachers in the United States and Europe, appeared in six Hollywood films and, during World War II, enlisted in the Navy WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service), in which she served as special assistant to the director. One of Rich's best-known works, the Nurses Memorial beautifully exemplifies art deco classicism. Characteristics of this style, popular during the 1930s, include gently curving forms and long, vertical lines of movement. Unveiled in 1938, the statue initially honored nurses who died during their service in the Army or Navy. Its meaning has since expanded to include all nurses who served in the U.S. armed forces. In July 1970, Navy Capt. Delores Cornelius, deputy director of the Navy Nurse Corps, received authorization to install a bronze plaque over the existing inscription on the Nurses Memorial. The plaque reads, "This monument was erected in 1938 and rededicated in 1971 to commemorate devoted service to country and humanity by Army, Navy and Air Force Nurses."
Joe Louis Barrow
Between 1937 and 1949, 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. He was one of the first great African-American idols for a whole generation of Americans.Joe Louis's proper name was Joe Louis Barrow, but he signed up as "Joe Louis" when he fought his first amateur fight, and went by that name throughout his boxing career. Born in Alabama, Louis and his family moved to Detroit when he was a young boy. He was working in Detroit as an automobile assemblyman when he won the U.S. Amateur Athletic Union crown in 1934, and he turned professional that year.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. On June 22, 1938, in what was touted as "the fight of the century," a rematch between Louis and Schmeling drew 70,000 spectators to New York's Yankee Stadium. President Franklin D. Roosevelt met with "the Champ" before the fight; everyone knew that more was at stake on that night than the title. Joe Louis represented America's best, and he was squaring off with Schmeling, the pride of Nazi Germany. Louis pummeled Schmeling, knocking him to the canvas in just over two minutes into the first round. When the United States finally went to war against Germany in December 1941, Louis enlisted in the Army, serving in the same segregated unit as Jackie Robinson, who would later become the first African-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 the rank of sergeant, and in 1945 received the Legion of Merit for his contributions to troop morale.Joe Louis retired from boxing on March 1, 1949, with a record of 68 wins and one loss. He came out of retirement in 1950, needing to earn money, but he could not recapture his previous winning streak; he lost his last major bout on October 26, 1951, against future champion Rocky Marciano. He ended his extraordinary 17-year career with a record of 68 wins (54 of them knockouts) and three losses.When Joe Louis died on April 12, 1981, he had not been champion for more than 32 years. But for millions throughout the world who paid him homage, he would always be "The Champ." President Ronald Reagan made an exception to the requirements for burial at Arlington to allow Louis to be interred with a full military honors funeral. 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."
Chaplains Hill
Military chaplains from four wars rest on Chaplains Hill in Section 2 of Arlington National Cemetery. Those buried here include the Army's first chief of chaplains, Col. John T. Axton, a veteran of World War I; World War II's chief of chaplains, Maj. Gen. William R. Arnold, who was the first chaplain to become a general; and Maj. Charles Joseph Watters, who served in Vietnam and posthumously received the Medal of Honor for his selfless actions on November 19, 1967. Unarmed, Watters was aiding fallen comrades when he was killed by a bomb explosion.On May 5, 1926, chaplains who served in World War I dedicated the Chaplains Monument to 23 chaplains who died in that war. Two quotations are inscribed on the cenotaph: "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends" (the Bible, John 15:13) and "To you from failing hands we throw the torch — be yours to hold it high" (from John McCrae's famous commemorative poem, "In Flanders Fields"). A second monument, to 134 Protestant chaplains who lost their lives in the two world wars, was dedicated on October 26, 1981. It bears the inscription, "To the glory of God and the memory of the chaplains who died in the service of their country, World War I and II."A monument to 83 Catholic chaplains who died in World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War was dedicated on May 21, 1989. Father (Maj.) William Barragy, the first American chaplain to die in Vietnam, is among those named on the monument. Barragy was killed on May 4, 1966, in a helicopter crash with 20 men on a mission for the Army's 101st Airborne Division, and posthumously received the Legion of Merit. The monument's inscription reads, "May God grant peace to them and to the nation they served so well."Most recently, a monument to 14 Jewish chaplains who died on active duty in the U.S. armed forces was dedicated on October 24, 2011. Its inscriptions include a Biblical quotation: "They were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions" (Samuel II, 1:22).
Sir John Dill
British Field Marshal Sir John Dill (1881-1944) is the highest-ranking foreign military officer buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Knighted in 1937, Dill served in the South African War and World War I, and commanded British forces in Palestine during the interwar years. When the United States entered World War II in December 1941, Dill was sent to Washington, D.C. as the representative for the combined British and American chiefs of staff. President Franklin D. Roosevelt awarded him 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 Franklin D. 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 November 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 Sir 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.) 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 the Congressional Joint Resolution honoring Dill and his Distinguished Service Medal citation.The pedestal design is attributed to noted architects William Welles Bosworth and Lawrence Grant White (of McKim, Mead & White). The landscape, attributed to Leon H. Zach (Olmstead Brothers and Chief of the Army Planning Branch), reflects the Beaux-Arts style popularized by the City Beautiful Movement of the early 20th century.
Pierre Charles L'Enfant
Pierre Charles L'Enfant was an engineer, architect and city planner who served in the Continental Army during the American Revolution and subsequently designed the spatial plan for Washington, D.C.Born in Paris in 1754, L'Enfant was the son of painter Pierre L'Enfant. He studied under his father at the Academie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture (Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture), one of France's most prestigious art institutions. In September 1776, he left France in order to join the American Revolution, serving first with the French Colonial Troops and then as an officer in the Continental Army Corps of Engineers. He served on George Washington's staff at Valley Forge, suffered a serious injury at the Siege of Savannah (1779), and spent six months as a prisoner of war after being captured by the British during the battle for Charleston (1780). Following his release, he continued serving in the Continental Army Engineers Corps.Discharged in 1784, when the Continental Army disbanded, L'Enfant established his reputation as an architect, receiving major commissions in Philadelphia and New York. He also designed the insignia of the Society of the Cincinnati, an organization of Continental Army officers. In 1789, he wrote President George Washington with a proposal to design the "federal city" that would be the new nation's capital; less than a year later, Washington appointed him to design what would become Washington, D.C. The L'Enfant Plan (whose original copy resides at the Library of Congress) envisioned Washington, D.C. as a four-quadrant grid, with north-south and east-west streets crossed by grand diagonal avenues. In conceptualizing the city plan, L'Enfant drew upon traditional European urban planning elements, along with neoclassical designs to emphasize the democratic character of the United States.Despite his later renown, L'Enfant died in poverty on June 14, 1825. He was originally buried on a farm in Prince George's County, Maryland, owned by his friend and benefactor William Dudley Digges. In 1908, the Board of Commissioners of the City of Washington asked the secretary of war to make available a suitable burial site in Arlington National Cemetery. On December 17, 1908, the secretary of war informed the Board of Commissioners that he had approved a site, located between the General Philip Sheridan Memorial Grave and the Arlington House flagstaff. On April 22, 1909, L'Enfant's remains were exhumed from the Digges farm, placed in a casket draped with the American flag and transported to Washington, D.C. The casket lay in state at the U.S. Capitol before being transported with military escort to Arlington National Cemetery. On April 28, 1909, L'Enfant received a military funeral as his remains were reinterred on a hillside overlooking the city that he had designed.On May 22, 1911, President William Howard Taft presided over the ceremony to dedicate a monument at L'Enfant's gravesite. Hundreds of guests attended the ceremony, including Ambassador Jean Jules Jusserand of France, members of Congress, Supreme Court justices and high-ranking military, diplomatic and city officials.Made of white marble, the monument consists of four slabs supported on six posts, with an oak leaf at each corner and a scalloped design around the edges. The east end (facing Arlington House) depicts L'Enfant's plan for Washington, D.C., with an epitaph below.
James Tanner Amphitheater
The James Tanner Amphitheater, or the "Old Amphitheater," was the site of the first Memorial Day ceremony held at Arlington Cemetery on May 30, 1868. When General John Logan declared the day of remembrance for Union soldiers who had died in the Civil War — then called Decoration Day — President Andrew Johnson supported the order by allowing Federal employees to take leave to attend the ceremonies. Those who gathered to remember the Civil War dead listened to General James A. Garfield speak from a temporary stand erected for the occasion.In 1873, on the fifth anniversary of the first Decoration Day celebrations, a permanent amphitheater was built on the site of the first ceremony. Designed by U.S. Army Quartermaster General Montgomery C. Meigs, a nationally acclaimed engineer, it was the first amphitheater to be constructed in a national cemetery. The architecture of Tanner Amphitheater — a radial pergola and elliptical stone walkway enclosed by brick piers supporting a wooden trellis — reflected the late 19th-century popularity of classicism, as well as the garden landscapes favored by the "rural cemetery" movement. Its modest structure resulted from a severe lack of federal funds during the decade after the Civil War. Construction was completed in 28 days, just in time for the Memorial Day ceremony that year. For the next four decades, presidents, commanders-in-chief of the Grand Army of the Republic (a veterans organization for those who had served in the U.S. armed forces during the Civil War) and other dignitaries addressed tens of thousands who traveled to Arlington National Cemetery to honor America's fallen service members.By the early 20th century, however, as Arlington National Cemetery became the nation's pre-eminent national cemetery, the modest size and design of the Old Amphitheater no longer seemed sufficient. A much larger, grander structure, Memorial Amphitheater, was dedicated on May 15, 1920. Despite the difference in scale, Memorial Amphitheater is structurally similar to its predecessor, with an elliptical plan surrounded by a colonnade and a rostrum on one side. On May 30, 2014, as part of the cemetery's 150th anniversary celebration, ANC renamed the Old Amphitheater in honor of James R. Tanner. Tanner, a corporal in the 87th New York Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War, suffered a gruesome wound at the Second Battle of Bull Run in August 1862, which resulted in the loss of both legs. After the war, this wounded warrior became a stenographer and was present both at Abraham Lincoln's deathbed and during the trial of the Lincoln conspirators. He was an advocate for veterans' rights and served for a time as the Commissioner of Pensions, and later became the commander in chief of the Grand Army of the Republic. Tanner is now buried a few yards from the structure that bears his name, in Section 2, Grave 877.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
The first Jewish woman appointed to the Supreme Court, and the second female justice, Ruth Bader Ginsburg (1933–2020) served on the nation’s highest court from August 10, 1993 until her death from metastatic pancreatic cancer on September 18, 2020. She is buried alongside her husband Martin, an Army veteran and distinguished tax attorney.Born in Brooklyn, New York, to working-class Jewish parents (her father immigrated from Russia as a child, and her mother was the daughter of Polish immigrants), Ginsburg attended Cornell University, Harvard Law School and Columbia Law School, graduating first in her class from the latter in 1959. Prior to her appointment on the Supreme Court, she taught law at Rutgers University and Columbia University (where she became the first female law professor to earn tenure); co-founded and directed the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Women’s Rights Project, winning five of six cases that she argued before the Supreme Court; and served on the U.S. Court of Appeals, District of Columbia.Described by Chief Justice John Roberts as “a tireless and resolute champion of justice,” Ginsburg steadfastly advocated for the equal rights of all U.S. citizens regardless of gender, race or religion—informed, in part, by her personal experiences with discrimination throughout her career. As the Court became increasingly conservative, Ginsburg became known for her forceful dissenting opinions, often articulated in impassioned oral arguments. “The Notorious RBG” — as supporters affectionately dubbed her — eventually became a feminist icon who inspired multiple generations of Americans.
Thurgood Marshall
Appointed by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1967, Thurgood Marshall was the first African American Supreme Court justice, and the only black justice during his 24-year tenure. Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Marshall attended segregated public schools and experienced racism firsthand. Rejected from the University of Maryland School of Law because he was black, Marshall attended Howard University Law School, graduating first in his class in 1933. After graduation, Marshall began practicing law in his hometown of Baltimore. In his first major court victory, in 1935 he successfully sued the University of Maryland Law School for denying admission to a black applicant on the grounds of race. In 1940, he founded and served as executive director of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. In that position, he argued numerous cases before the Supreme Court — including Brown v. Board of Education (1954), which held that the racial segregation of public schools violated the Constitution. Marshall won 29 of the 32 cases that he argued before the Supreme Court. In 1961, President John F. Kennedy appointed Marshall to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, and in 1965 President Johnson appointed him as Solicitor General — making him, at the time, the highest-ranking black government official in U.S. history. On the Supreme Court, Marshall consistently defended the constitutional protection of individual rights, including the rights of criminal defendants. He also continued advocating for the civil rights of African Americans and other minorities. He famously described his legal philosophy as, "You do what you think is right, and the law will catch up." Marshall's clerks included current Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan and such renowned law professors as Cass Sunstein and Randall L. Kennedy.
Chief Plenty Coups Artifacts
Chief Plenty Coups, a leader of the Crow Nation (Apsáalooke), was invited to represent American Indians at the burial ceremony for the World War I Unknown Soldier. He was known for his diplomatic abilities. During his time as chief (1876-1932), he worked to preserve his tribe’s land and way of life in the face of American settlement. After giving a short speech in the Crow language, Chief Plenty Coups removed his war bonnet and laid it, alongside his coup stick, on the Unknown Soldier’s casket. Both of these items held great significance in Crow culture as symbols of valor and bravery in battle.Plenty Coups spent his life advocating for the Crow Nation’s sovereignty and identity. He also supported education and military service as paths to citizenship and respect for American Indians. Over 12,000 American Indians served in World War I. However, American Indians gained citizenship only in 1924, after Congress passed the Indian Citizenship Act.
