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With the Tuskegee Airmen: The Story of Edna Webster Watson

During World War II, Edna Webster served in the communications office for the U.S. Army Air Forces’ 99th Fighter Squadron— the original unit of the famed Tuskegee Airmen. Her connection to the unit began a year earlier, when she met her future husband, Spann Watson, just days after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Dec. 7, 1941.  

A Legacy of National Intelligence Leadership: Remembering Lt. Gen. Patrick Hughes

U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Patrick Hughes, a decorated leader in the U.S. intelligence community, was remembered for his extraordinary service to his country during a full military funeral honors with escort service at Arlington National Cemetery on Aug. 4, 2025. 

Hughes’ 37-year military career, which began when he enlisted in 1962, culminated in his role as the director of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) before his retirement in 1999. He served in Vietnam and the Persian Gulf Wars, earning numerous awards for valor and sacrifice. After leaving the Army, Hughes continued his service to the nation as the Assistant Secretary for Information (Intelligence) Analysis at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in 2003, where his expertise helped the new agency. 

Echoes of Khe Sanh: A Family Remembers

On Feb. 10, 1968, a C-130 Hercules transport aircraft braved intense enemy fire as it approached the landing strip at the besieged U.S. Marine Combat Base at Khe Sanh in South Vietnam. As it prepared to touch down, enemy bullets riddled the cockpit and fuselage.   

Marine Corps Cpl. Robert Scruggs would later tell his three children about the chaos of that day. On the ground, Scruggs watched flames erupt from the craft and saw it careen off the runway, spin and come to a stop. The sight of the crash remained with him for the rest of his life. Scruggs also told his children that he had been shot in the leg while patrolling outside Khe Sanh’s perimeter and showed them his scar. “It was hard to get the full story from him,” Amy said. “You got pieces of stories over the years and then you had to squish them all together.”  

A Legacy of Care: Remembering Army Nurse Col. Rose Marie Edinger

In mid-December 1990, as American forces built up in Saudi Arabia across the border from Iraq during Operation Desert Shield, U.S. Army Nurse then-Maj. Rose Marie Edinger reported to the headquarters of Maj. Gen. Barry McCaffrey, the commander of the 24th Infantry Division (Mechanized). She was there to attend a briefing and enjoy a dinner with the general and his staff. After the dinner, Edinger—who had been living on Meals Ready to Eat (MREs) for weeks —began gathering fruit from the table and putting it in her pockets.  

U.S. Army Chaplain Corps Celebrates 250 Years of Service

Chaplains from across the U.S. Army gathered at Arlington National Cemetery’s Chaplains Hill on July 25, 2025, to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Chaplain Corps. Established during the American Revolution, the Corps was created on July 29, 1775, when the Continental Congress authorized a Chaplain for each of the Continental Army’s 38 regiments. 

“Welcome Home, Brother”: Vietnam Pilot Lt. Col. Donald "Donny” Downing Laid to Rest

On the night of Sept. 5, 1967, two U.S. Air Force F-4C Phantom II jets flew a reconnaissance mission over North Vietnam. Suddenly, one of the two-man crews saw a fireball light up the night’s sky. At that moment, the crew lost contact with the jet flown by Capt. Donald “Donny” William Downing. At sunrise the next morning, search and rescue efforts attempted to find Downing and his radar operator, but the searchers found nothing. 

A Living Tribute: National Association of Landscape Professionals' Annual Renewal and Remembrance Event

Twelve-year-old Lily Ginn and her nine-year-old sister Ainsley enjoyed planting flowers outside Arlington National Cemetery’s Receiving Vault in Section 13. “It's fun watching all of them come together when they're on the ground,” Lily said. Ainsley added, “I like helping the Earth.”  

The two girls had been brought to the cemetery by their father, Brad Ginn, a landscaper and former Marine, who was volunteering for the 29th annual National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP) Renewal and Remembrance event on July 15, 2025.  

A Lasting Impact: Physical Therapist Treated Wounded Korean War Soldiers

Marian Barrett may not have served her country in uniform, but she did serve her country by treating wounded soldiers coming back from the Korean War. On June 25, 2025, Marian was laid to rest with her husband of more than 40 years, Lt. Col. James “Jim” Barrett, a veteran of World War II and the Korean War who died in 2008.  

“That’s My Beach”: Son Remembers Father Who Served on Ship Off Omaha Beach on D-Day

Jack Felton knew that his father, U.S. Navy Signalman 3rd Class Petty Officer Carl Felton, had been present during the D-Day landings in World War II, but he did not know his role until 1998, when he took his father to see “Saving Private Ryan.” As the movie began and the words, “June 6, 1944, Dog Green Sector, Omaha Beach,” flashed onto the screen, Jack recalled his father leaning over to him and whispering, “That’s my beach.” 

Remembering a WWII Marine Who Played a Role in Historic Guadalcanal Flag Raising

On Aug. 7, 1942, U.S. Marine Corps Capt. Robert H. Dillard (pictured, above right) splashed ashore at Guadalcanal with Weapons Company, Fifth Marines, part of the initial Allied assault force . He made his way inland and, on the second day of the campaign, reached the Japanese airfield where an enemy flag flapped in the breeze. “It was hauled down and the stars and stripes were run up,” Dillard wrote years later. “The flag we put up was only about a foot long, but it sure looked good.”