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Published on: Friday, August 22, 2025 read more ...

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Five Years as a POW: U.S. Navy Capt. Edward Dale Estes and the Family That Waited for Him

On Jan. 3, 1968, a surface-to-air missile shot down U.S. Navy Capt. Edward Dale Estes’ A-4 Skyhawk aircraft over North Vietnam. Estes ejected from his damaged aircraft and landed safely, only to spend 1,898 days—more than five years—as a prisoner of war. For the first two years of his imprisonment, his wife and two young sons did not even know his fate. 

From Vietnam to U.S. Marshalls: Lifetime Public Servant Honored at ANC

Arlington National Cemetery held a special place in the heart of U.S. Army Staff Sgt. (Ret.) William “Bill” Casteel Jr. When Casteel was stationed at nearby Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, he met his wife, Catherine Boatright Casteel. "He always wanted to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery due to its history of honor, tradition and legacy. He enjoyed the sense of pride and peacefulness he felt when he visited the cemetery, and wanted to ensure his service and sacrifice would not be forgotten after he was gone," said Hillary Hillmann, his step-granddaughter.

Friends and family gathered at ANC on Sept. 4, 2025, to honor Casteel’s life and legacy. Born in southwest Virginia as one of eight children, Casteel demonstrated a lifelong commitment to service, family and community.

Strength in Fellowship: Arlington National Cemetery Reflects on 9/11

On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, team members working at Arlington National Cemetery were preparing for a day conducting funerals for America’s military service members and their families. For many, their workday had just begun when, at 9:37 a.m., American Airlines Flight 77 soared past the cemetery’s serene landscape and crashed into the Pentagon. Plumes of dark smoke coming from the building contrasted with the meticulously uniformed white grave markers in the background. As the dust finally settled during the following days, Americans heard a call for national unity. As the years passed, many who gave their lives in the subsequent war would be laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery.  

A Marine’s Witness to the Space Race

U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Thomas Grubaugh watched as Sigma 7, the Project Mercury space capsule piloted by astronaut Wally Schirra, splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on Oct. 3, 1962. At the time, Schirra was only the third American to orbit the Earth. Grubaugh snapped photographs of the historic moment from the aircraft carrier USS Kearsarge. “The ship had to slow down,” he later wrote, “or we would have hit the capsule.”   

A Soldier’s Continued Service: The Legacy of Lt. Col. Gail Hartjen

By Kevin M. Hymel on 9/3/2025

In 1990, when retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Gail Hartjen learned about the Hampton Roads Good Samaritan Foundation, which helped place homeless people in homes, she decided to help. She called Marie Boyd, a chaplain with the Newport News Fire Department, who ran the foundation, and asked her how she could assist. It was the start of a 35-year friendship. On July 9, 2025, Boyd said a final farewell to her friend at Arlington National Cemetery. 

“Love Always”: A 70-Year Marriage and a Family’s Enduring Bond

When retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. George Kesnig passed away on March 13, 2024, his wife of 70 years, Clair, followed him 21 hours later. Their marriage was tried by war yet blessed with family. 

Faith and Duty: The Story of Chaplain Joseph Mulqueen

U.S. Navy Chaplain (Cmdr.) Joseph Mulqueen served his country for 22 years, including time in Vietnam and at Arlington National Cemetery. On Aug. 14, 2025, his family and friends gathered at the cemetery to say farewell to the chaplain, whom they remembered as a humble man. 

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.”