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"Selfless": Honoring Air Force Pioneer Col. Joseph Kittinger, Jr.

By Kevin M. Hymel on 9/17/2024

On Sept. 9, 2024, four U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcons roared over Arlington National Cemetery, and one soared out in the “missing man” formation as a final salute to Col. Joseph Kittinger, Jr., a wing commander during the Vietnam War. As the honor guard carried Kittinger’s urn to Section 36A, a lone airman held high an MIA/POW flag, honoring Kittinger’s eleven months in a North Vietnamese prison camp.

Pearl Harbor Sailor from USS California Laid to Rest

By Kevin M. Hymel on 9/10/2024

Cheryle Stone did not even know she had a second cousin—much less one who had been killed at Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941—until the U.S. Navy contacted her in 2021, asking for a DNA sample. The sample matched, and Stone was suddenly connected to history.

Chaplain Fox of World War II’s “Famous Four Chaplains” Memorialized

By Kevin M. Hymel on 9/10/2024

U.S. Army Chaplain (Lt.) George Fox personified the ideals of a military chaplain: love, leadership and sacrifice. On the night of Feb. 3, 1943, a German torpedo struck the U.S. Army Transport Ship Dorchester. Fox, and three other chaplains onboard, calmed panicked men, gave their life vests to men without them, helped men into the lifeboats and then remained on the sinking ship, praying for their fellow soldiers’ safety.

How Tomb Guards Beat the Heat

By Kevin M. Hymel on 8/28/2024

During the searing summer heat of 2024, visitors to Arlington National Cemetery fanned themselves and sought shade. The Tomb Guards, meanwhile, were undeterred by the high temperatures. They conducted their 24/7 duty to guard the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, walking smartly in front of the Tomb wearing their black shoes, long slacks, white gloves, wool blouses and service caps.

Veterans Drop into ANC to Honor Airborne Day

By Kevin M. Hymel on 8/21/2024

American paratroopers, past and present, descended into Arlington National Cemetery on National Airborne Day, Aug.16, 2024, to honor those who pioneered the airborne concept and others who jumped into battle. Two separate groups came to lay wreaths at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier: the 82nd Airborne Division Association and the Round Canopy Parachuting Team-USA.

Ninety-six-year-old World War II veteran Harry Miller led the wreath layers for the 82nd Airborne Division Association. Although never a paratrooper himself, Miller serv

Educating a New Generation About Arlington National Cemetery’s Landscape and Legacy

By Kevin M. Hymel on 8/2/2024

Around 20 children were among the hundreds of orange-vest-clad volunteers who came to Arlington National Cemetery on July 15, 2024, as part of the National Association of Landscape Professionals’ (NALP) annual “Renewal and Remembrance” event. NALP’s Children’s Program focuses on learning about the cemetery’s landscape and history.

“A Marine’s Marine”: Commandant Gen. Alfred Gray Laid to Rest at ANC

By Kevin M. Hymel on 8/1/2024

The U.S. Marine Corps bade farewell to one of its esteemed leaders when Gen. Alfred Gray, the 29th Commandant of the Marine Corps, was buried at Arlington National Cemetery on July 29, 2024. Cannons roared, Harrier jump jets flew a missing-man formation and a Marine Corps firing team fired three volleys during the funeral service in Section 35.

Standing Tall at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

By Kevin M. Hymel on 7/31/2024

When Spc. Malachi Hamber walks out to relieve the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, he always draws attention. Standing at 6 feet 9 inches tall, Hamber is the tallest current Tomb Guard Sentinel, and possibly the tallest Sentinel in the Guard’s history.

Eighteen-Year-Old Sailor Killed at Pearl Harbor Buried at ANC

By Kevin M. Hymel on 7/3/2024

U.S. Navy Seaman Second Class Challis James celebrated his eighteenth birthday three weeks before his death at Pearl Harbor, on Dec. 7, 1941. He was serving aboard the battleship USS Oklahoma when several Japanese torpedoes slammed into its hull, forcing it to capsize. The ship became his grave.

Beloved Cavalry Commander Laid to Rest at ANC

By Kevin M. Hymel on 6/28/2024

Almost 100 people came to Section 78 of Arlington National Cemetery on June 25, 2024, to bid farewell to retired U.S. Army Col. James “Glenn” Snodgrass, who fought in Vietnam and served in Germany at the height of the Cold War.