Tram Service, Dec. 12-13

Today, Dec. 12: In preparation for Wreaths Across America, tram ticket sales and gravesite shuttle service will stop at 11 a.m. Tomrrow, Dec. 13: NO tram or gravesite shuttle service. 

Published on: Friday, December 12, 2025 read more ...

AUTHORS

Author: Kevin M. Hymel
152 found

Andre Maginot: The French Patriot Who Bade Farewell to the Unknown Soldier

By Kevin M. Hymel on 10/22/2021

On October 25, 1921, France’s Minister of Pensions, André Maginot, stood before the flag-draped casket of America’s Unknown Soldier on the dock at Le Havre, France. Flanked by members of the American and French military, civilians, and cameramen, he concluded his remarks by speaking to both the American Unknown Soldier and the French Unknown Soldier: “We can no more separate you than we can separate the two flags which the enemy brought together,” he stated. Then, tall and erect even while leaning on a cane, Maginot placed the French Legion of Honor medal on the casket before it was borne on the shoulders of American sailors and marines for the journey home aboard the USS Olympia.

Kevin M. Hymel
Contract Historian
Kevin M. Hymel

Patton and World War I’s Unknown Soldier

By Kevin M. Hymel on 10/20/2021

In 1921, Major George S. Patton Jr. held an important role during ceremonies for America’s World War I Unknown Soldier. The man who would become an iconic general, known for commanding victorious armies in World War II, was then the commander of the 3rd Cavalry Regiment’s 3rd Cavalry Squadron. On November 9, 1921, Patton helped escort the Unknown Soldier’s casket from the USS Olympia to the U.S. Capitol, where the Unknown would lie in state for two days. On November 11, the day of the Unknown’s burial ceremony, he marched in the procession that escorted the casket to Arlington National Cemetery.

Kevin M. Hymel
Contract Historian
Kevin M. Hymel

Public Invited to Honor the Centennial of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

By Kevin M. Hymel on 10/13/2021

Arlington National Cemetery (ANC) is inviting the public to participate in honoring the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier centennial. This November 11 will mark 100 years since the Unknown Soldier from World War I was laid to rest in the newly constructed Tomb on the plaza of the cemetery’s Memorial Amphitheater.

Kevin M. Hymel
Contract Historian
Kevin M. Hymel

ANC Remembers One of Thousands Who Sacrificed All on D-Day

By Kevin M. Hymel on 6/5/2020

In honor of the 76th anniversary of D-Day, the Allied invasion of Normandy, France, on June 6, 1944, we remember one of the thousands of ordinary Americans and Allies who sacrificed their lives in the long effort to liberate Europe during World War II.

Kevin M. Hymel
Contract Historian
Kevin M. Hymel

“Beetle” Smith and the Surrender of Nazi Germany

By Kevin M. Hymel on 5/8/2020

To commemorate the 75th anniversary of Victory in Europe (VE) Day, today we spotlight U.S. Army Lieutenant General Walter Bedell “Beetle” Smith (1895-1961) who is buried in Section 7 of Arlington National Cemetery.

Kevin M. Hymel

The Capture of Berchtesgaden

By Kevin M. Hymel on 5/2/2020

After Adolf Hitler took his own life on April 30, 1945, and Soviet forces captured Berlin on May 2, only one prize remained for the Allies: Berchtesgaden, the town near Adolf Hitler’s mountaintop retreat.

Kevin M. Hymel

Doolittle Raider Richard Cole

By Kevin M. Hymel on 4/18/2020

Seventy-eight years ago today, on April 18, 1942, Lieutenant Richard Cole sat next to Lieutenant Colonel Jimmy Doolittle as Doolittle flew his twin-engine North American B-25 Mitchell bomber off the deck of the USS Hornet in the Pacific Ocean. 

Kevin M. Hymel

JFK’s World War II Rescuer

By Kevin M. Hymel on 2/18/2020

Without William F. Liebenow, there might not have been a President John F. Kennedy. Today, thousands of people make a pilgrimage to Kennedy’s grave at Arlington National Cemetery, while few people visit the simple headstone that marks Liebenow’s grave in nearby Section 62.

Kevin M. Hymel

Air Force Chief of Chaplains Recalls a Flyover

By Kevin M. Hymel on 2/12/2020

Chaplain (Major General) Steven Schaick, the U.S. Air Force Chief of Chaplains, spent three years as a young captain conducting funerals at Arlington National Cemetery. He has plenty of fond memories of his service there, but ask him about his most poignant recollection and he’ll tell you about the flyover.

Kevin M. Hymel

Laying a Wreath at ANC

By Kevin M. Hymel on 2/11/2020

Valerie Haeder enjoyed the pine scent wafting from the back of the truck filled with wreaths as she waited to receive hers. “It’s Christmas in a truck,” she recalled.

Kevin M. Hymel