Wreaths Across America: Saturday, Dec. 14

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Published on: Monday, December 9, 2024 read more ...

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Author: Kevin M. Hymel
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Tomb Guard Spc. Jessica Kwiatkowski Leaves Powerful Legacy

By Kevin M. Hymel on 10/8/2024

Spc. Jessica Kwiatkowski had a notable tenure as a Tomb Guard with the 3d Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) at Arlington National Cemetery. Not only was she the first woman infantry soldier to earn a Tomb Badge, but she also gained notoriety when a video of her guarding the Tomb during a severe thunderstorm went viral.

Medevac Crews and a POW: A Special Honor Flight Highlights Cold War Service

By Kevin M. Hymel on 10/4/2024

A special honor flight came to Arlington National Cemetery on Sept. 25, 2024. Typically, military veterans from a specific state or city comprise honor flights—gatherings to tour memorials in Washington, D.C., as well as Arlington National Cemetery. This honor flight, however, involved not only veterans from Kansas City, but also Vietnam War medevac crew members from all over the United States. On Sept. 17, 2024, Congress passed legislation to award these medevac crew members the Congressional Gold Medal. Commonly known by their call sign, “Dustoff,” they flew unarmed helicopters, adorned with a red cross, onto active battlefields to retrieve the wounded.

Gold Star Mothers and Families Honor the Fallen

By Kevin M. Hymel on 10/3/2024

Retired U.S. Army Sgt. Maj. Ivory Hinton had to pause several times to compose himself while addressing a group of Gold Star Mothers, civilians and U.S. military service members gathered in Arlington National Cemetery’s Memorial Chapel on Sept. 29, 2024, for the annual Gold Star Mother’s and Family’s Day. He paused the first time after listing three soldiers who were killed in Iraq under his command. “While I hold memories of each of them close to my heart,” he said before pausing, “it was Spc. Lucas Elliott who was the most recent KIA under my leadership in Basra, Iraq, on July 15, 2011.” He paused again, this time longer, before explaining how losing men under his command had tested his resolve.

“For the Last Time, Post:” Tomb Guard Bids Farewell to ANC

By Kevin M. Hymel on 10/1/2024

During the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on the morning of Friday, Sept. 20, 2024, Spc. Jonathan Radabaugh said something unique to the relief guard: “Spc. Adam Platt, for the last time, post.” Platt spent the next half hour guarding the Tomb until Radabaugh came out again to replace him with another guard, at which point he stated: “Spc. Adam Platt, for the last time, fall out.”

First Black Army Lieutenant General Laid to Rest

By Kevin M. Hymel on 9/24/2024

Lt. Gen. Arthur J. Gregg achieved two firsts in U.S. Army history: He was the first Black Army officer to reach the rank of lieutenant general and the first living person to have an Army post named for him. He attended the renaming ceremony at Fort Gregg-Adams, Virginia, formerly Fort Lee, on April 27, 2023.

Belgian Officials Honor Those Who Died in World War I

By Kevin M. Hymel on 9/23/2024

A group of Belgian officials came to Arlington National Cemetery on Sept. 16, 2024, to honor the fallen from World War I. They included Defense Attaché to the Embassy of Belgium Brig. Gen. Bart Verbist; Director of the Ypres Last Post Association Carl Denys; and two Belgian Army buglers, Cpl. Tonny Desodt and Adjutant Christophe Wils. The Doughboy Foundation, which has an exchange program with Belgium, hosted the group—most of whom were in Washington, D.C., for the unveiling of a new sculpture at the World War I Memorial. Doughboy Foundation Director Jari Villanueva gave his guests a tour of the Memorial Amphitheater Display Room, which features exhibits on the history of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and its origins during World War I.

"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.