REAL ID Requirements

Beginning May 7, 2025, all individuals over the age of 18 who are authorized to drive onto Arlington National Cemetery should be prepared to present a REAL ID at the security checkpoint.

Published on: Tuesday, April 29, 2025 read more ...

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Family Gathers at ANC for Korean War POW-MIA Memorial Service

By Kevin M. Hymel on 7/10/2023

Pvt. First Class Alfred C. Bordeau joined the U.S. Army at age 17, spent his 18th birthday in a North Korean prisoner of war camp, and died before he turned 19. He left behind no wife or children, and his body was never returned to the United States. Yet his extended family made sure he would be remembered in a memorial service at Arlington National Cemetery (ANC) on July 7, 2023.

British Prime Minister Speaks of Unity During ANC Visit

By Kevin M. Hymel on 6/7/2023

“We continue to work together,” British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told Arlington National Cemetery superintendent Charles “Ray” Alexander as he toured historic displays inside the cemetery’s Memorial Amphitheater on June 7, 2023. Sunak had been speaking about the historically strong bond between the United States and the United Kingdom

Public Reflects on Flowers of Remembrance

By Kevin M. Hymel on 6/1/2023

They stood in a line that stretched from the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier to the western entrance to the Memorial Amphitheater, each person holding a flower. On Sunday, May 28, 2023, people from across the United States, and further, came to Arlington National Cemetery (ANC) to honor those who had fallen in duty to their country. Each laid a flower at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, a new tradition at ANC called Flowers of Remembrance Day.

Old Guard Soldiers Place Flags at ANC Headstones

By Kevin M. Hymel on 5/25/2023

The soldiers of the 3d U.S. Infantry (The Old Guard) never rush when they place American flags in front of headstones and niches at Arlington National Cemetery (ANC) in preparation for Memorial Day.

ANMC Preservationists Help Rebuild Gates at Soldiers' and Airmen's Home National Cemetery

By Kevin M. Hymel on 5/25/2023

Two Army National Military Cemeteries (ANMC) preservationists are leading the effort to restore two historic gates at the Soldiers’ and Airmen’s National Cemetery in Washington, D.C. Caitlin Smith, ANMC’s cultural resources program manager, and Daniel Holcombe, the conservation program manager, are overseeing the restoration of the main entrance and lodge gates to their post-Civil War status. Smith and Holcombe provide subject matter expertise to ANMC staff, ensuring that preservation best practices are incorporated into every project.

ANC Staff Prepare the Cemetery for Memorial Day

By Kevin M. Hymel on 5/23/2023

On May 22, 2022, Arlington National Cemetery’s Superintendent Charles “Ray” Alexander strapped on a safety harness and climbed into a cherry picker. The machine raised him about 30 feet to the apse of the cemetery’s Memorial Amphitheater. Once he reached the top, he pulled on a rope attached to an American flag below. As he drew up the rope, the flag unfurled out of its box as U.S. Army Sgt. Maj. Donny Davis, the senior enlisted advisor to ANC’s executive director, steadied the flag and ensured it did not touch the ground.

Dutch Flowers of Appreciation

By Kevin M. Hymel on 5/10/2023

As Arlington National Cemetery prepares for Flowers of Remembrance Day on May 28, 2023, it is a fitting time to remember some other ways in which flowers have honored military service and sacrifice.

President of the Philippines Visits ANC

By Kevin M. Hymel on 5/9/2023

President of the Philippines Ferdinand Marcos Jr. took particular interest in Arlington National Cemetery when he came to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on May 4, 2023. Accompanied by Maj. Gen. Allan M. Pepin, commander of the Joint Task Force-National Capital Region and U.S. Army Military District of Washington, Marcos walked past the joint honor guard and laid a wreath before heading into the cemetery’s Memorial Amphitheater display room.

Stock Car Champion Denny Hamlin Tours ANC

By Kevin M. Hymel on 5/5/2023

By Kevin M. Hymel, Contract Historian

Denny Hamlin’s mother took great pride in her son’s visit to Arlington National Cemetery. While the stock car driver took in these hallowed grounds on May 3, 2023, she texted him an important message: “Isn’t it amazing the honor you have to go there today and lay a wreath?”