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 ...

AUTHORS

A Humble Sergeant: Edward F. Younger and the Unknown Soldier

By Tim Frank, ANC Historian on 10/20/2021

On October 24, 1921, when Sergeant Edward F. Younger entered City Hall in Châlons-sur-Marne, France, and gazed upon the four identical caskets that lay before him, he embarked on a task that forever linked him to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

ANC Historian
Tim Frank

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

The American Battle Monuments Commission and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

By on 10/18/2021

For one hundred years, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier has represented America’s eternal dedication to honoring not just the unknowns buried there, but all unknown dead from the nation’s wars. The American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) shares in Arlington National Cemetery’s mission to honor and remember unknown U.S. service members. 

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

From Manila Bay to Philadelphia: The Life and Service of USS Olympia

By Tim Frank, ANC Historian on 10/12/2021

To commemorate the 2021 centennial of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, as well as the U.S. Navy’s 246th birthday on October 13, we honor the USS Olympia—the legendary Navy ship that brought the World War I Unknown Soldier home to the United States from France in 1921. 

ANC Historian
Tim Frank

Zitkala-Sa: Civic Leader, Writer, Advocate for American Indians

During National Native American Heritage Month, we are proud to honor the life and legacy of Zitkála-Ša (Gertrude Simmons Bonnin), who is buried in Section 2, Grave 4703. Zitkála-Ša, whose name means “Red Bird,” was one of the most important American Indian activists and writers of the 20th century.

Historian
Jenifer Leigh Van Vleck
PhD

245th Birthday of the U.S. Marine Corps

On November 10, 1775, the Continental Congress authorized two battalions of Marines to be raised. Two weeks later, Samuel Nicholas was commissioned a Captain of Marines by the Continental Congress. He is traditionally regarded as the first Commandant of the Marine Corps. Read our guest blog post from the National Museum of the Marine Corps to learn more about important moments in Marine Corps history. 

Historian
Jenifer Leigh Van Vleck
PhD

The Navy Legacy at Arlington National Cemetery

By on 10/13/2020

As the nation commemorates the 245th birthday of the United States Navy, we take a moment to reflect on those sailors and civilians who faithfully served the Navy and were laid to rest in the hallowed ground of Arlington National Cemetery (ANC). 

“The Monitor Is No More:” Honoring the Lost Men of USS Monitor

By on 10/12/2020

As part of the 245th anniversary of the birth of the United States Navy, we are highlighting a small monument at Arlington National Cemetery that honors the sixteen men from the Civil War ironclad USS Monitor who perished in the sinking of the vessel in a gale off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina on New Year’s Eve, 1862.

A Latino Legacy in the Air Force: Hector Santa Anna

To commemorate Hispanic Heritage Month, as well as the recent birthday of the United States Air Force (USAF), today we honor the service of one Latino USAF veteran buried at Arlington: Hector Santa Anna, a decorated World War II B-17 bomber pilot, Berlin Airlift pilot and career military leader with a memorable last name. Santa Anna happened to be the great-great nephew of Mexican general Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, who famously led the siege of the Alamo during the Texas Revolution of 1836. But this Santa Anna fought for the United States—beginning in the Army Air Corps during World War II and continuing with the Air Force after its establishment as an independent service branch in 1947.