ANC Blog - Army National Military Cemeteries Public Affairs Office

Last Surviving World War II Triple Ace Laid to Rest

Sun, 29 Mar 2026 20:37:00 GMT

On March 30, 2026, more than 100 people gathered at Arlington National Cemetery to honor and remember aviation legend Col. (Ret.) Clarence E. “Bud” Anderson, the last surviving World War II triple ace and one of the most distinguished fighter pilots in American history. (Shooting down five enemy aircraft qualifies a pilot as an ace.) Anderson, who passed away at age 102, was laid to rest in Section 38, joining his beloved wife of nearly 70 years, Eleanor “Ellie” Cosby, who was buried in 2015.

Five Years as a POW: U.S. Navy Capt. Edward Dale Estes and the Family That Waited for Him

Tue, 30 Sep 2025 13:06:00 GMT

On Jan. 3, 1968, a surface-to-air missile shot down U.S. Navy Capt. Edward Dale Estes’ A-4 Skyhawk aircraft over North Vietnam. Estes ejected from his damaged aircraft and landed safely, only to spend 1,898 days—more than five years—as a prisoner of war. For the first two years of his imprisonment, his wife and two young sons did not even know his fate.

From Vietnam to U.S. Marshalls: Lifetime Public Servant Honored at ANC

Mon, 29 Sep 2025 07:37:00 GMT

Arlington National Cemetery held a special place in the heart of U.S. Army Staff Sgt. (Ret.) William “Bill” Casteel Jr. When Casteel was stationed at nearby Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, he met his wife, Catherine Boatright Casteel. "He always wanted to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery due to its history of honor, tradition and legacy. He enjoyed the sense of pride and peacefulness he felt when he visited the cemetery, and wanted to ensure his service and sacrifice would not be forgotten after he was gone," said Hillary Hillmann, his step-granddaughter.

Friends and family gathered at ANC on Sept. 4, 2025, to honor Casteel’s life and legacy. Born in southwest Virginia as one of eight children, Casteel demonstrated a lifelong commitment to service, family and community.

Strength in Fellowship: Arlington National Cemetery Reflects on 9/11

Thu, 25 Sep 2025 16:16:00 GMT

On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, team members working at Arlington National Cemetery were preparing for a day conducting funerals for America’s military service members and their families. For many, their workday had just begun when, at 9:37 a.m., American Airlines Flight 77 soared past the cemetery’s serene landscape and crashed into the Pentagon. Plumes of dark smoke coming from the building contrasted with the meticulously uniformed white grave markers in the background. As the dust finally settled during the following days, Americans heard a call for national unity. As the years passed, many who gave their lives in the subsequent war would be laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery.

A Marine’s Witness to the Space Race

Mon, 08 Sep 2025 15:42:00 GMT

U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Thomas Grubaugh watched as Sigma 7, the Project Mercury space capsule piloted by astronaut Wally Schirra, splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on Oct. 3, 1962. At the time, Schirra was only the third American to orbit the Earth. Grubaugh snapped photographs of the historic moment from the aircraft carrier USS Kearsarge. “The ship had to slow down,” he later wrote, “or we would have hit the capsule.”

“Love Always”: A 70-Year Marriage and a Family’s Enduring Bond

Tue, 26 Aug 2025 13:46:00 GMT

When retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. George Kesnig passed away on March 13, 2024, his wife of 70 years, Clair, followed him 21 hours later. Their marriage was tried by war yet blessed with family.

Faith and Duty: The Story of Chaplain Joseph Mulqueen

Tue, 26 Aug 2025 13:08:00 GMT

U.S. Navy Chaplain (Cmdr.) Joseph Mulqueen served his country for 22 years, including time in Vietnam and at Arlington National Cemetery. On Aug. 14, 2025, his family and friends gathered at the cemetery to say farewell to the chaplain, whom they remembered as a humble man.

With the Tuskegee Airmen: The Story of Edna Webster Watson

Mon, 18 Aug 2025 16:26:00 GMT

During World War II, Edna Webster served in the communications office for the U.S. Army Air Forces’ 99th Fighter Squadron— the original unit of the famed Tuskegee Airmen. Her connection to the unit began a year earlier, when she met her future husband, Spann Watson, just days after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Dec. 7, 1941.

A Legacy of National Intelligence Leadership: Remembering Lt. Gen. Patrick Hughes

Fri, 15 Aug 2025 19:41:00 GMT

U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Patrick Hughes, a decorated leader in the U.S. intelligence community, was remembered for his extraordinary service to his country during a full military funeral honors with escort service at Arlington National Cemetery on Aug. 4, 2025.

Hughes’ 37-year military career, which began when he enlisted in 1962, culminated in his role as the director of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) before his retirement in 1999. He served in Vietnam and the Persian Gulf Wars, earning numerous awards for valor and sacrifice. After leaving the Army, Hughes continued his service to the nation as the Assistant Secretary for Information (Intelligence) Analysis at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in 2003, where his expertise helped the new agency.

Echoes of Khe Sanh: A Family Remembers

Mon, 11 Aug 2025 05:34:00 GMT

On Feb. 10, 1968, a C-130 Hercules transport aircraft braved intense enemy fire as it approached the landing strip at the besieged U.S. Marine Combat Base at Khe Sanh in South Vietnam. As it prepared to touch down, enemy bullets riddled the cockpit and fuselage.

Marine Corps Cpl. Robert Scruggs would later tell his three children about the chaos of that day. On the ground, Scruggs watched flames erupt from the craft and saw it careen off the runway, spin and come to a stop. The sight of the crash remained with him for the rest of his life. Scruggs also told his children that he had been shot in the leg while patrolling outside Khe Sanh’s perimeter and showed them his scar. “It was hard to get the full story from him,” Amy said. “You got pieces of stories over the years and then you had to squish them all together.”

A Legacy of Care: Remembering Army Nurse Col. Rose Marie Edinger

Fri, 01 Aug 2025 16:06:00 GMT

In mid-December 1990, as American forces built up in Saudi Arabia across the border from Iraq during Operation Desert Shield, U.S. Army Nurse then-Maj. Rose Marie Edinger reported to the headquarters of Maj. Gen. Barry McCaffrey, the commander of the 24th Infantry Division (Mechanized). She was there to attend a briefing and enjoy a dinner with the general and his staff. After the dinner, Edinger—who had been living on Meals Ready to Eat (MREs) for weeks —began gathering fruit from the table and putting it in her pockets.

U.S. Army Chaplain Corps Celebrates 250 Years of Service

Tue, 29 Jul 2025 12:58:00 GMT

Chaplains from across the U.S. Army gathered at Arlington National Cemetery’s Chaplains Hill on July 25, 2025, to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Chaplain Corps. Established during the American Revolution, the Corps was created on July 29, 1775, when the Continental Congress authorized a Chaplain for each of the Continental Army’s 38 regiments.

“Welcome Home, Brother”: Vietnam Pilot Lt. Col. Donald "Donny” Downing Laid to Rest

Wed, 16 Jul 2025 19:39:21 GMT

On the night of Sept. 5, 1967, two U.S. Air Force F-4C Phantom II jets flew a reconnaissance mission over North Vietnam. Suddenly, one of the two-man crews saw a fireball light up the night’s sky. At that moment, the crew lost contact with the jet flown by Capt. Donald “Donny” William Downing. At sunrise the next morning, search and rescue efforts attempted to find Downing and his radar operator, but the searchers found nothing.

A Living Tribute: National Association of Landscape Professionals' Annual Renewal and Remembrance Event

Wed, 16 Jul 2025 07:44:00 GMT

Twelve-year-old Lily Ginn and her nine-year-old sister Ainsley enjoyed planting flowers outside Arlington National Cemetery’s Receiving Vault in Section 13. “It's fun watching all of them come together when they're on the ground,” Lily said. Ainsley added, “I like helping the Earth.”

The two girls had been brought to the cemetery by their father, Brad Ginn, a landscaper and former Marine, who was volunteering for the 29th annual National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP) Renewal and Remembrance event on July 15, 2025.

A Lasting Impact: Physical Therapist Treated Wounded Korean War Soldiers

Tue, 15 Jul 2025 07:41:00 GMT

Marian Barrett may not have served her country in uniform, but she did serve her country by treating wounded soldiers coming back from the Korean War. On June 25, 2025, Marian was laid to rest with her husband of more than 40 years, Lt. Col. James “Jim” Barrett, a veteran of World War II and the Korean War who died in 2008.

“That’s My Beach”: Son Remembers Father Who Served on Ship Off Omaha Beach on D-Day

Mon, 14 Jul 2025 07:01:00 GMT

Jack Felton knew that his father, U.S. Navy Signalman 3rd Class Petty Officer Carl Felton, had been present during the D-Day landings in World War II, but he did not know his role until 1998, when he took his father to see “Saving Private Ryan.” As the movie began and the words, “June 6, 1944, Dog Green Sector, Omaha Beach,” flashed onto the screen, Jack recalled his father leaning over to him and whispering, “That’s my beach.”

Remembering a WWII Marine Who Played a Role in Historic Guadalcanal Flag Raising

Mon, 30 Jun 2025 13:28:00 GMT

On Aug. 7, 1942, U.S. Marine Corps Capt. Robert H. Dillard (pictured, above right) splashed ashore at Guadalcanal with Weapons Company, Fifth Marines, part of the initial Allied assault force . He made his way inland and, on the second day of the campaign, reached the Japanese airfield where an enemy flag flapped in the breeze. “It was hauled down and the stars and stripes were run up,” Dillard wrote years later. “The flag we put up was only about a foot long, but it sure looked good.”

Arlington National Cemetery Tour Celebrates Army’s 250th Birthday

Wed, 25 Jun 2025 21:29:00 GMT

About 30 people braved the Washington, D.C., area summer heat to tour Arlington National Cemetery and learn about the U.S. Army’s history on June 22, 2025. They took the “Global Wars, Global Warriors: Army History in the 20th Century Tour” hosted by ANMC Historians Dr. Allison Finkelstein and Tim Frank.

WWII Veteran Identified and Buried After More Than 80 Years

Fri, 20 Jun 2025 15:13:06 GMT

When Jeremiah “Jerry” Mannell learned that his uncle and namesake, Jeremiah “Jerry” Mahoney, had been identified after being missing in action for more than 80 years, he felt both relieved and saddened: relieved that his uncle had been identified, but saddened that his uncle’s immediate family had passed away without knowing what happened to him. “None of my siblings knew anything about him,” Mannell said. “We only knew he was lost in World War II.”

Sergeant of the Guard Conducts Last Walk at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Tue, 17 Jun 2025 06:31:00 GMT

On June 2, 2025, Tomb Guard Sgt. 1st Class Andrew Jay stood on Arlington National Cemetery’s Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Plaza and held up a white rose. Then, he dropped to one knee and laid it at the base of the Tomb, which is the gravesite for an Unknown Soldier from World War I. Jay then laid a rose at each crypt that honors the other Unknowns: those who had served in World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. Jay had just made his last “walk” as a Tomb Guard. Since 1948, soldiers from the U.S. Army’s 3d Infantry Regiment “The Old Guard” have guarded the Tomb 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. In a poignant tradition, departing Tomb Guards lay roses at the Tomb to honor the Unknowns during their final walk.