Wreaths Across America
Christmas at Arlington National Cemetery
Where Valor Proudly Sleeps . . .
Rest easy, sleep well my brothers . . .
Know the line has held, your job is done.
Rest easy, sleep well.
Others have taken up where you fell, the line has held.
Peace, Sleep, and farewell . . .
I had the honor of traveling to Washington DC to place wreaths on friends’ graves. I had done this in Alaska for several years at the military cemetery in Fort Richardson. Over the years I have wanted to do this in Arlington National Cemetery. I was asked by my friends, Jan and Nate to join them for the annual event for Wreaths Across America.
Arlington Cemetery has had the honor of having the headstones dressed in wreaths from the Worcester Wreath Company, Harrington Maine since 1992. Morrill Worchester the president of the company had visited Arlington Cemetery at the age of 14, and its imagery had an impact since.
"When people hear about what we do at Arlington, I am often asked if I am a veteran," Worcester says. "I am not. But I have made it my business to never forget."
He started Wreaths Across America (www.wreathsacrossamerica.org) placing wreaths in all 50 states.
We met up on Friday evening for dinner at historic Ben’s Chili Bowl, a Washington landmark since 1958. Jan and Nat met the owner as the food was prepared. Great chili, delicious hot dogs, and wonderful company and fellowship. We went back to the hotel after trying to go to the Spy Museum, but it was closing so all we could do was look at things in the lobby. Who knew that there was even a place like that to visit. We saw the original James Bond Aston Martin car in the lobby.
Saturday morning had a crispness in the air, cold temperatures and blue skies. There were many military personnel staying in our hotel who were working at Arlington to provide crowd control, directions and place wreaths. We took an Uber to the entrance avoiding parking and the large crowds.
I was in awe as thousands of people were making their way through security and into Arlington National Cemetery. I was using their app to locate the gravesites of those I wished to place wreaths on. They were scattered in different sections of the rolling hill landscape.
Walking the grounds of Arlington National Cemetery you easily come to grasp the enormity of this hallowed ground. Row after row; white headstone next to white headstone, Arlington covers almost one square mile of land in the rolling hills of the cemetery. It’s humbling and inspiring at the same time seeing the sacrifice made by so many for our Nation’s Freedom. You also realize that this is just one site, with so many others all over the country, filled with fallen servicemen. It gives one the impact of the true cost of war and how many were affected then and today. There are anywhere from 10 to 30 burials a day in Arlington.
There were trailers scattered around the different sections filled with wreaths. People would form a line going up and getting one or several to place on the headstones.
Trailer full of wreaths and line forming behind it
We found my friend Tracy Fulton See’s parents headstone as we made our way around the cemetery.
Headstones – William H. Fulton & Thelma Mary Fulton
We walked to another section to place a wreath on my friend Barbra Manker’s brother, Paul Voss headstone. Slowly, more and more headstones are being dressed for Christmas, wreaths quietly and gently placed while the names are spoken, a thank you with a hand salute. It is emotional and moving to see all these people sharing a common goal.
Headstone – Paul Voss
Jan found Gilman McDonald headstone and placed her wreath on it and did the traditional thanks and salute.
Photo – Jan
We found several more that we wanted to place wreaths and made our way up the hill to where several dignitaries were buried. Several Chief Justices including, recently passed, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Warren Burger, & Thurgood Marshall.
Their view of Washington from the hillside.
As the noon hour approached, the headstones were all bearing wreaths placed by thousands of people on this hallowed ground.
A little history of Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery is a United States military cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, across the Potomac River, outside Washington, D.C. The site, once the home of legendary Confederate Army commander Robert E. Lee, is now the burial ground for more than 400,000 active-duty service members, veterans and family members. The cemetery contains several memorials including the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, a monument dedicated to U.S. service members whose remains were never identified.
Arlington National Cemetery is built on plantation land that once belonged to George Washington Parke Custis. Custis was the grandson of Martha Washington and the step-grandson of President George Washington.
The plantation house, Arlington House, is located on a hilltop overlooking the Potomac River and Washington, D.C. Custis inherited the 1,100-acre plantation from his father at the age of 21 in 1802. He built a Greek Revival-style mansion on the property as a tribute to George Washington and filled the home with many of Washington’s belongings.
In 1857, Custis willed the property to his daughter, Mary Anna Randolph Custis. Mary was the wife of Robert E. Lee, then a military officer in the U.S. Army.
Lee took command of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia at the onset of the Civil War in 1861. The Lee family vacated the property that spring as Union troops advanced into the Virginia hills outside of Washington, D.C.
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, or Tomb of the Unknowns, is a monument at Arlington National Cemetery dedicated to unidentified U.S. service members who died in the line of duty. It is considered the most hallowed grave at Arlington National Cemetery.
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was dedicated on November 11, 1921, during an Armistice Day ceremony commemorating World War I veterans. President Warren G. Harding presided over the ceremony. (In the United States, Armistice Day later became Veteran’s Day to honor veterans of all wars.)
The Unknown Soldier of World War I was exhumed from a military cemetery in France and buried with highest honors beside the Memorial Amphitheater at Arlington. A two-inch layer of soil brought from France was placed below the coffin.
The ornate marble sarcophagus, completed in 1932, reads, “Here Rests in Honored Glory an American Soldier Known But to God.”
The World War I unknown was later joined by the unidentified remains of soldiers from World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.
In 1998, the remains of the Vietnam Unknown were exhumed and identified by scientists as those of Air Force 1st Lt. Michael Joseph Blassie, who was shot down near An Loc, Vietnam, in 1972. Blassie’s remains were returned to his hometown of St. Louis, Missouri. The crypt that contained the Vietnam unknown remains vacant.
The Tomb of the Unknowns has been perpetually guarded since July 2, 1937, by the U.S. Army. The 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment ("The Old Guard") began guarding the Tomb on April 6, 1948. There is a meticulous routine which the guard follows when watching over the graves.
The Tomb Guard:
Marches 21 steps down the black mat behind the Tomb.
Turns, faces east for 21 seconds.
Turns and faces north for 21 seconds.
Take 21 steps down the mat.
Repeats the routine until the soldier is relieved of duty at the changing of the guard.
After each turn, the Guard executes a sharp "shoulder-arms" movement to place the weapon on the shoulder closest to the visitors to signify that the Guard stands between the Tomb and any possible threat.
Twenty-one was chosen because it symbolizes the highest military honor that can be bestowed — the 21-gun salute.
Each turn the guard makes precise movements and followed by a loud click of the heels as he snaps them together. The guard is changed every half-hour during daylight in the summer, and every hour during daylight in the winter and every two hours at night (when the cemetery is closed to the public), regardless of weather conditions.
Many notable people have been buried at Arlington National Cemetery along with the scores of heroes.
Included are:
Presidents Taft and Kennedy
John F. Kennedy’s two brothers and other family members
Audi Murphy – most highly decorated World War II soldier and actor
Several Members of the Space Shuttle Challenger explosion
Gus Grissom and Roger Chaffee from the Apollo I fire
Astronauts Clark, Brown, and Andersen from the Columbia disaster
John Glenn among others
Just outside the Cemetery, a short walk brings you to the Marine Corps War Memorial, depicting the raising of the American Flag on Mt. Suribachi which was dedicated in 1954 to all Marines who died for their country. It is in Arlington Ridge Park, near the Ord-Weitzel Gate to Arlington National Cemetery. The park also houses the Netherlands Carillon, a “thank you” gift to the United States, surrounded by tulip beds in many colors brightening up the landscape nearby.
Thanks Jan and Nate for this very special adventure together!
Washington DC overnight had a nice snowfall after all the wreaths were placed.
We remember you all year long . . . to your families, Happy Holidays as we share your pain . . . and give thanks for the sacrifice the families have given through the years.
Rest easy, sleep well my brothers . . .
Know the line has held, your job is done.
Rest easy, sleep well.