Arlington National Cemetery
The wind was blowing fiercely and the clouds were dancing between rain and sunshine. The respectful silence was broken by Taps being played at a funeral across the way. We walked the hallowed grounds and honored the fallen. We read the tombstones of soldiers who died during the wars, as well as those who returned to live out their lives. So much sacrifice, so much pain.
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the changing of the guard was a truly moving experience. The tomb has been guarded, 24/7, since 1937. 21 steps across. Hold for 21 seconds. 21 is the magic number based on the 21 gun salute, and the elite soldiers who guide the tomb honor the unknown soldier with precise movements, focus, and solemnity.
The tour guides tell you, correctly, that you could spend a week in the Arlington National Cemetery and that would still not be enough. They would also say that most tourists hit the JFK tomb, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier,and maybe Arlington House. Although we wandered quite a bit, we did not scratch the surface. JFK is joined in his tomb by Jackie, and their son Patrick who died as a newborn, and their still born daughter. Nearby you will see 2 simple crosses that mark the graves of Robert F. Kennedy and Edward M. Kennedy. There is also a marker for their oldest brother who died in WWII and whose remains were never found. So much tragedy for one family.
The history of Arlington could be likened to a realty TV show. The property was part of Martha Washington’s family holdings. She deeded them to her grandson (George Washington’s step-grandson) who built a beautiful home there. His daughter, and this is where it gets to be a little crazy, married her childhood sweetheart, Robert E. Lee. Yes, that Robert E. Lee. So, George Washington, our first president, may still be rolling in his grave with the knowledge that his dependents were key players in the Civil War.
When Virginia seceded from the union, the military was quick to seize the property (you can throw a rock from it to the White House) and occupy it. Beyond that, just to spite Lee, the Union commander Quarter Master General Montgomery Meigs began burying bodies there. The general had served under Lee in the US Army, and as a staunch unionist, had a personal vendetta against him. Meigs knew that the Lees would never be able to return home and live there after the establishment of a cemetery. The US government ultimately lost a Supreme Court case against the Lee descendants and had to purchase the property. In yet another historic irony, George Washington Curtis Lee, the great great grandson of George Washington and son of Robert E. Lee signed over the deed to Robert Todd Lincoln, Secretary of War and son of Abraham Lincoln.
You can’t make this stuff up!
