Arlington National Cemetery
Some cities I've visited have so much to see and absorb that I can't really get what I want to say into just one blog post. It's fair to say Washington D.C falls into this category and this is the third and final part of my experiences in the capital.
Arlington National Cemetery was created on behalf of the American people to honour with respect, dignity and compassion all those who have served the Nation. It's a place to reflect on the sacrifices that hundreds of thousands of brave men and women have made and continue to make to this very day.
Walking around the cemetery grounds I found myself in complete bewilderment at the sheer number of white marble head stones contrasted against the lush grass, and gleaming in the bright February sunshine. From the centre of the cemetery, in every direction and as far as you can see there are more and more headstones, they number in excess of 400,000.
The Arlington Estate was originally built as a memorial to George Washington by one of his grandsons, George Washington Parke Custis. During the civil war Washington was teaming with dead soldiers and out of burial space, so the land seized by the government in 1864 was proposed as the location of a new military cemetery by Quartermaster General Montgomery C. Meigs.
The first serviceman laid to rest in the Arlington National Cemetery was Private William Henry Christman, on May 13th, 1864. Arlington is not just a national treasure it's an active cemetery and conducts in between 27 and 30 funerals per day. It's the only national cemetery to hold veterans from all the nations wars, starting with the American Revolution right up to Iraq and Afghanistan.
Arlington National Cemetery is home to the Tomb of The Unknown Soldier, this tomb is dedicated to all soldiers that have been killed in any war and an unidentified soldiers remains are interred within it.
After the first World War a movement arose to commemorate all of the soldiers lost to war who's remains were never recovered or identified. The tomb in D.C has been guarded 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year since July 1st, 1937. The guards known as Sentinels are specially selected for this prestigious duty and have to fit a specific criteria, they must between 5' 10" and 6" 2", and their waist size cannot exceed 30".
They keep a constant vigil in all kinds of inclement weather day and night. While on duty the Sentinel paces out 21 steps across a rubber walkway, faces the tomb for 21 seconds, turns again, and pauses for an additional 21 seconds before retracing his 21 steps.
21 symbolises the "21 gun salute", the highest honour given to any military dignitary.
For the Sentinels selected to guard the Tomb of The Unknown soldier it's both a huge honour and also a way of showing their respect for fellow soldiers lost to conflict. As well as working 24 hours on, 24 hours off, it's said to take the average Sentinel 8 hours to prepare their uniform for the next day which is immaculate and inspected to a very high standard.
The changing of the guard drill routine is probably one of the most amazing bits of drill I've ever seen. The routine is so precise it's as if the soldiers have shed human form and become robots, yet it's still carried out in a fashion that maintains respect, dashed with a little flair.
It's fair to say I found Arlington National Cemetery to be the epitome of dignity and honour for the Nations dead and I'm lucky to have been given the chance to visit.
To see exactly what I witnessed, cut and paste the link below into your browser and you can't fail to be impressed.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqZ-mkdp1H0
So now you have shared my visit to Americas Capital city, I suppose I should end this post with some kind of summary.
Well, here goes.
I was asked again by a friend of mine if I found visiting Washington D.C depressing. I can certainly see why someone would think I felt this way, after all the National Mall of the Capitol is filled with memorials, statues of dead leaders, and a huge cemetery, but depression is definitely not what I felt.
What I felt was an overriding sense of national pride. The monuments, memorials and graves were all celebrating the vision that many inspirational leaders have shown. It's in this city that tribute is paid to all those who have driven and shaped the United States during it's short history, and it's in the creation of this National Mall that the sacrifices of the many will never be forgotten.
