Why
do we guard the grave of an Unknown Soldier?
War has always taken our best
and brightest when they are too young, with their entire life ahead of
them. Families of fallen servicemen need to have closure. . . so they
can move past their grief and loss. With the lethality of modern
weapons, identifying the bodies of our warriors was more difficult in
the past, and many times the military could not provide families with positive
identification. Their pain continued as they wondered about their loved
one.
The unknown soldiers buried in
the Plaza represent the missing and unknown service members for four
different wars. Being buried at Arlington gives these families a place
to grieve and pray. We stand watch over their graves in humble
reverence, ensuring they rest in peace. These Americans have not only
given their lives, but their identities for our freedom and way of life.
I am proud to have been able
to stand watch over their graves, and I feel a closer bond with the
veterans of these wars. Knowing that their sacrifice will not be
forgotten as they are guarded by the young men and women of our nation,
makes me very proud to be an American.
This has
been the most difficult part of the website. How does one briefly
summarize a war? World War II and the Vietnam War were the most
difficult to write, as they had such a huge impact on our nation in many
ways. I know that I have missed many different battles and dates,
but I hope you will take the time to learn more about these events, and
their impact on our nation. General George S. Patton, Jr. said it
best:
“The
soldier is the Army. No army is better than its soldiers. The Soldier is
also a citizen.
In
fact, the highest obligation
and privilege of citizenship is that of bearing arms for one’s
country.
“Hence it is a proud privilege to be a soldier – a good soldier …
[with] discipline, self-respect, pride in his unit and his country, a
high sense of duty and obligation
to comrades and to his superiors, and a self confidence born of
demonstrated ability.”
Every American who has worn
the uniform of our country has my deepest respect and admiration.
Gavin McIlvenna
Where did the idea come from?
The idea of
honoring the unknown dead originated in Europe after World War I. The
first country to honor its unknown warriors from that war was Great
Britain. While on the Western Front, Reverend David Railton thought of
arranging for the body of one, unknown serviceman to be transported back
to England, and buried with full honors. Mr. Railton tried to express
why (he) felt this was so important. In a letter he recalled an incident near
Armentieres, where he came across a grave with a rough wooden cross
inscribed "An unknown British soldier, of the Black Watch":
"How that grave
caused me to think! But, who was he, and who were they [his folk]? Was
he just a laddie? There was no answer to those questions, nor has
there ever been yet. So I thought and thought and wrestled in thought.
What can I do to ease the pain of father, mother, brother, sister,
sweetheart, wife and friend? Quietly and gradually there came out of
the mist of thought this answer clear and strong, "Let this body
- this symbol of him - be carried reverently over the sea to his
native land. And I was happy for about five or ten
minutes."
As in the United
States, his idea was not meeting the best reception by the Government.
However, after many veterans and families of soldiers killed in action
lobbied for action, the Government went ahead with the selection and
burial.
The unknown warrior
was laid to rest in Westminster Abbey on Armistice Day, 11th November,
1920, in an impressive ceremony which included the unveiling of the
Cenotaph. The body, borne on a gun carriage was covered with a Union
Jack, on which were laid a steel trench helmet, a khaki belt and a
crusader's sword. At the memorial service held in the Abbey the coffin
was presided over by a guard of honor comprising Victoria Cross
winners, which is the highest award for valor. The King scattered
French soil, which had been specially brought from Flanders, over the
coffin as it was laid to rest. The inscription read:
A
BRITISH WARRIOR
WHO FELL IN THE GREAT WAR
1914-1918
FOR KING AND COUNTRY
The
commanding general of American forces in France, Brigadier General
William D. Connor, learned of the French project while it was still in
the planning stage. Favorably impressed, he proposed a similar project
for the United States to the Army Chief of Staff, General Peyton C.
March, on 29 October 1919. General March denied the proposal, as it
appeared that the Army Graves Registration Service eventually would
identify all American dead, thus there was no need for such a memorial.
Furthermore, the United States had no burial place for a fallen hero
similar to Westminster Abbey or the Arc de Triomphe.
On 21 December
1920, Congressman Hamilton Fish, Jr., of New York introduced a
resolution calling for the return to the United States of an unknown
American soldier killed in France and his burial with appropriate
ceremonies in a tomb to be constructed at the Memorial Amphitheater in
Arlington National Cemetery. The measure was approved on 4 March 1921 as
Public Resolution 67 of the 66th Congress.
The body of an
unidentified soldier, killed in France, was laid to eternal rest in the
plaza of the Memorial Amphitheater on 11 November 1921. This soldier
represents all the unidentified and missing from World War I.
Since that time an
unidentified American service member has been laid to rest, with the
highest honors, for World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.
