“National Cemetery” (Washington D.C)

‘Arlington National Cemetery’ (ANC), a place of honor, a place of valor and a place of remembrance, is the best known of over one hundred national cemeteries in the United States. Its 624 acres shelter the remains of over 320,000 service men and women, veterans from every war and major conflict in United States history. This is the nation’s most sacred military shrine and bears silent witness to the whole of American history. Once home to tribes of Native Americans ANC became the farmland of European settlers during the colonial period and later the property of the step-son of George Washington, namely, George Washington Parke Curtis. He built Arlington House as the centerpiece of his 1100 acre plantation. The property remained with the War department after the Federal Supreme Court’s intervention. The Department transferred the Arlington House to the national Park Service in 1933.

The Tomb of the Unknowns was established in 1921. A sentinel of the Third US Infantry maintains vigil around the clock. The heroes of World War One and Two, Korean War, Vietnam War are also interred here and remembered. There are now memorials to the people who lost their lives in the September 11, 2001 attack on the Pentagon and in the Global War on Terror. The graves, tombs and statues of war generals and those civilians who were killed in the line of duty also find a place there. John F. Kennedy‘s eternal flame still attracts the attention of the visitors to the Cemetery. The majestic entrance Gates and the Visitors’ Information center deserve a special mention for their construction and maintenance.