Arlington National Cemetery

Arlington National Cemetery is a very reverent place. It truly is hallowed ground. It is the largest of the National Cemeteries and contains American casualties from every single war since the revolution. It was beautiful to see in late fall as the leaves were still brilliant in color. Being there really brings to home how many poeple have died in the American effort and this cemetery only contains a portion of them. A must see if you are ever in the DC area. More information on Arlington National Cemetery can be found here.









The Changing of the Guard

Among the things to see in the cemetery is the Changing of the Guard. The tomb of the unknown soldiers is guarded by the U.S. Army continuously, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and has been since July 1, 1937. The tomb holds the remains of unknown soldiers who died on the battle field but were never identified. This is a very reverent place, complete silence is demanded and you will get yelled at by the Guard on post and asked to leave if you are not quiet...screaming kids included! Click here for more information on the Tomb of the Uknowns. Photography is permitted and here are the photos.


VP Dick Cheney dropped off the wreath in this photo in honor of Veteran's Day and gave a little speech. I was there about 5 hours after that.


It is one of the highest honors in the US Army to be selected as a Sentinel to guard the tomb. It takes the guard hours to prepare his uniform. The Honor Guard is the least rewarded badge after the Astronaut Badge in the US Army. Click here for more information on how they are selected and what their tour of duty is like when they are stationed at the tomb. -- I like the way the sunlight reflects off his bayonet in this photo...completely coincidental! I got lucky!