105th ANNIVERSARY: THE TOMB OF THE UNKNOWN SOLDIER
Information provided mainly by Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Centennial | The United States Army
On 11 Nov 1921, exactly three years after the end of World War I, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is dedicated at Arlington Cemetery in Virginia during an Armistice Day ceremony presided over by President Warren G. Harding.
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is Arlington National Cemetery’s most iconic memorial. The neoclassical, white marble sarcophagus stands atop a hill overlooking Washington, D.C. Since 1921, it has provided a final resting place for one of America’s unidentified WW I service members, and Unknowns from later wars were added in 1958 and 1984.
Two days before the 1921 dedication ceremony, an unknown American soldier, who had fallen somewhere on a WW I battlefield, arrived at the nation’s capital from a military cemetery in France. On Armistice Day, in the presence of President Harding and other government, military, and international dignitaries, the unknown soldier was buried with highest honors beside the Memorial Amphitheater. As the soldier was lowered to his final resting place, a two-inch layer of soil brought from France was placed below his coffin so that he might rest forever atop the earth on which he died.
Through the ages, one of the consequences of warfare has been large numbers of unidentified dead. Unidentified remains resulted from poor recordkeeping, the damage that weapons of war inflicted on bodies, or the haste required to bury the dead and mark gravesites. In recognition of these sacrifices, the Tomb has served as a place of mourning and a site for reflection on military service.
The Tomb of the Unknown Solider is considered the most hallowed grave at Arlington Cemetery, America’s most sacred military cemetery. The tombstone itself, designed by sculptor Thomas Hudson Jones, was not completed until 1932, when it was unveiled bearing the description "Here Rests in Honored Glory an American Soldier Known but to God.” The WW I unknown was later joined by the unidentified remains of soldiers from America’s other major 20th century wars and the tomb was put under permanent guard by special military sentinels. Here is a brief timeline of the Tomb’s first 100 years.
1920 – Honoring the Fallen
During WW I, our allies France and Great Britain did not return the remains of their fallen servicemen. Instead, to ease the grief of their citizens, France and Great Britain each repatriated and buried one unknown soldier on Armistice Day 11 Nov 1920. The U.S., by contrast, did repatriate bodies at the request of service members’ families, if the remains could be identified. Unidentified remains, however, were not repatriated.
In December 1920, New York Congressman and WW I veteran Hamilton Fish Jr. proposed legislation that provided for the repatriation and interment of one unknown American soldier at a special tomb to be built at Arlington National Cemetery; this single unknown would represent all unidentified and missing American service members from WW I. The purpose of the legislation was "to bring home the body of an unknown American warrior who in himself represents no section, creed, or race in the late war and who typifies, moreover, the soul of America and the supreme sacrifice of her heroic dead.”
1921 – The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Is Established
On 03 Mar, the U.S. Congress approved the burial of an unidentified American serviceman from WW I, and President Woodrow signed into law the Congressional Joint Resolution the next day. The tomb would be constructed on the Memorial Amphitheater’s plaza.
In October, four unidentified U.S. military personnel were exhumed from four different American military cemeteries in France. The caskets arrived at the city hall of Châlons-sur-Marnes, France, on 23 Oct. The following day, SGT Edward F. Younger of Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 50th Infantry, American Forces in Germany, received the honor of selecting which one of the four would represent all WW I unidentified military personnel. SGT Younger selected the Unknown by placing a spray of white roses on one of the caskets.
On 25 Oct, the Unknown Soldier departed from Le Havre, France aboard the USS OLYMPIA (C-6). OLYMPIA arrived at the Washington Navy Yard on 09 Nov. On 10 Nov, the casket lay in state in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda, and more than 90,000 mourners came to pay their respects.
On 11 Nov, the Unknown was placed on a horse-drawn caisson and carried in a large ceremonial procession through Washington, D.C. and across the Potomac River to Arlington National Cemetery. At Memorial Amphitheater, President Warren G. Harding spoke at the state funeral ceremony and placed the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest military decoration, on the casket. Numerous foreign dignitaries presented their nations’ awards as well. Nationwide, Americans observed two minutes of silence at the beginning of the ceremony, and thousands watched as the Unknown was interred in the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
At the time, the Tomb was not yet complete. A crypt was created for the funeral, with the intention that the rest of the Tomb would subsequently be created.
1925 – Daily Civilian Guard Established
On 17 Nov, the Army ordered a civilian guard to begin daily duty at the Tomb in response to increasing reports of visitors’ disrespectful behavior.
1926 – Civilian Guard Replaced by Military Guard
In March, soldiers from nearby Fort Myer were first assigned to guard the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The guards, present only during daylight hours, discouraged visitors from climbing or stepping on the Tomb.
On 03 Jul, Congress authorized the completion of the Tomb.
1928 – Final Design Approved
In December 1928, architect Lorimer Rich and sculptor Thomas Hudson Jones, both WW I veterans, won a nationwide design competition to design the completed Tomb. Over seventy designs were submitted.
1932 – Tomb Construction Completed
On 09 Apr, the completed Tomb was unveiled. The marble sarcophagus features elaborate carvings of wreaths and three neoclassical figures representing Peace, Victory and Valor. On the side facing Memorial Amphitheater, its inscription reads, "Here Rests in Honored Glory an American Soldier Known but to God.”
1937 – 24-Hour Guard Duty Begins
Effective 01 Jul, the Army issued orders for the Tomb to be guarded 24 hours a day. Ever since then, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier has been guarded continuously—24 hours a day, 7 days a week, regardless of weather.
1948 – The "Old Guard"
Since 06 Apr, the Tomb has been guarded by soldiers from the U.S. Army’s 3rd Infantry Regiment, "The Old Guard.” The Old Guard is posted to Fort Myer, VA, adjacent to Arlington National Cemetery. It is considered one of the highest honors to serve as a Sentinel at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
1956 – Honoring the Unknowns of World War II and the Korean War
On 03 Aug, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a bill to select and honor unknown service members from WW II and the Korean War. They would be buried in crypts adjacent to the original Tomb.
1958 – Unknowns of World War II and the Korean War Interred
To represent WW II, the Army chose 18 unidentified bodies from North Africa, Europe, the Philippines and Hawaii. From these 18, two were chosen for final selection—one from the Pacific Theater and one from the Transatlantic Theater. On 26 May, Hospital Corpsman 1st Class William R. Charette, an enlisted Navy sailor and Medal of Honor recipient, made the final selection aboard the USS CANBERRA (CAG-2). Meanwhile, four unidentified bodies from the Korean War were disinterred from the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Hawai’i. Army SGT Ned Lyle chose one to become the Korean War Unknown.
The caskets of the WW II and Korean War Unknowns arrived in Washington on 28 May, where they lay in state in the Capitol Rotunda until the morning of 30 May. Reprising the events of 1921, a large ceremonial procession then escorted their caissons to Arlington National Cemetery. President Eisenhower awarded each the Medal of Honor, and the Unknowns of WW II and the Korean War were interred in the plaza beside their WW I comrade.
1961 – Sentinel Milestone
Specialist 4th Class Fred Moore was selected as a Tomb Guard, becoming the first African American posted and earning the prestigious Tomb Guard identification badge.
1984 – Honoring the Vietnam War Unknown
During the Vietnam War era, advances in science and technology made identification of the dead increasingly accurate. By May 1984, only one set of recovered American remains had not been fully identified. These remains were designated as the Unknown Soldier from the Vietnam War. On Memorial Day 1984, an Army caisson carried the Vietnam War Unknown from the U.S. Capitol to Memorial Amphitheater at Arlington National Cemetery, where President Ronald Reagan presided over the interment ceremony and bestowed the Medal of Honor.
1996 – Sentinel Milestone
SGT Heather Lynn Johnsen became the first woman to earn the prestigious Tomb Guard identification badge.
1998 – Identification of the Vietnam War Unknown
For almost 14 years, the Vietnam War Unknown lay at rest at the Tomb. In 1994, Ted Sampley, a POW/MIA activist, determined that the remains were likely those of USAF 1LT Michael Joseph Blassie. In 1998, DNA testing confirmed Blassie’s identity. At the request of Blassie’s family, the Department of Defense exhumed the remains from the Vietnam War Unknown’s crypt on 14 May.
In accordance with the wishes of his family, Blassie was reinterred at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St. Louis, MO. He was buried with military honors, including an F-15 jet "missing man” flyover and a lone bugler sounding taps.
1999 – Redesignation of the Vietnam War Crypt
The crypt designated for the Vietnam War Unknown remains vacant. On 17 Sep (National POW/MIA Recognition Day) it was rededicated to honor all missing U.S. service members from the Vietnam War. The slab over the crypt that once held the remains of the Vietnam War Unknown has since been replaced. The original inscription of "Vietnam” has been changed to "Honoring and Keeping Faith with America’s Missing Servicemen”, a reminder of the commitment of the Armed Forces to the fullest possible accounting for missing service members.
Today
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) continues the work to recover and identify missing U.S. military personnel from all past wars and conflicts in countries around the world. According to DPAA’s records, more than 1,500 Americans remain unaccounted for from the Vietnam War. It is unlikely that another unknown will ever be added to the Tomb.
