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ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY, Va., Aug. 25, 2008 – It started as a leap of faith, but more than 10 million steps later, a 10-man relay team arrived here, at what the memorial run’s organizer called the most sacred place in America. Shannon Cleary, center, kisses her mother, Marianne Cleary, Aug. 24, 2008, during the last few moments of Run for the Fallen, a memorial run in memory of Cleary's brother, Army 1st Lt. Michael Cleary. Jack Flanagan, Marianne’s grandson, also participated in the last day of the living memorial that began June 14, outside the gates of Fort Irwin,...

ARLINGTON WEBSITE We must ask ourselves if we are living our lives to demonstrate that we deserve their sacrifice. Are we going to preserve that which they gave everything to defend?

As in most matters, however, the military prefers to focus on cohesion rather than dissension; on the ties that bind rather than the walls that separate. This is as true of funerals as it is of boot camp. Most people are aware of one aspect of this, the Honor Guard. But there is another unifying element, much less publicized than the 21-gun salute, but just as important in both a practical and symbolic sense. It comes in the form of a conservatively dressed woman who -- whether amongst a throng of mourners, seated alongside the family, or standing as the...

Army Pfc. William Timothy Dix died in Iraq in April and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery on a brilliant May afternoon. He was laid to rest in Section 60, where the sod is fresh and the nearby tombstones bear names such as Justin, Brandon and Ashly: soldiers young enough to be named in the 1980s but old enough to die for their country. Pfc. Dix was buried with standard military honors: a lone bugler at a 45-degree angle from the casket, the Old Guard with a rifle salute, a somber chaplain and the flag presentation to his family. It...

Old Guard Soldier Master Sgt. Steven Colbert places a flag on a gravesite at Arlington National Cemetery. This year he brought along his son, Jordan, 8, to assist. Photo by Adam Skoczylas FORT MYER, Va. (Army News Service, May 23, 2008) -- The 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) began their rounds Thursday afternoon to place a small American flag into the ground in front of every grave marker at Arlington National Cemetery. The Old Guard became the Army's official ceremonial unit in 1948 and on that Memorial Day every available member of the regiment stood one foot in...

WASHINGTON, May 23, 2008 – More than 3,000 soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines officially kicked off the Memorial Day commemoration last evening as they placed 265,000 miniature flags at every grave at Arlington National Cemetery. U.S. Army Master Sgt. Sandra Quaschnick, right, and U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Jennifer Bailey, left, render salutes during the "Flags In" ceremony to honor fallen heroes at Arlington National Cemetery, Va., May 22, 2008. Quaschnick and Bailey are assigned to the Fife and Drum Corps of the 3rd U.S. Infantry, "The Old Guard." Defense Dept. photo by Sebastian J. Sciotti Jr.  (Click photo for...

Frank Buckles apparently doesn't intend to take the offer any time soon. At 107, he still does 50 sit ups a day and lifts weights three times a week. (MILWAUKIE, Ore.) - Ken Buckles, Executive Director of Oregon's Remembering America's Heroes, has won a long-fought battle – a battle centered around World War One. For twelve years, Buckles has been recognizing and honoring American Vets through his program at Milwaukie High School where he is also a teacher. But this time it was personal. Ken Buckles is related to Frank Buckles, America's last living WWI Veteran.

This is the final Itinerary for the Patriot Guard Mission to honor SPC Keisha M. Morgan, USA, 25, Washington, DC, who gave all on February 22, 2008. It is a go, all contacts have been made. This is a two-part mission. Your ride captain is Kevin Rock, who can be reached at (410) 867-8882. Part I - Sunday, March 2, 2008: 1345 hrs Staging at the Centre at Forestville in front of JC Penny’s on the corner of MD-Rte-4 and Donnell Drive just inside the beltway. From the beltway I-95 take exit-11, MD-Rte-4-North/Washington. Take your second right - Donnell Drive....

ARLINGTON, Va., Dec. 16, 2007 – They came from around the country, some with tears in their eyes, putting holiday demands on hold to honor veterans most never knew. In a few hours in freezing temperatures, about 3,000 volunteers yesterday placed more than 10,000 balsam fir wreaths with blazing red bows on graves at Arlington National Cemetery here. “I wish I could lay one on all of them,” said Charles Wright, a Vietnam War Marine veteran and commander of the Kansas City Composite Squadron, a civil air patrol unit. “This is a tribute I’ll remember forever.” Morrill Worcester, owner...

Airmen, civilians lay wreaths at Arlington http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?storyID=123013643 by Senior Airman J.G. Buzanowski Air Force Print News 12/19/2005 - WASHINGTON (AFPN) -- Despite the cold, wind and snow, about 75 people gathered at Arlington National Cemetery on Dec. 15 to lay more than 5,000 wreaths on gravesites, including four at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Since 1992, members of the armed forces, civil air patrol, veterans of foreign wars and several civilians have gathered to take part in the project, a brainchild of Maine resident Morrill Worcester. Mr. Worcester owns and operates a holiday decoration company. Thirteen years ago he...

12/7/2007 - MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. (AFPN) -- Veterans' memorials and gravesites across the nation will be adorned with remembrance wreaths on Dec. 15 in stirring, solemn tributes to the courage and sacrifice of those who have guarded and preserved the nation throughout history. Through Wreaths Across America, Civil Air Patrol members join with Worcester Wreath Co. of Harrington, Maine, in remembering the nation's departed veterans. CAP units will lead 132 of the 268 observances this year, and will participate with other color and honor guards in approximately 25 additional locations. This year, for the first time ever, members...

Worcester Wreath Company of Harrington has for 15 years been donating wreaths and decorating the graves of 4,500 veterans buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. This year's convoy from Maine to Virginia is slated to be the biggest, with between 50 and 300 vehicles joining along various sections of the route. On Sunday, Dec. 9, more than 10,000 donated Christmas wreaths will make their way down Route 1 from Harrington. Rockland Police Officer John Bagley will be escorting the convoy from Harrington through to South Portland. And as the wreath-loaded tractor trailer passes through Rockport Sunday, the Rockland Fire...

On a cold December day, a crowd of more than 1,000 volunteers—from civilians and soldiers to toddlers and senior citizens—waits quietly, solemnly at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va. In the distance they hear the low rumble of a tractor-trailer filled with 5,000 wreaths as it bursts through the morning’s dense fog making its way toward them. As the trailer comes to a stop, it marks the completion of a 750-mile journey from Harrington, Maine (pop. 882), to Arlington, where volunteers prepare to honor our nation’s departed heroes by adorning their graves with wreaths. The creator of the annual holiday...

This afternoon President Bush honored fallen soldiers at the National Memorial Ceremony in Waco, TXTransript Vice President Cheney to veterans of the Iraq war, honoring them for keeping the United States democratic and free and hoping "they will return in victory."Transcript of Vice President Cheney’s remarks Enoy your visit to Sanity Island

ARLINGTON, Va., Nov. 11, 2007 – Vice President Richard B. Cheney today remembered millions of veterans at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month at Arlington National Cemetery. Navy veteran Neil Koski, a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars National Honor Guard, pulls on his gloves prior to the Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery on Nov. 11, 2007. Koski and other members of the honor guard passed out programs prior to the ceremony. Photo by Melinda L. Larson  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. “More than 20 million of our fellow citizens...

December 12, 1997 At 10:30 on Thursday morning at Arlington National Cemetery, a team of gravediggers quietly dug up the remains of Larry Lawrence and carted away his granite tombstone, which was engraved with lies. Chiseled in stone were claims that Lawrence, the late millionaire businessman who became an ambassador, had served in the U.S. merchant marine and had earned the designation of “S1C,” the Navy abbreviation for seaman, first class, which would not have been given to a merchant mariner anyway. Neither claim was true. During his 69-year lifetime, Lawrence fabricated his World War II heroics, his education, how...

http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070922/METRO/109220035/1001 The Army is proposing to replace the Tomb of the Unknowns' 48-ton white marble monument because of non-structural cracks. A senator has introduced legislation that would prohibit the Army from replacing the 71-year-old marble sarcophagus marking the Tomb of the Unknowns before submitting to Congress a report on the feasibility of repairing the monument. Sen. Daniel K. Akaka, Hawaii Democrat and chairman of the Veterans' Affairs Committee, introduced the measure Thursday as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act. "The senator wants to make sure before anything irrevocable is done, that we cross all our t"s and dot...

ORONO, Maine -- Charles Frank Burlingame III was the pilot flying American Airlines Flight 77 on Sept. 11. Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon with 64 people onboard. It is believed Burlingame helped divert the plane from its original destination -- the White House -- by literally fighting off the terrorists in the cockpit. In an FBI report released after the crash, it was revealed that the pilot died of injuries sustained before the plane hit the ground. Burlingame's family has requested that he be buried in Arlington Cemetery in Virginia, an honor bestowed only on soldiers and their families. ...

"Help Save the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery It's hard to believe, but officials at Arlington National Cemetery plan to replace the original Tomb of the Unknown Soldier with a new replica solely because of repairable cosmetic imperfections. This 1932 monument is nationally significant and eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. The 48-ton marble block has two nonstructural cracks which pose no threat to visitors or the historic structure. Surprisingly, federal administrators want the replica carved from new stone that experts agree will likely again crack along its grain just as marble...

Has anyone ever been down to Arlington Cemetary for Memorial Day ceremonies? If so what was it like and is it worth driving 5 hours to attend? Thanks!

“Words can’t describe it.” “Words can’t describe it.” A simple reply from my 9 year old son, when asked what the funeral for Lloyd Ball had meant to him. We were on our way home from Arlington, and I wondered out loud if he had understood the depth of what he had just witnessed. SSgt Lloyd Ball passed away on April 7th in Monroeville. His obituary listed the customary information found in the rest of the obituaries that day. And like many of the people of “The Greatest Generation” it also contained reference to his military service in World War...

<p>FORMER PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON ON NOT CAPTURING BIN LADEN: 'At least I tried. That's the difference between me and some, including all the right wingers. They ridicule me for trying. They had eight months to try, they did not try. I tried. So I tried and failed'...</p>

[There an extra subject at the end of this. It has nothing to do with the main subject, but needed to be mentioned this week.] Before Thursday, I had never attended any ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery. On that day, we went to Arlington for the inurnment of the ashes of a great friend, colleague, and teacher, Robert Carleson. I’ve written about Bob before, and any reader can find several find obituaries on him from months ago, when he died. Suffice to say, Bob did more for the long-term well-being of the United States than many who have served as...

ARLINGTON, Va. There are cracks in the white marble Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery, and each year, those cracks go farther and deeper. The 74-year-old monument is not in danger of crumbling any time soon. But the cemetery is deciding whether to patch the fissures or replace the marble altogether. The tomb has been patched repeatedly, most recently in 1989. John Metzler, the cemetery's superintendent, says the cemetery could repair it, do nothing or buy an extra marble block and store it as a standby. He worries that some of the carved sculptures could eventually fall off....

Honor Roll: 3D-Joy; Uncle Hambone; Nicolio9175; OBone; W04Man; Jimmy Valentine's brother; trooprally, Tolerance Sucks Rocks; concretebob; Gunsareok; Just A Nobody; Christopher Lincoln; Gate2Wire; Cindy_True_Supporter; Trueblackman; Lurker Bill; two of 3d-Joy's daughters; and kristinn. TgslTakoma was there in spirit with the MOAB she created. We were also joined for an hour by a couple visiting Arlington.It was a warm, sunny late Spring day in our nation's capital yesterday. The best Memorial Day weekend weather in a long time in these parts.Cars were lined up early on Memorial Drive at the entrance to Arlington National Cemetery, waiting for the gates to open...

As throngs came to the hallowed grounds of Arlington National Cemetery to honor the fallen on Memorial Day, a handful of protesters from an anti-gay group stood across a four-lane highway from a conservative group supporting the troops.

An Army honor guard watches over the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier day and night, summer and winter. They never crack. But the tomb has. Two cracks run about three quarters of the way around it, and they may soon go completely through the massive solid block of marble. "We cannot as custodians allow this condition to continue without doing something to remedy it," said Thomas Sherlock, the Arlington National Cemetery historian. Man With Plan vs. Bureaucracy In Colorado, retired car dealer John Haines had an idea: He'd give the government a 60-ton marble slab from the same Colorado quarry...

By LARRY MARGASAK, Associated Press Writer 11 minutes ago As throngs came to the hallowed grounds of Arlington National Cemetery to honor the fallen on Memorial Day, a handful of protesters from an anti-gay group stood across a four-lane highway from a conservative group supporting the troops. The two groups, separated by a line of police cars, were faced off about 300 feet from the entrance to the cemetery. They held signs making competing arguments. But because of noise from approaching motorcycles and cars, they could not hear one another. A small group of members of the Westboro Baptist Church...

PRESIDENTIAL NEWS OF THE DAY: President and Mrs. Bush arrived back at the White House today. They will participate in traditional Memorial Day events tomorrow, including the wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington National Cemetery followed by a memorial service in the Memorial Amphitheater. This event will be broadcast live on C-SPAN, beginning at approximately 10:30am Eastern time. For those who can't see it live, it will be rebroadcast at 8:00pm Eastern time on C-SPAN. For a President who is daily maligned by the media and people across the political spectrum, George W. Bush sure...

ARLINGTON Trace Adkins I never thought that this is where I'd settle down. I thought I'd die an old man back in my hometown. They gave me this plot of land, Me and some other men, for a job well done. There's a big White House sits on a hill just up the road. The man inside, he cried the day they brought me home. They folded up a flag and told my Mom and Dad: "We're proud of your son." And I'm proud to be on this peaceful piece of property. I'm on sacred ground and I'm in the...

All FReepers and lurkers in good standing are urged to join the D.C. Chapter of Free Republic this Memorial Day at Arlington National Cemetery as we stand up against the Fred Phelps led Westboro Baptist Church.Phelps and his cult will be doing their "God Hates Fags," "God Loves Dead Soldiers" schtick on Memorial Drive near the entrance to the cemetery.We'll gather in opposition to send a positive, patriotic message of gratitude to the families of the Fallen who will be arriving at Arlington for the wreath laying and speech by President Bush that morning.An excerpt from the press release by...

ARLINGTON, Va., April 17, 2006 – "Faces of the Fallen," a compelling exhibit featuring more than 1,300 portraits honoring America's servicemen and women who died fighting the war on terrorism in Afghanistan and Iraq, will stay on display at the Women's Memorial here until May 31, officials said. Annette Polan, founder of the "Faces of the Fallen" exhibit on display at the Women in Military Service to America Memorial in Arlington, Va., takes time to read a note left by a portrait of a fallen servicemember. Photo by Rudi Williams  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. More than 230,000...

April is Confederate History Month in America! May I share with you a story about the "Heroes of "Dixie" who are commemorated during April (Confederate History Month) when proclamations will be signed by Governor's, Mayors and County Commissioners in their remembrance and honor? I dedicate this history month story to those who are serving our country in Iraq and around the world. God keep you safe and bring you back home soon. Arlington National Cemetery is the final resting place for those who fought for the Confederacy and Union during the War Between the States. It is also the burial...

2/13/2006 - ARLINGTON, Va. (AFPN) -- Construction crews raised the first piece of the Air Force Memorial here on top of a hill overlooking Arlington National Cemetery. The 40-foot long piece of stainless steel, which weighs more than 20,000 tons, is the first of 15 pieces to be placed. When completed, the memorial will be 270 feet tall. “The design is a take-off on the Air Force (jet aircraft) doing the bomb burst maneuver … also, that graceful arc of a missile launch and there are three spires," said retired Maj. Gen. Ed Grillo, Air Force Memorial Foundation president. The...

WASHINGTON — President Bush signed into law last week a provision that eliminates funeral honors and burial benefits for a veteran convicted of state or federal crimes carrying any life sentence. The amendment, sponsored by Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., and Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, closed a loophole in the defense authorization bill. "This law honors our military heroes, and I am so proud to have fought for its passage," Mikulski said in a written statement. "This continues what has been a daily fight for more than 18 years to safeguard vital veterans' services and benefits." The passage was a small...

12/19/2005 - WASHINGTON (AFPN) -- Despite the cold, wind and snow, about 75 people gathered at Arlington National Cemetery on Dec. 15 to lay more than 5,000 wreaths on gravesites, including four at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Since 1992, members of the armed forces, civil air patrol, veterans of foreign wars and several civilians have gathered to take part in the project, a brainchild of Maine resident Morrill Worcester. Mr. Worcester owns and operates a holiday decoration company. Thirteen years ago he had a holiday wreath surplus and thought back to his youth. At age 12, he’d won...

WASHINGTON — The elderly couple, Daniel and Wilda Davis, opened their door to Russell Wayne Wagner on Valentine's Day 1994. "He took Mom and Dad and sat them on a kitchen chair, tied their hands behind their heads and put a pillowcase over their heads, stabbed them 14-15 times and then he robbed them and then he left," their son, Vernon Davis, tearfully told the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee Thursday. Wagner was convicted of the couple's murders and sentenced to two life terms with parole eligibility. When he died in prison, he was cremated and placed in the nation's premiere...

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Mark Matthews, the oldest Buffalo Soldier, has died at the age of 111. He'll be buried Monday at Arlington National Cemetery. Matthews joined the legendary unit of black cavalry troops in 1910 at the age of 16. He soon found himself serving under Gen. John Joseph "Black Jack" Pershing in the Army's pursuit of Pancho Villa, the revolutionary from Mexico who was considered a bandit. Matthews later served in the South Pacific during World War II, rising to the rank of 1st sergeant.

It's not every day that I side with a murderer over a man who gave his life helping our troops in Iraq. But this is one of those rare instances. The controversy concerns Arlington National Cemetery and who should be buried there. Russell Wayne Wagner was buried in Arlington with standard military honors on July 27th. He served in the Army from 1969 to 1972 and was honorably discharged. He, therefore, qualified for burial in the prestigious military final resting place. But Wagner was a convicted murderer. He murdered Daniel and Wilda Davis, both in their 80s, at their home....

WASHINGTON -- A Senate committee plans to review rules that govern who can _ and cannot _ be laid to rest in national cemeteries after the ashes of a convicted murderer were placed in Arlington National Cemetery. The Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee will take up the issue in September when Congress returns from its recess, its chairman, Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, said Wednesday. Russell Wayne Wagner, 52, a Vietnam War veteran, died Feb. 7 of a heroin overdose in prison. In 2002, he was convicted of the Valentine's Day 1994 murders of Daniel Davis, 84, and Wilda Davis, 80, and...

CAPTAIN ALI ABASS of the Iraqi Air Force will today become the first citizen of his country to be buried with full military honours at the US National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia. American and Iraqi officials are expected to attend when Captain Abass’s remains are laid to rest with a 21-gun salute and a fly over by air force jets. His remains could not be distinguished from those of the four US servicemen who died with him and all will be buried in a common grave. But Lieutenant-General Michael Wooley, commander of air force special operations, said that even after...

  May 27, 2005, 8:05 a.m. The CommandersAmerica’s military leaders are make great sacrifices for their troops. By Jim LaceyLast month over 1,500 family members who have lost a loved one in Iraq or Afghanistan gathered at Arlington National Cemetery at the behest of an organization called Faces of the Fallen, which has assembled dozens of artists to paint portraits of those killed in Afghanistan and Iraq. General Richard B. Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was the keynote speaker. While his speech managed to strike a few emotional chords, it was what he did after speaking that...

President Will Lay Wreath at Arlington 55 minutes ago WASHINGTON - Official ceremonies and solemn visits will mark Memorial Day at Arlington National Cemetery. ADVERTISEMENT The formal wreath-laying ceremony is scheduled for 11 a.m. EDT at the Tomb of the Unknowns. President Bush will be among those paying respects to the nation's war dead. And the Memorial Day parade in Washington will feature one of the country's oldest veterans. Lloyd Brown was 16 years old when he signed up to fight in World War I. He's now 103, and one of an estimated 30 U.S. veterans of World War I...

Well-meant biker gathering's time has passed By Robert F. Dorr Soon, it will be Memorial Day. On May 30, ceremonies will honor Americans who died in battle. The most important commemoration will take place at Arlington National Cemetery, just across the river from Washington. There will be speeches, hymns and moments of silent reflection. There is a right way to observe Memorial Day. This isn't it. I'm not against bikers. This column has regularly supported military members who choose to ride rather than drive. ("Military puts up too many obstacles for members who ride motorcycles," Army Times, April 29, 2002)....

In 2003 as Hurricane Isabelle was approaching Washington, DC, our US Senate/House took 2 days off with anticipation of the storm. On the ABC evening news, it was reported that because of the dangers from the hurricane, the military members assigned the duty of guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier were given permission to suspend the assignment. They respectfully declined the offer, "No way, Sir!" Soaked to the skin, marching in the pelting rain of a tropical storm, they said that guarding the Tomb was not just an assignment, it was the highest honor that can be afforded to...

All the South has ever desired was that the Union, as established by our Forefathers, should be preserved, and that the government, as originally organized, should be administered in purity and truth. --Robert E. Lee Why do Americans continue to remember their past? Perhaps it is because it was a time when truth was spoken. Men and women took their stand to give us the freedoms we now enjoy. God bless those in military service, who do their duty around the world for freedom. The Hall of Fame for great Americans opened in 1900 in New York City. One thousand...

The National Geographic cameras explored the 600 acres of well maintained grounds last summer and spoke with the people behind the scenes who make sure the more than 5,400 burials a year are performed with grace and dignity. More than 4 million people visit Arlington each year to pay their respects to the more than 270,000 buried there. The special shows Old Guard Soldiers, including a firing party and the caisson platoon preparing for their missions among other jobs.

The D.C. Chapter of Free Republic invites all FReepers and lurkers in good standing to join us tomorrow, Saturday, October 2, for two activities.The first one, organized by Vietnam Veterans Against Kerry and Vietnam Veterans for the Truth, is a demonstration outside John Kerry's Georgetown manse. The stated reason for going to Kerry's home is to pay him back for the pro-Kerry protest a few weeks ago outside John O'Neill's home on the day of his daughter's wedding.The demonstration is set to begin at 10 a.m. I won't post Kerry's address here, but if you go to the intersection of...

President Bush is really pitching a no hitter with his speech at the Tomb of the Unknown. Comments?

Fred, I just watched the Arlington Cemetery ceremonies. It was impressive as always, but there was a particularily poignant moment. General Meyers introduced Donald Rumsfeld -- to introduce the Commander in Chief. When our embattled wartime Secretary of Defense reached the podium the cheering and whistles became a prolonged, standing ovation. "Rummy" was touched and almost speechless for awhile ... until he said "WOW!" The President gave him a knowing nod and then patted his friend's right shoulder. "WOW!" indeed. ... Semper Fi, Larry