Arlington

[whitehall]

I visited a deceased friend buried in Arlington Cemetery a few days ago and I was rather amazed that the Cemetery was crowded with kids and adults and it seemed like a hundred tour buses. You can get instant service at the main building from experienced polite personnel (who don't wear that smokey bear hat) and a computer map that directs you to the name of the person and the grave site you are looking for. I'd recommend a visit to Ft. Myer. The Army personnel running the Caisson Platoon obviously take pride in what they do and they are an example of what's best in Military Service. You can visit the Caisson unit (check for hours) at Ft Myer and see the horses and the Caisson used in the funeral processions in an informal tour conducted by the Army personnel involved in the operation. I highly recommend it.

 

[HenryBHough]

Oh crap!

Now that's been made public Obama's gonna notice and close it down!

In lieu of closing Gitmo....

 

[whitehall]

I was tempted to thank the U.S. Army personnel at Ft. Myer by name but I thought better of it. They run several funerals per day in Arlington on average and they are clearly proud of what they do and the care they give to the remains of the honored dead and I am proud of the way they they approach their responsibility.

 

[defcon4]

I visited a deceased friend buried in Arlington Cemetery a few days ago and I was rather amazed that the Cemetery was crowded with kids and adults and it seemed like a hundred tour buses. You can get instant service at the main building from experienced polite personnel (who don't wear that smokey bear hat) and a computer map that directs you to the name of the person and the grave site you are looking for. I'd recommend a visit to Ft. Myer. The Army personnel running the Caisson Platoon obviously take pride in what they do and they are an example of what's best in Military Service. You can visit the Caisson unit (check for hours) at Ft Myer and see the horses and the Caisson used in the funeral processions in an informal tour conducted by the Army personnel involved in the operation. I highly recommend it.

snopes.com Tomb of Unknown Soldier Honor Guard

 

[whitehall]

I visited a deceased friend buried in Arlington Cemetery a few days ago and I was rather amazed that the Cemetery was crowded with kids and adults and it seemed like a hundred tour buses. You can get instant service at the main building from experienced polite personnel (who don't wear that smokey bear hat) and a computer map that directs you to the name of the person and the grave site you are looking for. I'd recommend a visit to Ft. Myer. The Army personnel running the Caisson Platoon obviously take pride in what they do and they are an example of what's best in Military Service. You can visit the Caisson unit (check for hours) at Ft Myer and see the horses and the Caisson used in the funeral processions in an informal tour conducted by the Army personnel involved in the operation. I highly recommend it.

snopes.com Tomb of Unknown Soldier Honor Guard

Arlington ain't just about the Unknown Soldier.That's the point. The Federal government has established a computerized system to search for the graves of heroes and even if you don't have a friend or relative you might have a personal hero buried on the immense site. On a pretty day in the spring it's well worth the trip to get your patriot mojo back while the world is falling apart.

 

[natstew]

I visited in 1962 while in U.S. Navy Radio School in Norfolk VA. This was before the Death of JFK, before the U.S. officially had troops in Vietnam, it was an emotional experience.

 

[whitehall]

Through some retired Army connections I stayed at the Wainwright house at Ft. Myer. The old building used to be the Army post BOQ going back to 1906 and is now something like a B&B. John "skinny" Wainwright was the general left holding the bag when MacArthur abandoned his Troops (under orders) at Bataan and Corrigador. Wainwright survived the war and never criticized MacArthur (in public).

 

[Mr. H.]

I took the wife/daughter there last spring to watch the changing of the guard and wreath-laying. It was well worth the walk.

 

[whitehall]

Thanks to the courtesy of the people at the Arlington center I found the site I was looking for and paid my respects and despite the crowds in the center and the all the tour buses and the RV's and kids with the same T shirts I didn't see another soul until the shuttle picked me up. The place is huge and the burial I was looking for was in an area that included the Iraq war. I guess they all go to the famous burials or the recommended tourist sites. A conversation with the bus driver indicated that the large stones that stand out among the smaller uniform marble stones are in fact the remains of several persons who died usually in the crash of an aircraft and are mixed together or have been so incinerated that it was best to bury them under the same monument.