9 Fascinating Facts about Arlington National Cemetery

Following are answers to questions that visitors frequently ask about the cemetery.

1. Who is buried at Arlington National Cemetery?

More than 400,000 people are laid to rest at the cemetery’s rolling hills, including those who fought in the Civil War, all joined by the tie of service to the United States. Veterans and their eligible family members rest with dignity and honor, a reminder of the service, sacrifice and valor of those who defended and protected freedom. Active, retired and former members of the armed forces, Medal of Honor recipients, high-ranking federal government officials and their dependents are among those who have been honored this way.

2. What is the columned mansion at the top of the hill in the cemetery?

Arlington House, the Robert E. Lee Memorial, was General Robert E. Lee’s home until the beginning of the U.S. Civil War, when Lee vacated the estate. First owned by George Washington Parke Custis, adopted grandson of George Washington, Arlington House later was inherited by Mary Anna Randolph Custis, who married Robert E. Lee.

3. Are funerals still conducted at Arlington National Cemetery?

As you walk through the cemetery, you may hear the firing of rifle volleys in the distance or see a flag-draped casket atop a horse-drawn caisson. A lone bugler plays Taps.

As many as 27 to 30 services occur each weekday and four to five on Saturdays fulfilling the cemetery’s primary mission, and visitors are required to observe federal regulations on decorum and decency. Posted signs that say “Silence and respect” surround the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Funeral services are generally held daily, except Sundays and federal holidays, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Saturdays 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

4. Are the flags always at half-staff in the cemetery?

The flags in Arlington National Cemetery are flown at half-staff from a half hour before the first funeral until a half hour after the last funeral each service.

Only two flagpoles are located in Arlington National Cemetery. The Woodhull flagpole rises 90 feet above the south lawn of the Memorial Amphitheater near the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and the other stands in front of Arlington House. Individuals can request a flag to be flown over the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is a memorial to the dead of World War I, World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. Inscribed on it are the words, “Here rests in honored glory an American soldier known but to God.”

6. When is the Changing of the Guard?

Sentinels at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, who are required to memorize seven pages of cemetery history in their trial phase and recite it verbatim before earning their post, conduct the Changing of the Guard once each hour on the hour starting Oct. 1. In summer, they conduct the ceremony every half hour. Visitors can observe the Changing of the Guard, a moving ritual guaranteed to inspire you.

7. Which noteworthy historical figures are buried at Arlington National Cemetery?

A wide array of notable graves are located at Arlington National Cemetery, from Gen. George C. Marshall, American statesman and soldier during and after World War II, to Pierre L’Enfant, a French-American military engineer who designed the urban layout for Washington, D.C. Among others:

Presidents and First Ladies

• President John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis
• President William Howard Taft and Helen Herron “Nellie” Taft

Actors, Artists, Authors, & Scientists

• Dashiell Hammett, author and veteran of both World War I and II
• Glenn Miller, noted composer and big band leader (headstone)
• Audie Murphy, actor and most decorated US soldier of World War II
• Walter Reed, pioneering bacteriologist

Civil Rights Leaders

• Medgar Evers, murdered civil rights leader
• Allard Lowenstein, New York congressman
• Lemuel A. Penn, African-American educator

Jurists

• Ruth Bader Ginsburg, first Jewish woman Court justice, and the second female justice
• Warren Burger, Supreme Court chief justice
• Thurgood Marshall, first African-American Supreme Court justice
• William Rehnquist, Supreme Court chief justice
• Earl Warren, Supreme Court chief justice

Sports Figures

• Joe Louis, former boxing heavyweight champion of the world
• Abner Doubleday, credited with having invented baseball

Women

• Brig. Gen. Hazel Johnson-Brown, first African American female to attain general officer rank
• Mary Randolph, first recorded person buried on the grounds that became Arlington Cemetery

8. What is the eternal flame?

Cross the Arlington Memorial Bridge from Washington, D.C. into Arlington on a clear night, and you can see a flickering flame atop the hill in Arlington National Cemetery. The eternal flame, lighted by Mrs. Kennedy on Nov. 25, 1963, the day of President John F. Kennedy’s funeral, burns from the granite stone at the head of the president’s grave. The nozzle and electric ignition system includes a constantly flashing electric spark that relights the natural gas if the flame in case of rain, wind or accidents.

All images courtesy of Arlington Convention and Visitors Service/Jonathan Kozowyk