Beneath the marble sarcophagus bearing the words, “Here rests in honored glory an American soldier known but to God,” lies a man who gave his life for the United States in World War I, yet whose remains were never identified. With over 110,000 American casualties, it was impossible to identify all who served. To honor those individuals and provide closure for their loved ones, Hamilton Fish Jr. proposed the creation of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Built in 1921, the Tomb memorializes the unknown and missing service members from WWI and later conflicts. Since April 6, 1948, the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, or The Old Guard, has watched over the Tomb 24/7.

Background and WWI Unknown: The concept of burying an unknown from WWI began with Great Britain and France, who each buried their own unknowns on November 11, 1920. On March 4, 1921, Congress passed legislation to bury an unknown in the Memorial Amphitheater. On Memorial Day of 1921, four unknown Americans were exhumed from French gravesites and put into identical caskets. Sgt. Edward Younger chose who would be buried in the Tomb. He recalled:

I walked around the coffins three times, then suddenly I stopped. What caused me to stop, I don’t know, it was as though something had pulled me. I placed the roses on the coffin in front of me. I can still remember the awed feeling that I had, standing there alone.

The Unknown’s Casket was placed on the USS Olympia at Le Havre and set sail for Washington, DC. While the Unknown lay in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda for a day, over 90,000 people came to pay their respects. The next day, a horse-drawn caisson carried the Unknown through the city and along the Potomac River. He was awarded the Medal of Honor and interred on November 11, 1921. 

Design of the Tomb: The iconic sarcophagus above the Tomb was actually completed multiple years later, on April 9, 1932. Comprised of seven panels of Yule Marble, the entire sarcophagus weighs 79 tons. It was designed by Lorimer Rich and Thomas Hudson Jones, with the carvings done by the Piccirilli brothers.

WWII and Korea Unknown: President Eisenhower signed legislation on August 3, 1958 to memorialize unknowns from WWII and Korea. It was important that all who served in WWII be represented, so an unknown was selected from a group in both the European and Pacific Theaters. The final unknown was chosen by William Charette, and the other received a burial at sea. The Korea Unknown was selected by Ned Lyle. The Unknowns were each awarded the Medal of Honor and were interred in the crypts on May 30, 1958.

Vietnam Unknown: The “Unknown” of Vietnam was buried on May 28, 1984 and exhumed 14 years later when he was identified as Michael Blassie. When soldiers first found his body, they found his ID card, which had his name on it. However, the ID/wallet was lost, and they concluded it was not Blassie based on poor scientific techniques. He was automatically named the Unknown, as his remains were the only unidentified body. Years later, Blassie’s parents were informed that their son may be the Unknown, and they demanded that he be exhumed and genetically tested. When he was, he was identified as Michael Blassie. The family was given his remains, and they buried him in his home state of Missouri. The Tomb will remain vacant so long as there are missing Americans from Vietnam. The crypt was etched with the words, “Honoring and Keeping Faith with America’s Missing Servicemen 1958 – 1975.”

Present Day: Being at the heart of Arlington Cemetery, millions of people visit the Tomb every year. On November 9-11 of 2021, the Tomb was open to the public to celebrate 100 years since its creation. Members of the public came to pay their respects and lay flowers on the Tomb. While this is level of access unlikely to happen again soon, people are welcome to schedule a wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb. Presidents often lay a wreath at the Tomb on Memorial Day and Veterans Day.

The Old Guard: Today, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is known to the public by the soldiers who guard it. Originally, it was guarded to prevent the public from being disrespectful/damaging the Tomb. But now, it is more symbolic. The guard stands between the public and the Tomb and “walks the mat” with 21 steps, symbolizing the highest honor in the military (the 21-gun salute). In the Changing of the Guard, the guards perform an elaborate ceremony to perfect detail to respect the Unknowns. During the winter months, it happens every hour when Arlington Cemetery is open. Hurricane Irene did not stop the watch, nor has any other natural disaster, terrorist attack, or other similar event.

To become a sentinel is extraordinarily difficult. They are accepted on a volunteer basis, so only the most dedicated are enrolled. The training involves memorizing 35 pages of information about the Tomb, making their uniforms from scratch, and practicing the ceremonies to perfection. Before “walking the mat”, sentinels spend approximately six hours preparing their suits. The badge for Tomb guards is the 3rd least awarded in the military. Sentinels do not wear rank insignia while posted so they do not outrank the Unknowns. In 2021, the first all-female Changing of the Guard ceremony was held to celebrate Sgt. Chelsea Porterfield.

Perfection is impossible, but our goal is to make sure we represent those unknowns and who they could be and what their poetry could have been through us

-Chelsea Porterfield

WATCH MY VISIT OF THE CHANGING OF THE GUARD 

Location: The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is in Arlington National Cemetery, in Arlington, VA.

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Suggestions for further reading:

1. Craig Smith, a former sentinel, recalls his role as a Tomb guard in the 1970’s. He discusses brotherhood, the meticulous rules, and his memories of the visitors. | Walking the mat: Former Sentinel looks back on guarding the tomb.
2. Interesting article on the contradiction of Roman numerals carved into the Amphitheater. One of the carvings may be redundant, but the Vatican thought it would look better. | Perspective | A real roman mystery is carved into the stone at Arlington National Cemetery.
3. During Hurricane Irene, the Tomb guards did not move from their post. Though it did not happen, Tomb guards do have plans for an emergency and would not put themselves in danger pointlessly. | Still Vigilant at the Tomb of the Unknowns Despite Irene.
4. The story of Mike Blassie, detailing his life, sacrifice, and the story of how he was finally identified. | The secret of file X-26: How lt. Michael Blassie’s remains were rescued from the tomb of the unknown soldier.
5. The public visited the Tomb and paid respects in November 2021. This is the first time the Tomb was open to the public for a century, and it is unlikely to happen again in our lifetimes. | Visitors allowed on tomb of the unknown soldier plaza for the first time in a century.