In Arlington National Cemetery, there exists a very famous tomb called the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. In that cemetery lay four soldiers whose lives were claimed by 4 wars which the United States fought. The tomb serves to honor those soldiers who died in each of the wars, and whose remains have never been identified. These four soldiers hail from World War One, World War Two, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War.
In 1921, Congress approved the building of this memorial, and had the army bring back one American soldier who died in the WW1. Sgt. Edward F. Younger was given the honor of deciding which soldier would be buried at the memorial, and went to France to determine who to choose. Sgt. Younger was a veteran of WW1, who earned the Distinguished Service Medal, and choose between 4 unknown soldiers. He chose the third casket from the left to be honored, and the other 3 were given proper burials in France.
To honor those in the Second World War and the Korean War, a similar procedure was followed. President Eisenhower signed a bill in 1956 to honor the unknowns of Korea and WW2. For WW2, an army official chose between a soldier who died in the European conflict, and one who died in the Pacific conflict. For Korea, a soldier was chosen from 4 who were buried in Hawaii. Eisenhower awarded the two with a medal of honor, and they were interred next to their comrade from WW1.
Finally, President Reagan had a service for those who lost their lives in Vietnam in 1984. This soldier was chosen at random, and given a medal of honor for his services. In 1998, his tomb was exhumed so scientists could try and determine who this man was. They believe that this was a man named Michael Joseph Blassie who served in the air force. His tomb remains vacant, still next to the other three men. While many families had the joy of seeing their loved ones after a war, it’s important to understand that many weren’t as fortunate. This memorial serves to honor those whose names have been lost, but their services, not forgotten.
Source:https://www.arlingtoncemetery.mil/Explore/Tomb-of-the-Unknown-Soldier
This is a very touching post about the sadness that comes with war. It seems that the number of soldiers in this tomb has increased as more and more wars are being fought, and it makes me wonder whether or not the tomb will continue to develop. For example, I wonder if similar services will be held for the war in Iraq or the war in Afghanistan, or perhaps the War on Terror in general. It is hard to imagine the emotions of the families of these unnamed soldiers, who may never know the ultimate fate of their treasured relative as long as these soldiers remain unidentified.
ReplyDelete