American servicemen who died in World War I were initially buried in Europe, but during and immediately after the war, the remains of many were disinterred. The War Department's policy was to repatriate, for reburial in the United States, all remains requested by the next of kin; those whose families did not request repatriation, or who were unidentified, would be reinterred in American-managed "Fields of Honor" in Europe.
The American Battle Monuments Commission, charged with administering foreign cemeteries, was established in Under this repatriation policy, the remains of approximately 2, World War I casualties were reinterred at Arlington National Cemetery, specifically in Section In , the Argonne Unit American Women's Legion successfully petitioned the War Department to erect a plain white marble cross in Section 18 to honor their memory.
Women's organizations led many such efforts to establish World War I memorials. Commemorating the nation's wartime sacrifices became one way that American women — who had only just won the right to vote — could assert their rights to participate in public civic life.
Anyone who has visited Arlington Cemetery and seen row after row of tombstone with a cross or Star of David honoring our soldiers who gave the last, the ultimate sacrifice.
The ACLU argued that the swap was simply an evasion. ACLU, Displaying a Cross , a Star of David or any other emblem of religious belief on a gravestone or marker is a long-held tradition in the United States and serves as a means of professing the faith of the deceased.
Forbidding some veterans from displaying an emblem representing their religious beliefs on their headstones or markers greatly burdens the free exercise of religion of veterans and their families. Visitors undergo security screenings and random ID checks. The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The Tomb is made from Yule marble quarried in Colorado. It consists of seven pieces, with a total weight of 79 tons. The Tomb is guarded 24 hours a day, everyday of the year, by volunteer members of the 3rd US Infantry Regiment The Old Guard , in full dress uniform carrying M rifles.
May 13, - The first military burial takes place at Arlington Estate. William H. Christman of the 67th Pennsylvania Infantry is buried. June 15, - Quartermaster General Montgomery Meigs designates Arlington House and its surrounding acres as a Union military cemetery. The US Supreme Court rules that the federal government was trespassing.
May 15, - Memorial Amphitheater is dedicated. His remains are returned to his family and this particular crypt remains empty.
November 13, - Secretary of the Army John McHugh orders the inspector general to conduct an inspection of the record keeping operations in the cemetery. June - The Army's investigation reveals missing burial records, unmarked graves, and burial urns put in a spillage pile, where dirt dug up for gravesites is left.
Longtime Superintendent John C. Metzler is reprimanded. He is able to keep his job until his retirement date of July 2, July 14, - The cemetery announces that Thurman Higginbotham, second-in-command at Arlington, filed paperwork in the previous week to retire retroactive to July 2, He had been placed on administrative leave in June pending disciplinary review for improper handling of burial records, and was accused of botching dozens of contracts.
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