Over 4 million visitors, choose to visit Arlington National Cemetery every year. It has over 200 acres and was originally made to be a military natural burial site in 1864 . It is the second largest national cemetery in the US with over 300,000 Americans buried there. This well known natural cemetery is located in Arlington, Virginia and brings visitors here for many different reasons. Some simply wish to be able to see a part of American history, some come to pay their respects and honor the nation’s war veterans and others are there for a funeral service and burial of a friend or family member .

For those people that are there to attend a funeral, they are in the company of many others every week at Arlington. The cemetery has average of about 28 funerals everday during the week with no funerals happening on the weekends. Veterans from all of the nation’s the American Revolution through Iraq and Afghanistan. There are specific ceremonies that happen at] a funeral here. They have a wreath laying ceremony in addition to a 21 gun salute honoring the soldier. They also follow the funeral with the playing of taps and presenting the flag that was on the coffin to the relatives.

One of the most visited parts of the Arlington national cemetery is the Tomb of the Unknowns. This is a tomb that was created and holds the remains of an unknown soldier from every war. the purpose of it is to symbolize all of the service members that died during war. There was a ceremony when each Unknown Soldier was interred into Arlington by the presiding President of the United States at the time. The only war that is no longer represented is the Vietnam War where the remains were taken out and identified and then the family of that soldier preferred to have him buried near their home. The Tomb of the Unknowns is guarded by the U.S. Army 24 hours a day 365 days a year .

There are famous people that are well known in American History that are also honored by being laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery. These people were not military figures but mad an impact in our history. There are several explorers buried as well as some astronauts too. Also, buried here are famous political figures like the Kennedy brothers. Famous literary and medical figures are burial here as well. There are also 2 Presidents of the United States buried here and they are William Howard Taft and John Fitzgerald Kennedy. Many visitors like strolling all around and seeing all of the famous names buried in one cemetery .

If you would like to travel to the Washington, D.C. area and take a visit to Arlington, Virginia to see this well known cemetery, it may be exciting to go there on a day that has special ceremonies surrounding it . Veteran’s Day typically has the current President speak in honor of those that lost their lives for our nation .

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