Why unknown soldier

The chosen Unknown needed to represent all unidentified American dead, not just those from one theater of the war. At the same time, they exhumed four bodies from the Korean War that were also buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. Both Unknowns arrived in Washington, D. Capitol Rotunda for two days. However, many people believed that advances in technology would mean that all remains from Vietnam could eventually be identified.

By May , only one set of recovered American remains from Vietnam had not been fully identified. The Vietnam War Unknown lay in state in the U. Capitol Rotunda from May 25 to 28, In his eulogy, Reagan assured the audience that the government would continue looking for the Vietnam War's missing in action MIA personnel.

The Department of Defense and civilian partners continued working to identify remains recovered from Vietnam. Michael Joseph Blassie, a pilot who had been shot down in Using DNA testing, scientists positively identified the remains as those of Blassie.

In accordance with the wishes of his family,. Louis, Missouri. The crypt designated for the Vietnam War Unknown remains vacant. The guards, present only during daylight hours, discouraged visitors from climbing or stepping on the Tomb. The 3rd U. Soldiers of The Old Guard also serve as escorts to the president and conduct military ceremonies in and around Washington, D.

Soldiers who volunteer to become Tomb Guards must undergo a strict selection process and intensive training. The Guard marches 21 steps down the black mat behind the Tomb, turns and faces east for 21 seconds, turns and faces north for 21 seconds, and then takes 21 steps down the mat.

The number 21 symbolizes the highest symbolic military honor that can be bestowed: the gun salute. Laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier has long been a way for individuals and organizations to honor the sacrifices of American service members.

Presidents, politicians, public figures and foreign dignitaries have all paid their respects in this way. The opportunity to participate in a wreath-laying ceremony is also open to the general public, including school groups. In addition, each year, millions of people from around the world visit the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. One hundred years after the World War I Unknown's burial, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier continues to be a powerful symbol of service and sacrifice, mourning and memory.

The rest marched on. We didn't attempt to go there because there was no chance of seeing anything and we figured we could read the speech. We had seen the cemetery on Wednesday and knew about what would take place.

I'm glad we didn't attempt it for most people were about five hours in all getting up and back. Then that night was the illumination of the jeweled arch. It was wonderful! When the lights first started to come on, you could see the different lines of the search lights gradually cross each other, and then finally shine out in the most beautiful colors you have ever seen.

They fired twenty-one minute guns and the lights were seen through the smoke. I just can't describe to you the effect of it all. I declare the arch was something that you cannot conceive of man making, somehow.

It seemed almost superhuman. The pillars on either side of the street were made into monument effects, the tops from about half way up being covered with sequents of some sort. This all was on a larger base, and around them, on each base, was a large eagle, and incense bowls all around too, burning. In the center of the arch was a large circle composed of smaller circles, and within each of these the picture of the various flags.

Then hanging from the pillars was a straight band of vari-colored glass, I guess it must have been, which positively sparkled with more beautiful colors than I have ever seen. They threw different colored search lights on it from all sides. And that wasn't all — the Washington monument was lighted so that it looked as though there were streamers of white light from the top to the bottom, and two search lights from the top crossed and were sent out over the city.

Also lights were thrown from the Capitol building so far away which were visible, too. All along the street in front of the Pan American building where the Conference will be held for the most part, there were erected tall poles with Eagles on the top and colored, lighted box effects built about them of the different shields, that is, "flag productions" of the shields.

It made the whole street lighter than day, of course, and with all the various colors it certainly was a vision to behold! Course, you will see it in the movies, and maybe not recognize my description of it all, but it's the best I can do, and I thought perhaps Mother and Dad, at least, would like to hear my own description of it! Give my love to Grandpa. Sorry he isn't feeling up to par.

Tell him to be a good boy. Tell him too that some of his old "cronies" marched to Arlington Friday and they looked mighty fine, I'll tell you - and I thought a lot about what he did for his country.

Barbara Felt, the author's niece, for sharing this letter to relatives written by her Aunt Mimi. Restaurants are saluting Veterans Day with free meals and discounts for veterans, service members and their families.

The store is sweetening its normal veteran and military discount, and not just for Veterans Day on Thursday, Nov. Get weekly military discounts on food, travel, lodging, moving, entertainment and more. View more newsletters on our Subscriptions page. The Abyssinian cross , presented to the Abbey at the time of the coronation, stood at the west end.

The Abbey organ was played while the church remained open to the public. After the Abbey had closed for the night some of the choristers went back into the nave and one later wrote "The Abbey was empty save for the guard of honour stiffly to attention, arms rifles reversed, heads bowed and quite still - the whole scene illuminated by just four candles".

Special permission had been given to make a recording of the service but only the two hymns were of good enough quality to be included on the record, the first electrical recording ever to be sold to the public with profits going to the Abbey's restoration fund. The grave was filled in, using sandbags of earth from the battlefields, on 18th November and then covered by a temporary stone with a gilded inscription on it:.

On 11th November the present black marble stone was unveiled at a special service. Benjamin Colson carried out the brass work. The Padre's Flag was also formerly dedicated at this service. General Pershing, on behalf of the United States of America, conferred the Congressional Medal of Honor on the Unknown Warrior on 17th October and this now hangs in a frame on a pillar near the grave. In October the Congressional Medal of Honor Society presented the Society's official flag to the Unknown Warrior and this is framed below the medal.

The body of the Unknown Warrior may be from any of the three services, Army, Navy or Air Force, and from any part of the British Isles, Dominions or Colonies and represents all those who died who have no other memorial or known grave.

When the Duke of York later King George VI married Lady Elizabeth Bowes Lyon in the Abbey in as she left she laid her wedding bouquet on the grave as a mark of respect she had lost a brother during the war. All royal brides married in the Abbey since then have sent back their bouquets to be laid on the grave as also have some royal brides who were married elsewhere.

At the dedication service on 11th November the flag was hoisted onto the pillar above the grave. Company Sgt. Major Harry Evans, a soldier from the 17th London Division climbed a tall ladder to fix the flag, with the 5th brigade of the 47th London Division looking on. It remained there for many years before being moved to hang in St George's chapel in Before being presented to the Abbey the flag had been cleaned so there are no bloodstains on it. David Railton was born on 13th November at Leytonstone in London.

He received the Military Cross in for saving an officer and two men under heavy fire. He was killed in an accidental fall from a train in Scotland in June Sir Cecil Smith's account of the re-burial of the three unselected bodies is in Westminster Abbey Library.

C died , founder of the British Legion Poppy Factory. He and a few disabled ex-servicemen stood together around a battlefield cross with trays of paper poppies to sell to passers by who could then plant one beside the cross to remember the fallen. In the Field was expanded to include crosses for the fallen of each regiment and was open for a week. The Legion organizes the large plot each year and all proceeds go to their poppy appeal for veterans. Prince Harry attended in The familiar words spoken at the dedication of the Field are from Laurence Binyon 's poem "For the Fallen" - "They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, we will remember them. At the second battle of Ypres in he wrote his well known verses 'In Flanders' fields the poppies blow between the crosses, row on row He died of his wounds in The first Poppy Day in Britain was held on 11th November On 4th August at pm a service with a candle-lit vigil of prayer and reflection was held at the grave to commemorate the start of the First World War in Afterwards an all night vigil was kept at the grave of the Unknown Warrior until a service of Requiem on the morning of July 1st, the start of the battle.

To mark the th anniversary of the burial a televised service was held on 11th November special permission was given for this service which took place during the covid lockdown restrictions in England.

The Padre's flag was laid on the High Altar and Charles, Prince of Wales laid a replica of the original wreath on the grave. Laurel leaves surrounded the stone instead of the usual red poppies.

A week before Queen Elizabeth II had visited the grave privately in the empty Abbey to lay a replica of her bridal bouquet on the grave. A lone piper played a lament. In November the Dean of Westminster was asked to re-kindle the Belgian Torch of Remembrance, which had been extinguished by the Nazis during the occupation, at the grave of the Unknown Warrior.

This was then taken back to Brussels to the Belgian Unknown Warrior's grave. Each year since then a short ceremony has been held in the Abbey for the lighting of the torch. It is now called the British Torch of Remembrance.

The railway carriage which brought the body to London has been restored and can be viewed on Bodiam station, Sussex, where a replica of the coffin is on display. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The Great War The British Empire.