Ryan Blaney, the winner of 2023’s NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600, came to Arlington National Cemetery on May 1, 2024, to honor those who sacrificed all for their country. ANC Superintendent Charles Alexander, Jr. and Deputy Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Strategic Engagement Melanie Fonder Kaye greeted him and his group ..read more

Pvt. Doyle "Wayne" Sexton of the U.S. Army Air Forces bravely fought the Japanese in the Philippines for three months in 1942, but tragically succumbed to the harsh conditions of the Bataan Death March three months later. He died in a Prisoner of War (POW) camp on July 19, 1942, and was buried in the camp cemetery in a common grave. He was only 23 years old. For decades, Sexton remained unknown until 2023, when scientists from the Defense POW / MIA Accounting Agency identified his remains ..read more

On June 12, 1944, six days after D-Day, paratroopers from the 101st Airborne Division liberated the French town of Carentan, uniting the American-held beachheads on Omaha and Utah Beach. The people of Carentan never forgot about their liberation and today still host visiting 101st soldiers. Local teenagers even help teach American soldiers about the battle.  ..read more

Twenty-two-year-old Sgt. Irving R. Newman never returned from his bombing mission over Sicily in May of 1943. The B-24 Liberator bomber, of which he was a crewmember, took enemy anti-aircraft fire and his pilot tried to land the bomber on the island of Malta, but the burning aircraft crashed into the Mediterranean Sea short of the runway. Nine of the bomber’s crew were rescued, but Newman went down with the aircraft ..read more

Once Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida finished laying a wreath before the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery on April 9, 2024, Sgt. 1st Class Sidonie McCray played muffled ruffles on her drum, signaling that the Army bugler was about to sound Taps. It was an important moment for both. Kishida paid homage to his American ally’s history of sacrifice, while McCray served for the first time as the Special Drummer for a head-of-state ceremony ..read more

Conducting a final walk at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is a high honor for a Tomb Guard of the 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard), as is earning the Tomb Guard Identification Badge. However, to do both on the same day is a rare event. That’s just what happened to Staff Sgt. Thomas Tavenner on March 11, 2024 ..read more

During World War II, the U.S. Army deployed a special unit to help defeat Nazi Germany. Col. Harry Reeder’s 23rd Headquarters Special Troops, better known as the “Ghost Army,” made up of artists and technicians, fooled the Germans into thinking the American Army was strong where it was weak. The top-secret unit employed inflatable tanks, fake radio communications and decoy unit markings to keep the enemy guessing ..read more

Medal of Honor recipient Col. Walter Joseph Marm, Jr. recently visited Arlington National Cemetery to participate in an Army Full Honors Wreath Ceremony in recognition of Medal of Honor Day. After laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, he reflected on his combat actions in Vietnam, for which he received the medal ..read more

The program is a week-long scholarship and educational experience sponsored by the U.S. Senate for outstanding high school students and provides an in-depth view of the Senate and the federal government. The program selects two students from each state, the District of Columbia and the Department of Defense Education Activity. Seventeen military officers escorted the students to the cemetery.  ..read more

When Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Alexandra Miller came to Arlington National Cemetery on March 8, 2024, she brought with her 104 students from the United States Senate Youth Program to see the changing of the guard and to lay a wreath. But she brought something just for herself, not typically seen by others ..read more