Across the Potomac River from the nation's capital in Arlington, Virginia, Arlington National Cemetery stands as a hallowed ground and a national shrine. This sacred site encompasses over 600 acres of serene and beautiful grounds, where heroes from every era rest in peace.
It serves as a poignant reminder of the ultimate sacrifices made by men and women in uniform, honoring their dedication, bravery, and unwavering commitment to the ideals of freedom and democracy.
As a tour guide who has led over 1,000 tours of Arlington National Cemetery, I have spent more than a decade bringing visitors and sharing the stories of the people honored here.
There are over 400,000 people buried/interred here; with an additional 25 - 30 funerals every weekday and around 8 on Saturdays.
Arlington National Cemetery was not the first national cemetery in the United States created for our fallen soldiers, nor is it the largest. It is, however, one of the more well-known honoring men and women who fought in the Revolutionary War and beyond. Arlington National Cemetery is the only cemetery with a serviceman from every war the United States has fought in buried on its grounds.
The rules and requirements for burial at Arlington National Cemetery have been tightened in recent years as more and more veterans want to be buried at Arlington.
If I didn't include these criteria at the very start of my walking tours of the cemetery, this would be generally the first question my guests would ask.
So, in this post, I will first explain the rules and requirements for burial, which are the most stringent of any national military cemetery in the country.
The rows upon rows of white headstones are just one part of the cemetery. I will explain the guidelines for the symbols and emblems on these government issued headstones. However, families can also choose to pay for their own larger headstone if space is available in one of the older sections of the cemetery. While there is more flexibility to how these headstones look; the Department of Army still has guidelines.
Here are the basic qualifications for in-ground burial (interment):
- Any US military personnel killed while on active duty (KIA).
- Any retired member of the Armed Services who is eligible to receive retirement benefits stemming from their service.
- Any former member of the military separated from the Armed Services by physical disability prior to Oct. 1949 who served on active duty, and who would have been eligible for retirement benefits had such benefits existed when they separated from the service.
- Any former Service member who was honorably discharged AND has been awarded any of the following: Medal of Honor, Distinguished Service Cross, Distinguished Service Medal, Silver Star, Purple Heart.
- Anyone who has held elected office in the US government provided they also served in the military and were discharged honorably. Also any Supreme Court Justices, Cabinet Members, Trade Representatives, Attorneys General, Office of Management and Budget Directors, Social Security Commissioners, Drug Policy directors, CIA directors, Chairman of the FED, various deputy secretaries, and ambassadors to NATO, the UN, and a handful of countries. All provided that they served on active duty.
- Any former President of the United States provided that they served on active duty. (In case you are wondering, both former Presidents Jimmy Carter and George W. Bush would be eligible but former Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, as well as President Donald Trump, would not be)
- A spouse or dependent child of an eligible veteran.
Arlington National Cemetery also has a large columbarium, which houses cremated remains.
The requirements for inurnment, as it is called, are much less stringent and anyone who qualifies for burial can also be inurned in the columbarium.
However, essentially anyone who has served in the military, including the reserves, and has been honorably discharged can be inurned in the columbarium.
All fees associated with either internment or inurnment, including the funeral costs, are paid by the Army, so there is no cost to a veteran or his or her family.
Be sure to read our full guide on Arlington National Cemetery.
Or, join me or one of my fellow DC tour guides, on a guided walking tour of Arlington National Cemetery.
We also offer an anytime audio tour that you could download to your phone.
Frequently Asked Questions About Burials at Arlington National Cemetery
Originally, the cemetery was organized by race and by rank. However, with the desegregation of the military in 1947, that policy ended.
Today, veterans of the same wars are most often buried together. There are some remaining sections, such as the Confederate Section 16 and a Nurses Section.
The burial site of a loved one is determined by both the family and Arlington National Cemetery. Plots are very much dependent on availability. However, if a family elects to pay to erect a private monument, the deceased must be buried in an older section that can accommodate that.
The cemetery features 2 types of government-issued headstones: the most common is the white marble headstone featuring a religious symbol at the top, followed by the deceased's name, the branch of service, date of birth and death, and any military honors received; the second is also made of white marble, but features a shield and is dedicated to veterans who fought in the Spanish-American War (1898) or a war prior.
Families who are willing to fund the headstones themselves can erect a private monument of their choosing, though the design has to remain relatively simple. Before 1947, there was no limit, so to speak, on the design selected by the family, and so the oldest sections (such as those nearest Arlington House) feature a wide variety of crosses, Egyptian obelisks, and even an old cannon!
However, that policy was eventually changed, and today, families who do choose to erect private monuments can only do so in the sections allotted for those types of headstones. Once those sections reach capacity, private monuments will no longer be allowed.
The graves near Arlington House are not uniform because they are some of the oldest in the cemetery. As the Civil War dragged on, many of the cemeteries in and around Washington, D.C., neared capacity. It was thus decided to utilize the sprawling grounds of Arlington to bury the growing number of deceased veterans.
The first burials took place in Section 27, which is about a half mile from Arlington House. However, Quartermaster General Montgomery Meigs had an additional motive for burying soldiers on Lee's property: revenge. He desired that the burials take place as near to the house as possible so that Lee and his family could never return to their beloved mansion. Eventually getting his way, Meigs also requested that they face out toward the city from the hillside, so as to be clearly visible by the public.
The first burial, that of Private William Christman, who died of measles at nearby Lincoln General Hospital, occurred on May 13 1864. Section 27 has some of the earliest burials of the cemetery, including Private Christman, which can be found here. The section would quickly turn into what they referred to as the Contraband Cemetery, a place of rest for thousands of impoverished black men, women, and children.
Though it began as a cemetery for poor privates and freed slaves, through the years, the honor associated with Arlington National Cemetery increased, making it a chosen location for military men and women.
After the assassination of beloved president, John F. Kennedy, the cemetery also became a tourist destination for millions each year who came to pay respects at the JFK, and now his brothers, memorials. Kennedy is not the only, or the first, President buried at Arlington. President and Supreme Court Chief Justice William Howard Taft and his wife, Helen Herron Taft, were buried here in 1930 and 1943, respectively.
Spouses and dependent children of qualified service members are allowed to be buried or inurned at Arlington National Cemetery.
The type of honors rendered at the funeral depends on the rank of the buried person. Enlisted Armed Forces members receive Standard Military Honors, including a casket team, a firing party, a military chaplain (if desired), and a bugler. Commissioned officers, warrant officers, those in the paygrade of E-9 or higher, and all enlisted members who are killed on active duty qualify for full military honors.
These services include all those rendered for Standard Military Honors, in addition to an escort platoon, military band, and a caisson. Members of the Marines or Army who achieve the rank of Colonel or higher may request a riderless horse. Spouses and dependent children receive a casket team and military chaplain.
Arlington National Cemetery covers all costs associated with burials and inurnment unless the family requests a customized headstone monument or private vault.
Symbols and Emblems of Arlington National Cemetery Headstones
The Department of Army that runs Arlington National Cemetery (ANC), in keeping with Department of Veteran Affairs protocols, only allows certain graphics on government issues headstones.
As you walk through the cemetery on one of our self-guided tours or with our guided walking tour, you can use the guide below to understand the basics of the symbols on government-issued and personal markers.
RELIGIOUS EMBLEMS
The simple white marble headstones often have a religious symbol on the top. There are 60 approved religious symbols, and a system is in place should families petition for a new symbol.
The religious symbols and any other approved graphics are allowed in black only.
The most common is the Latin Cross. On some headstones this cross is inscribed in a circle, this is not a different symbol but an earlier engraver.
The earlier Christian symbol was a Latin Cross with a circle around it and was used on the headstones at Arlington National Cemetery. The circle was no longer used after the 1980s and the regulation of symbols. Representing the Christian faith, this is the most commonly seen religious symbol.
Other symbols are the Star of David (Jewish), Lutheran Cross, Russian Orthodox Cross, Cross and Crown (First Church of Christ, Scientist), and Presbyterian Cross.
Recently, petitions were made to include new religious symbols such as the pentagram for Wiccan beliefs and the Hammer of Thor for the Heathen religions.
There are at least five identified Wiccans buried in Arlington. Some of them, including Private Abe Kooiman, requested that the symbol be added once approved, as he died 5 years before it was allowed.
For a .pdf version of all the religious emblems available to veterans, click here.
Adding a religious emblem is a personal choice and is not required. By default, military-issued headstones list the name of the deceased, the years of birth and death, and the branch of service.
Families may request, at the government's expense, military grade, rank, or rate; war service (such as "World War II"); months and days of birth and death; an emblem reflecting one's beliefs; valor awards received; and the Purple Heart. Not all headstones bear a religious emblem.
Earlier graves in Section 27 have a different style than the military headstones seen elsewhere in the cemetery.
These Citizen and Civilian headstones mark the burial sites of poor freed men, women, and children who were interred in Arlington National Cemetery at the government's expense after the Civil War.
To keep with the aesthetic of overwhelming rows upon rows of white headstones, these replacement headstones are similar in appearance to the military headstones apart from the inscriptions.
For many years, Section 27 was an area that was somewhat segregated from the rest of the cemetery. Here, you will also find many graves of soldiers in the United States Colored Troops. Their graves are marked with the initials U.S.C.T.
MILITARY EMBLEMS
The available emblems for use on military headstones are not limited to religious ones.
Pre-World War I era headstones are inscribed differently. The Civil War Union shield is available for those who served in the Civil War fighting for the Union or for those who served in the Spanish-American War.
Within the shield is the arched name of the deceased and his abbreviated military organization. The dates of birth and death are listed below. Due to space restrictions, no religious symbol is listed.
Confederate soldiers from the Civil War also have distinct markers. The Confederate Southern Cross of Honor is inscribed above the arched name, military organization and dates of birth and death.
To provide an obvious distinction of Confederate graves, instead of a rounded top to the marble headstone, Confederate graves are pointed. The common joke is that the Southern war veterans didn't want "Yankee" soldiers to sit on the graves. The Confederate Soldiers section at Arlington National Cemetery was redesigned with new headstones at the turn of the 20th century.
The only other permitted graphic on a government-issued headstone is the insignia of the Medal of Honor.
The original design for the MOH was designed for the Navy and, shortly thereafter, another for the Army, both during the Civil War. The design is an inverted star with Minerva in the center, surrounded by laurel and oak leaf clusters and stars to represent the States.
Through the years, only slight changes have been made. A 1904 version of the MOH depicts the Goddess of War instead of Minerva. The Air Force uses the head of the Statue of Liberty.
Medal of Honor recipients are eligible to have the insignia carved into their marker underneath their name at the expense of the military. For Civil War and Spanish American War MOH recipients, the insignia is underneath the arch of the name.
For those eligible individuals who are buried at sea, whose remains are donated to science, or whose cremated remains are scattered, there is an option for a memorial marker. This is also used for those remains that are unidentified or not recovered. Many of these men and women are still Missing In Action. These memorial markers have been inscribed at the top In Memory Of any religious emblem but above the name.
Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr has a memorial marker near his brothers' graves at the Kennedy Memorials. His remains were never found after a premature explosion during a mission during WWII.
Not every headstone in Arlington National Cemetery is paid for by the government. For those individuals who desire a different headstone, as long as there is space available in an older section of the cemetery and the additional costs are covered by the family, larger headstones are permitted.
There are still requirements regarding the style and size. Personal markers and monuments of freestanding cross design, narrow shafts, mausoleums, or overground vaults are not allowed, though underground vaults are permitted. Any personal design must be approved by the cemetery, including what type of graphics and information may be used to remain in keeping with the dignity of the area.
Many who elect to pay for their headstones use military insignia to mark their rank, branch, or unit.
Crossed swords and rifles are common. They are not specific to a branch of the military and are used to denote a veteran, usually an officer. Colonel Witte served in the US Army from 1939-1969 earning many combat and campaign medals.
The opened-winged emblem, as seen above Colonel Michie, denotes Air Force. However, many variations with specific details mark specific ranks - from pilot wings to senior flight nurses.
The type of shield and presence and design of the star on the top change depending on theposition of the deceased. The striped shield and laurel surround the star mark Michie earned his Command Pilot Wings.
The United States Navy also has its emblems, often involving an anchor. The USN superimposed over an anchor with the two stars shows that Alphonse J. Vacca was a Master Chief Petty Officer for the US Navy.
This symbol is the same as used on the collar device of those with that rank.
The caduceus, as seen on Captain Spencer Johnson's grave, is the symbol of messengers but, since the early 1900s, has been used to denote those in the medical field.
A short herald's staff wrapped by two serpents was used on Army medical uniforms and has been common on medical corps and nurses corps grave markers since then.
The Castle on General Shingler's grave is the US Army Corps of Engineers logo. The origins of this tradition are unknown, but the Corps officially adopted the logo in 1902. It was unofficially used well before, possibly dating back to the American Revolution.
The graves of higher rank officials will often have stars at the top. These correspond with their rank, such as five-star general Omar Bradley, who has five stars carved into his headstone.
Five five-star officers are buried at Arlington: Admiral William D. Leahy, General George C. Marshall, General Henry F. Arnold, Admiral William F. Halsey, and General Omar N. Bradley.
Confederate Section of Arlington Cemetery
Technically, the few hundred Confederate soldiers from the Civil War should not be buried in Arlington National Cemetery, per army burial regulations. It is a United States military cemetery and these soldiers, for the most part, did not serve in the United States military.
In the beginning of burials at Arlington, Civil War veterans from the U.S. were buried amongst freed blacks and Confederate soldiers without much distinction between them.
As years past and Arlington became more and more associated with the honor of our military, U.S. soldiers, both those who died during the war and veterans who died later, were given more care to the location and upkeep of their graves and headstones.
Confederate graves in government cemeteries in the North languished for want of care and upkeep. Southern support groups were not allowed to maintain the decrepit graves.
On Decoration Day, the precursor to modern Memorial Day, it was forbidden to decorate Confederate graves.
What changed all this was another war. The Spanish-American War brought together the North and the South in a true reunification to fight together. Leading the charge was General Joseph "Fighting Joe" Wheeler, a former Confederate officer.
Between the Civil War and Spanish American War, he served as congressman from Alabama but he was one of the first to volunteer his services with the threat of war against Spain.
Fighting Joe was appointed major general of volunteers, which commanded Teddy Roosevelt's Rough Riders, by President McKinley. At one point while fighting in Cuba and watching the Spanish retreat he yelled "We got the damn Yankees on the run" - forgetting which war he was fighting!
President McKinley, supported by Wheeler, announced to the South that the government would begin an effort to maintain the graves of Confederate soldiers buried in military cemeteries. This would start at Arlington National Cemetery.
In 1900, Congress approved a measure to disinter Confederates buried in Washington area cemeteries and rebury them in a specific Confederate section of Arlington National Cemetery.
Unlike the rest of the cemetery with headstones in straight rows, the Confederate section is arranged in concentric circles.
The tombstones were remade similar to Union headstones with a few distinct differences. Both of similar size and material, the Confederate's were pointed at the top rather than rounded like the ones you see around the rest of Arlington. The longstanding story is that Confederates didn't want "Yankees' to sit on the top of their stone!
Similar to other Civil War veterans grave markers, the name is arched with military organizations and dates of birth and death, if known. Rather than a religious or other military symbol at the top, the Confederate Southern Cross of Honor is inscribed at the top.
Three years later, Joe Wheeler, an United States military officer both before and after the Civil War - died in New York.
He wished to be buried in Arlington National Cemetery but amongst other U.S. officers. His grave marker is not far from Philip Sheriden's.
This caused controversy amongst Confederate veterans who thought he should be buried in the Confederate section. The family kept with his wishes to be buried in Section 2.
Wheeler's tall obelisk is one of the tallest graves in the cemetery.
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