Page 12 - Aerotech News and Review, November 5, 2021

TOMB, from 10
were submitted. 1984, only one set of recovered American remains had not been
fully identified. These remains were designated as the Unknown
1932: Tomb Construction Completed Soldier from the Vietnam War. On Memorial Day 1984, an Army
On April 9, 1923, the completed Tomb was unveiled. The marble caisson carried the Vietnam War Unknown from the U.S. Capitol
sarcophagus features elaborate carvings of wreaths and three neo- to Memorial Amphitheater at Arlington National Cemetery, where
classical figures representing Peace, Victory and Valor. On the side President Ronald Reagan presided over the interment ceremony and
facing Memorial Amphitheater, its inscription reads, “Here Rests in bestowed the Medal of Honor.
Honored Glory an American Soldier Known but to God.”

1937: 24-Hour Guard Duty Begins
Effective July 1, 1937, the Army issued orders for the Tomb to be
guarded 24 hours a day. Ever since then, the Tomb of the Unknown
Soldier has been guarded continuously — 24 hours a day, 7 days a
week, regardless of weather.
Library of Congress photograph
First permanent guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, 1948: The “Old Guard”
March 25, 1926. Since April 6, 1948 (known then as “Army Day”), the Tomb has
been guarded by soldiers from the U.S. Army’s 3rd Infantry Regi-
spoke at the state funeral ceremony and placed the Medal of Honor, ment, “The Old Guard.” The Old Guard is posted to Fort Myer,
the nation’s highest military decoration, on the casket. Numerous Va., adjacent to Arlington National Cemetery. It is considered one
foreign dignitaries presented their nations’ awards as well. Nation- of the highest honors to serve as a Sentinel at the Tomb of the
wide, Americans observed two minutes of silence at the beginning Unknown Soldier.
of the ceremony, and thousands watched as the Unknown was in-
terred in the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. 1956: Honoring the Unknowns of World War II and the
At the time, the Tomb was not yet complete. A crypt was created Korean War Arlington National Cemetery Historical Research photograph
for the funeral, with the intention that the rest of the Tomb would On Aug. 3, 1956, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a bill In a ceremony on May 14, 1998, the Department of Defense
disinterred the Vietnam War Unknown, after reexamining evidence
subsequently be created. to select and honor unknown service members from World War II related to his possible identity. He was then positively identified as
and the Korean War. They would be buried in crypts adjacent to U.S. Air Force 1st Lt. Michael J. Blassie. In 1999, the empty crypt
1925: Daily Civilian Guard Established the original Tomb. was rededicated to honor all missing American service members
On Nov. 17, 1925, the Army ordered a civilian guard to begin from the Vietnam War era.
daily duty at the Tomb in response to increasing reports of visitors’
disrespectful behavior.
1996: Sentinel Milestone
1926: Civilian Guard Replaced by Military Guard Sergeant Heather Lynn Johnsen became the first woman to earn
In March 1926, soldiers from nearby Fort Myer were first as- the prestigious Tomb Guard identification badge.
signed to guard the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The guards, pres-
ent only during daylight hours, discouraged visitors from climbing 1998: Identification of the Vietnam War Unknown
or stepping on the Tomb. For almost 14 years, the Vietnam War Unknown lay at rest at the
On July 3, 1926, Congress authorized the completion of the Tomb. In 1994, Ted Sampley, a POW/MIA activist, determined that
Tomb. the remains were likely those of Air Force 1st Lt. Michael Joseph
Blassie. In 1998, DNA testing confirmed Blassie’s identity. At the
request of Blassie’s family, the Department of Defense exhumed the
remains from the Vietnam War Unknown’s crypt on May 14, 1998.
In accordance with the wishes of his family, Blassie was rein-
terred at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St. Louis, Mo.
1999: Redesignation of the Vietnam War Crypt
The crypt designated for the Vietnam War Unknown remains va-
Naval History & Heritage Command photograph
Hospital Corpsman 1st Class William R. Charette selects the cant. On Sept. 17, 1999 — National POW/MIA Recognition Day —
World War II Unknown Soldier (right). In the center is the Korean it was rededicated to honor all missing U.S. service members from
War Unknown Soldier; on the left, the second unknown World the Vietnam War. The slab over the crypt that once held the remains
War II serviceman, May 26, 1958. of the Vietnam War Unknown has since been replaced. The original
inscription of “Vietnam” has been changed to “Honoring and Keep-
ing Faith with America’s Missing Servicemen”—a reminder of the
commitment of the Armed Forces to the fullest possible accounting
Library of Congress photograph
Secretary of War Dwight F. Davis (left) and Maj. Gen. B.F. 1958: Unknowns of World War II and the Korean War for missing service members.
interred
Cheatham, quartermaster general of the U.S. Army, with the
winning design and model for the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier To represent World War II, the Army chose 18 unidentified bod- Today
in 1928. ies from North Africa, Europe, the Philippines and Hawaii. From Today, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency continues the
these 18, two were chosen for final selection — one from the Pacific work to recover and identify missing U.S. military personnel from
Theater and one from the Transatlantic Theater. On May 26, 1958, all past wars and conflicts in countries around the world. According
Hospital Corpsman 1st Class William R. Charette, an enlisted Navy to DPAA’s records, more than 1,500 Americans remain unaccounted
1928: Final Design Approved sailor and Medal of Honor recipient, made the final selection aboard for from the Vietnam War. It is unlikely that another unknown will
In December 1928, architect Lorimer Rich and sculptor Thomas the USS Canberra. Meanwhile, four unidentified bodies from the ever be added to the Tomb.
Hudson Jones, both World War I veterans, won a nationwide design Korean War were disinterred from the National Memorial Cemetery
competition to design the completed Tomb. Over seventy designs of the Pacific in Hawaii. Army Sgt. Ned Lyle chose one to become
the Korean War Unknown.
The caskets of the World War II and Korean War Unknowns
arrived in Washington on May 28, 1958, where they lay in state in
the Capitol Rotunda until the morning of May 30. Reprising the
events of 1921, a large ceremonial procession then escorted their
caissons to Arlington National Cemetery. President Eisenhower
awarded each the Medal of Honor, and the Unknowns of World
War II and the Korean War were interred in the plaza beside their
World War I comrade.

1961: Sentinel Milestone
Specialist 4th Class Fred Moore was selected as a Tomb Guard,
becoming the first African American posted and earning the presti-
Army photograph by Elizabeth Fraser
gious Tomb Guard identification badge. Sentinels from the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard)
Library of Congress photograph stand guard and conduct the changing of the guard at the Tomb
Workers place the fifty-ton marble sarcophagus in place atop 1984: Honoring the Vietnam War Unknown of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington,
the Unknown Soldier from World War I, in December of 1931. During the Vietnam War era, advances in science and technol- Va., May 6, 2021.
ogy made identification of the dead increasingly accurate. By May

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