[igp-video src=”” poster=”https://www.arlington.media/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/it-was-foggy-below-the-tombs-this-morning-anc-arlington⠀-arlingtonmedia⠀-arlingtoncemetery⠀-ar.jpg” size=”large”]
It was foggy below the tombs this morning #anc #Arlington⠀ #ArlingtonMedia⠀ #ArlingtonCemetery⠀ #ArlingtonNationalCemetery⠀ #honorthem
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Arlington National Cemetery conducts thousands of military funerals a year. It’s one of few cemeteries that provide graveside burials with full military funeral honors and escort, and each part of a military funeral at Arlington is performed by a service member stationed in the D.C. metro area. The Army is the largest branch of military service in the U.S. and, as a result, conducts more funerals at the cemetery than any other. Members of the Third U.S. Infantry Regiment “The Old Guard” and the U.S. Army Band “Pershing’s Own” fill these roles. Funerals are referred to as “missions” to help soldiers stay emotionally detached and focused on their task. The Old Guard is organized into platoons specific to each ceremonial job. This helps the soldiers specialize in their part of the service and gives them time to rest and maintain their infantry training. When soldiers arrive at Fort Myer, they’re given their platoon assignment. Most want to be part of the firing platoon because it takes the most skill, but you have to audition for a spot first. For seven soldiers to fire the 21-gun salute at the same time requires impeccable timing. The shots are fired in unison and the soldiers must reload their weapons in perfect synchronization with each other. Casket platoon is also a sought-after position. The casket bearers are positioned next to the Chaplain and in full view of the family.
The Old Post Chapel at Fort Myer before a service at Arlington National Cemetery as captured by our @arlingtonmedia team. “The Quartermaster Corps of the Army designed and constructed this chapel at Fort Myer and also built the new entrance gateway to the National Cemetery, completed in 1935. The chapel is used for religious services at the post and also for rites in the cemetery. It is a brick building with wood cornice, an entrance porch of four stone columns, and a wood spire which rises to a height of 97 feet. A 1998 Technical Report by the US Army Corps of Engineers notes that this construction project was part of a host of “New Deal programs [that]…resulted in a construction boom on Army installations. Installations increased in size as training areas expanded. The Historic Fort Myer website explains that “over time,…this one building would become the iconic representation when one thought about Fort Myer. It was the focal point proudly occupying the center of the garrison’s insignia. In addition to providing a place for worship for the Fort Myer Military community, it hosted many weddings and also provided the starting place for many of the final honors which would end in adjacent Arlington National Cemetery.” Today, this Old Post Chapel is still a site for worship, weddings, and many funerals that honor fallen veterans being buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
