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Reflections November 2012

Known but to God

By Richard Bauman

The notion behind honoring an “Unknown Soldier” was that any parent who had lost a son in war, any wife whose husband never returned from battle, and whose body was never identified, could stand at the tomb and feel that maybe his remains are in there. And perhaps they will gain a measure of comfort from that thought.

The Tomb of the Unknowns is in Arlington National Cemetery, just across the Potomac from Washington, D.C. It’s the resting place of heroes, and so cherished, it is perpetually guarded. Regardless of whether it’s raining, snowing or blistering hot; whether it is noon or midnight, there are always armed sentries guarding the tomb.

No other tombs at Arlington, not even the graves of presidents Kennedy and Taft, are so protected.

The revered sepulcher was called the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier until 1958. Its name was changed nearly 55 years ago for a couple of reasons. First, the remains of two more servicemen — one from World War II and another from the Korean War — were interred there. Later, the then- unidentified remains of a serviceman from the Vietnam War were laid to rest there. Secondly, no one knows for sure in which branch of the United States armed services these heroes served.

The notion behind honoring an unknown soldier was that any parent who had lost a son in war, any wife whose husband never returned from battle, and whose body was never identified, could stand at the tomb and feel that maybe his remains are in there. And perhaps they will gain a measure of comfort from that thought.

The inspiration for paying special homage to the unknown war dead dates to World War I, and Francois Simon, in Rennes, France. Simon was a printer and had lost one son to the battlefields of the Great War. Another son was gravely wounded. On many occasions, Simon had organized honorary escorts for the burial of bodies brought back to Rennes from the front. He became distressed about soldiers whose bodies either weren’t recovered from battlefields, or were recovered but unidentifiable.

In November 1916, Simon had the opportunity to ask a French government official why the government hadn’t create a special tomb for an unknown warrior who died defending his country. The idea was championed by a deputy in the French government, and publicized in newspapers. In 1919, the French parliament approved the suggestion. On November 11, 1920, the world’s first tomb of an unknown soldier was created beneath the Arc de Triomphe – a place of honor even Napoleon would have envied.

As the French were creating a permanent tribute for its unknown soldier, the idea was spreading to other countries, including England and the United States. Thus, the body of an unidentified British “soldier” was removed from an unmarked grave in France in 1920. The British destroyer, H.M.S. Verdin, carried it to England, and in a solemn ceremony, the body was re-buried in the center nave at Westminster Abbey.

Although brought home to England, the Unknown Soldier remained buried in French soil. One hundred bags of earth from various battlefields were used to complete the interment. Likewise, when America’s first unknown soldier was brought home, his tomb at Arlington was constructed so that the casket rested on a two-inch layer of French soil.

No president, no national hero ever went to his final rest with the honors given the Unknown Soldier. On Armistice Day, November 11, 1921, he received the Congressional Medal of Honor, and Distinguished Service Cross, plus the highest decorations of Britain, France, Belgium, Italy, Rumania, Czechoslovakia and Poland.

Of the more than 200,000 graves at Arlington, only the Tomb of the Unknowns has a sentry. And it is far more than ceremonial. The tomb was defaced once, in 1926, and since then it has been constantly protected by members of the 1st Battle Group, 3rd Infantry – better known as the Old Guard.

On the marble plaza in front of the tomb, a sentinel walks at a precise 90 steps per minute, back and forth, eyes straight ahead, with an M-14 rifle on his shoulder. The rifle is always on the shoulder away from the tomb, symbolizing that the guard has placed his body between the tomb and all danger. And the guard is changed in precise fashion every hour in winter, and every half-hour in summer.

Some people have called the sentries “parade-ground soldiers,” because of their special uniforms, their polished rifles and fixed bayonets. The precise maneuvers of the post — 21 steps in each direction in front of the tomb — the 21-second pause at the end of each turn.

Yet, it is a real guard post, and that is most evident at night when the monument is void of tourists. “We switch from the dress blues to regular uniforms,” says one of the elite guards, “and protect our perimeter. We can call in some mighty heavy support if we ever need it.” Their presence has deterred would-be vandals.

Until 1998, an “unknown” from the Vietnam War was entombed there. But one family, after lengthy investigation suspected the remains might be those of their son. The remains were exhumed, and through DNA testing it was learned the body was that of Air Force 1st Lt. Michael J. Blassie. His remains were removed from the Tomb of the Unknowns, and he was laid to rest in a marked grave at Jackson Barracks National Cemetery near St. Louis, Mo., on July 11, 1998.

Chiseled into the white Colorado marble that forms the Tomb of the Unknowns are the words: “Here Rests In Honored Glory An American Soldier Known But To God.” Those words, and the Tomb of the Unknowns itself, epitomize what Francois Simon wanted: a place of special honor for all those who gave their life for their country and its ideals. And it is a place of solace, especially for those who lost — in every sense of the word — a loved one to war.

 

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