Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Medal of Honor. What do these words mean to you? The award is known to many, but the answer to this question is different from one person to another, one generation to another, and one branch of the military to the other. One thing the Medal signifies is that an extraordinary level of courage and bravery was carried by the Medal’s Recipient. Courage is never practiced. It is not a lesson one can teach it. It comes from within an individual and only when it is most needed. Many have made the ultimate sacrifice for a fellow service member or members. Many have survived to speak for those that never came home and to talk about the values represented by the Medal. Nineteen individuals have earned the Medal of Honor a second time, five sets of brothers have earned it, two father and sons, an uncle and nephew, and a woman. Is there one constant value here among the individuals to whom it has been awarded? Each act of valor was never planned. These warriors reacted to the situation. g

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was established as tribute to those lost during “The Great War” by laying to rest the unknown remains of a World War I soldier. And now, Unknown Soldiers from World War II and the Korean War rest in individual crypts behind the Tomb. Each unknown has been awarded the Medal of Honor.

The crypt in the middle was once the final resting place of the Vietnam Unknown Soldier; however, due to DNA testing in 1998, the remains of Air Force Lieutenant Michael Blassie were identified and his remains reinterred in Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St. Louis, Missouri.

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier serves as a symbolic grave for those who have never been found or identified and has evolved to represent the memory of our service members throughout American history. Many countries have bestowed upon the Unknowns their highest honors showing their respect for the sacrifices each made during the wars.

Tomb Guards are linked to each patriot’s grave through daily duties carried out as they guard our nation’s most sacred shrine. The precision of 21 steps the Tomb Guard walks across the mat, the crisp creases of their uniform, the glass-like polish of their shoes and the endless hours of preparation and training to become a Tomb Guard posted for duty on the plaza represents the highest values and standards of the United States Army.

Each year, millions of visitors come to Arlington National Cemetery as a tourist or to visit loved ones who were honored to be buried among fellow patriots. The plaza where the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is placed is an active and distinct guard

post with a renowned “changing of the guard” ceremony. Along with repeated commands, and the sound of precision in the crisp heel clicks and weapons manual in unison, Tomb Guards protect the freedoms the Unknowns never got to know. It is one of the most visited places in the cemetery with visitors witnessing the Sentinels protecting the hallowed ground while the visitors pay their respects to the Unknowns.

Each Sentinel goes thru rigorous training for months before they are posted before the public. It is an all-volunteer duty, open to men and women and any Military Occupational Skill (MOS) in the Army that are station at Fort Myer, Virginia with the 3rd United States Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard). During this time, they will train for hours unseen, learn the preparation it takes to perfect the uniform standards of a Tomb Guard, that of which is not matched by anyone in the US Army, study and retain pages of information (Tomb Guard Knowledge) about the Unknowns and the many laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery and the sacrifices they made for our country and the symbol of freedom for which they represent.

Courage, honor, sacrifice, service. These are common themes of the Tomb Guard and the Medal of Honor, that which we protect every hour of the day and night on the plaza.

The Society of the Honor Guard, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (SHGTUS) was formed in 1999 by a group of former Tomb Guards committed to the preservation of the unique history of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier while honoring and remembering the service and sacrifice of the Unknown servicemen buried on the plaza of the Memorial Amphitheater. The Society is dedicated to protecting and enhancing the g

welfare and legacy of the Tomb Guards -- past and present. The Society also protects, upholds, preserve, and safeguards from exploitation the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Identification badge (TGIB).

In October 2021, a special group of Americans followed in the footsteps of the World War I Unknown Soldier during the national commemoration for the Centennial of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. This group consisted of current and former Tomb Guards and their families, American Gold Star Mothers, and the President General of the Daughters of the American Revolution. They were joined by members of the American Legion Paris Post #1, French veterans, and civil authorities.

The group visited each of the four American cemeteries maintained by the American Battle Monuments Commission (ANBC) at St. Mihiel, Aisne-Marne, Somme, and MeuseArgonne to pay tribute to the fallen still laid to rest there and commemorate the location of the selection of one Unknown Soldier from each to represent the four Unknown Soldiers that would be part of the selection of the World War I Unknown Soldier in Chalons-Sur-Marne on October 24, 1921. Ceremonies were conducted with representatives of the French Government from the towns that the war raged around and devastated. The populace still remembers the service and sacrifice of thousands of unknown Americans who helped liberate their nation. Honors were rendered, each ceremony was concluded with the playing of “Taps”.

Accompanying the group was a special American Flag that represented the Unknown Soldier and was secured and carried by Society Members. The flag would be flown at each of the American Cemeteries that a candidate was chosen from. This flag was first flown in Arlington National Cemetery at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on Memorial Day 2021, then flown from the flag staff of the USS Olympia – exactly 100 years since its departure to France to bring home the body of the Unknown.

Secured in its case, it was hand carried to France by a Tomb Guard to ensure its safe journey abroad. Once in France, preparations for the ceremony at each location would be discussed and rehearsed.

The three individuals not selected as the World War I Unknown Soldier were re-interred there at the conclusion of the selection ceremony in 1921. The Society was allowed to conduct a special tribute to each one of the three. One at a time, the tip of the colors was touched to the white marble cross, each being inscribed with “Here Rests, in Honored Glory, An American Soldier, Known but to God” as it is with all the buried in France from World War I, then passed to the next designated person in the group and then the next. White roses were then individually laid at the base of the three graves. White Roses are the symbolic rose of the Society.

Next, the flag would be draped over an empty casket in the City Hall of Chalons-en-Champagne (Chalons-Sur-Marne in 1921) to honor the 100th anniversary of the vigil conducted by French Soldiers on October 23, 1921. On the 100th anniversary of the selection of the World War I Unknown Soldier by Army Sergeant Edward F. Younger on October 24, 1921, the U.S. flag covered casket was placed on a horse drawn carriage and followed the same route from City Hall through the streets of Chalons, lined with hundreds of French citizens in attendance and led by current and former military from the United States and France, as well as dignitaries, in observance to the War Memorial where a final ceremony was conducted. After returning to the courtyard of the City Hall, Tomb Guards would once again fold this flag with honors.

This special flag would be opened and refolded for the last time in France at the docks of the Port of Le Havre where the selected Unknown Soldier was transferred to the USS Olympia for his final voyage home. It is on this dock, 100 years earlier that the Minister of Pensions, and wounded veteran, Andre Maginot bestowed Frances highest award The French Crois de Chevalier del la Legion d’Honneur (The French Medal of Honor) for valor upon the casket of our Unknown Soldier. During the interment ceremonies on November 11, dignitaries from many nations in attendance would present their highest award for valor to the Unknown Soldier, along with the Medal of Honor.

The flag and its case now reside in a special presentation cabinet inside the Memorial Amphitheater Display Room for all visitors to see.

Along with this flag the Medal of Honor awarded to each of the Unknowns are displayed with a description of how they were selected. Please take a moment to visit the Display Room when visiting the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

From the desk of Lonny LeGrand, Jr., President of The Society of the Honor Guard, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (SHGTUS). Former Tomb Guard and Assistant Relief Commander, 1981-1983. Lonny was awarded Tomb Guard Identification Badge #249.