Over 4 million visitors, come through Arlington National Cemetery each year. It has over 200 acres and was originally set up to be a military natural burial site in 1864 . It is the second largest national cemetery in the US with over 300,000 people buried there. This famous natural cemetery is located in Arlington, Virginia and brings visitors here for various reasons. Some simply wish to be able to see a piece of American history, some come to pay their respects and honor the nation’s war veterans and others are there for the funeral and burial of a friend or family member .

For those people that are there to attend a funeral, they are in the company of many others each week at Arlington. The cemetery has average of about 28 funerals each day during the week with no funeral services occuring on the weekends. Veterans from all of the nation’s the American Revolution all the way to Iraq and Afghanistan. There are certain traditions that happen at] a funeral here. They have a wreath laying ceremony in addition to a 21 gun salute in honor of the soldier. They also follow the funeral with the playing of taps and the presentation of the flag that was on the coffin to the family.

One of the most frequently visited sections of the Arlington national cemetery is the Tomb of the Unknowns. This is a monumental tomb that was built and houses the remains of an unknown soldier from each war. It is meant to symbolize all of the service members that lost their lives during war. There was a ceremony when each Unknown Soldier was interred into the tomb by the presiding President of the United States at that moment. The only war that does not have representation is the Vietnam War where the remains were taken out and identified and then the family of that deceased veteran preferred to have him buried near their home. The Tomb of the Unknowns is guarded by the U.S. Army 24 hours a day 365 days a year .

There are important people that are well known in American History that are also honored by being buried at this cemetery. These people were not military figures but important to our history. There are several explorers buried including some astronauts here. Also, laid to rest here are famous political people such as the Kennedy brothers. Famous literary and medical figures are burial in Arlington too. There are also 2 Presidents of the United States buried here and they are William Howard Taft and John Fitzgerald Kennedy. Many visitors enjoy walking all around and seeing all of the famous names buried in one location .

If you would like to travel to the Washington, D.C. area and take a visit to Arlington, Virginia to see this famous cemetery, it may be exciting to go there on a day that has special ceremonies surrounding it . Veteran’s Day usually has the sitting President speak in honor of all of the Americans that lost their lives for our nation .