A Question About Arlington Nat'l Cemetery

[GIl Sanow]

Does any one on this Forum have any idea how many WW1 vets are buried at Arlington? I suppose, in addition to WW1, they might have served as early as the IWs and as late as Korea. Apparently Arlington doesn't keep such records, but perhaps someone can help.

 

I would appreciate hearing from you if you have an answer. Thanx.

G

[101combatvet]

Actually, the cemetery started during the Civil War. The original cemetery started at the U.S. Soldiers' Home but because of a lack of space the cemetery was moved to it's present location at the Custis-Lee Mansion in Arlington. I don't know the stats off hand but I believe it is available on the web.

 

Does any one on this Forum have any idea how many WW1 vets are buried at Arlington? I suppose, in addition to WW1, they might have served as early as the IWs and as late as Korea. Apparently Arlington doesn't keep such records, but perhaps someone can help.

 

I would appreciate hearing from you if you have an answer. Thanx.

G

[Manchu Warrior]

I am a little confused on your question because the cemetery is still open and any veteran can be buried there. Many war of terrorism soldiers have been buried there and any honorably discharged veterans ashes can be placed in a vault at Arlington.

[101combatvet]

Not any veteran..... you must be on active duty or retired from active duty.... although they do make exceptions.

 

I am a little confused on your question because the cemetery is still open and any veteran can be buried there. Many war of terrorism soldiers have been buried there and any honorably discharged veterans ashes can be placed in a vault at Arlington.

[Manchu Warrior]

Not any veteran..... you must be on active duty or retired from active duty.... although they do make exceptions.

I stand corrected but it is also not as cut and dry as being active or not. Any military personnel that have been activated long enough to be eligible for VA benefits can have their ashes buried at Arlington. And I am sure that there is a set time limit that you have to have been active. Also, any military personnel that die while performing weekend drill with the National Guard, who have not been activated, can have their ashes interned at Arlington. If I remember correctly, when I was in the Guard our weekend drill was state orders, so not activated, and for our annual training we were Federally activated. Title 10 as compared to Title 32 and I assume the Reserves are always on Federal orders for both drill and AT.

[101combatvet]

If you are talking about ashes.... maybe... but I was speaking of burial at Arlington. They really encourage all others to be buried at state veterans cemeteries. Matter of fact they have been discouraging retired active military for some time now..... space is getting limited there.

 

I stand corrected but it is also not as cut and dry as being active or not. Any military personnel that have been activated long enough to be eligible for VA benefits can have their ashes buried at Arlington. And I am sure that there is a set time limit that you have to have been active. Also, any military personnel that die while performing weekend drill with the National Guard, who have not been activated, can have their ashes interned at Arlington. If I remember correctly, when I was in the Guard our weekend drill was state orders, so not activated, and for our annual training we were Federally activated. Title 10 as compared to Title 32 and I assume the Reserves are always on Federal orders for both drill and AT.

[GIl Sanow]

Hey guys, I am not concerned if this was a burial of cremains or not -- I am looking for a figure for burials of WW1 vets. Have been unable to find it on the internet, and the Arlington website says they don't have these figures.

 

G

[Manchu Warrior]

Hey guys, I am not concerned if this was a burial of cremains or not -- I am looking for a figure for burials of WW1 vets. Have been unable to find it on the internet, and the Arlington website says they don't have these figures.

 

G

I apologize for the hijacking.

[101combatvet]

Hmmmm.... I thought I saw stats on this once. If I have time I'll see what I can find.

 

Hey guys, I am not concerned if this was a burial of cremains or not -- I am looking for a figure for burials of WW1 vets. Have been unable to find it on the internet, and the Arlington website says they don't have these figures.

 

G

[Bob Hudson]

Hmmmm.... I thought I saw stats on this once. If I have time I'll see what I can find.

 

They seem to have stats for everything except how many of the deceased served in which wars (well they can tell that ten Revolutionary War vets are buried there). I suspect that they have never bothered to tally up the burial records against service records, and so many vets served in multiples wars/conflicts for which not all records still exist that it would be a near impossible task for them to go back and try to match the 300,000 deceased with specific wars.

[101combatvet]

You may be in fact correct.

 

They seem to have stats for everything except how many of the deceased served in which wars (well they can tell that ten Revolutionary War vets are buried there). I suspect that they have never bothered to tally up the burial records against service records, and so many vets served in multiples wars/conflicts for which not all records still exist that it would be a near impossible task for them to go back and try to match the 300,000 deceased with specific wars.

[Bluehawk]

Roughly 260,000 are buried there... number growing.

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The grounds of Arlington National Cemetery comprise some 612 acres of what was once the 1,000 acre plantation owned by the granddaughter of George Washington and her husband Robert E. Lee.

 

More than 260,000 persons are currently buried at Arlington making it our second largest National Cemetery.

 

Veterans interred at Arlington are from every war in our Nation's history, dating back to the Revolutionary War. Soldiers killed in the line of duty even today continued to be interred at Arlington.

 

Two American Presidents (Taft and Kennedy) are buried at Arlington.

 

There are an average of 15-20 funerals daily at Arlington.

 

Flags at Arlington are lowered to half staff thirty minutes before the first funeral of the day and remain at half staff until a half hour after the last.

 

Arlington National Cemetery is the only military cemetery that is authorized to use horses as a regular part of its ceremony.

 

Approximately 16,000 ceremonies are conducted at Arlington, ranging from burials to planting of memorial trees and wreath-laying ceremonies.

 

Since April 6, 1948 the Tomb of the Unknowns is guarded 24 hours a day, 365 days a year by an honor guard that is changed each half hour in summer daylight hours and ever hour at night and throughout the winter.

 

Four times each year the President sends a wreath to Arlington:

 

Memorial Day

 

May 29th (President Kennedy's Birthday)

 

September 15th (President Taft's Birthday)

 

Veterans' Day

 

On Memorial Day Weekend (first called Decoration Day), members of the 3rd U.S. Infantry (Old Guard) place American flags on each grave, set a distance of one boot width from the headstone. These remain in place until after the traditional Memorial Day ceremony.

 

There are twenty-five accepted religious symbols that may be engraved on the headstone/marker. (Click Here to view them)

 

Headstones of Medal of Honor recipients may have engraved on them the image of the Medal of Honor to denote the final resting place of an American hero.

 

A total of 377 Medal of Honor recipients are either interred or memorialized at Arlington.

 

4 of the 19 double recipients of the Medal of Honor are buried in Arlington (Baldwin, Cukela, McCloy, and Pruitt).

 

43 of the recipients buried in Arlington were killed in action or are listed as missing in action, including two recipients who earned Medals of Honor in one war, then were killed in action in a later war.

 

The average age of death among the recipients buried in Arlington is 65 and the oldest died at the age of 101.

 

203 Medal of Honor recipients buried in Arlington have the distinctive, government-issue Medal of Honor headstone.

 

91 Medal of Honor grave sites have private headstones with either the text Medal of Honor and/or a graphic image of the Medal.

 

83 of the Medal of Honor recipients buried in Arlington have private headstones with no reference to the Medal of Honor.

 

Recipients from 43 of our nation's 50 states plus the District of Columbia are buried in Arlington.

 

Recipients

Buried In Arlington

 

BY BRANCH

 

Army 214

Navy 104

USMC 46

Army AC 10

Air Force 3

Grand Total 378

 

 

BY WAR

 

Civil War 97

World War II 63

Mexican Campaign 39

Indian Campaigns 34

Peace Time 25

World War I 25

Philippine War 22

Vietnam War 21

Korean War 19

Spanish-American 16

China Relief 12

Samoan 2

Haiti - 1915 1

Nicaragua 1

Grand Total 378

 

 

Who Is Eligible for Burial at Arlington?

 

The persons specified below are eligible for ground burial in Arlington National Cemetery. The last period of active duty of former members of the Armed Forces must have ended honorably. Interment may be casketed or cremated remains.

Any active duty member of the Armed Forces (except those members serving on active duty for training only).

Any veteran who is retired from active military service with the Armed Forces.

Any veteran who is retired from the Reserves is eligible upon reaching age 60 and drawing retired pay; and who served a period of active duty (other than for training).

Any former member of the Armed Forces separated honorably prior to October 1, 1949 for medical reasons and who was rated at 30% or greater disabled effective on the day of discharge.

Any former member of the Armed Forces who has been awarded one of the following decorations:

Medal of Honor

Distinguished Service Cross (Navy Cross or Air Force Cross)

Distinguished Service Medal

Silver Star

Purple Heart

The President of the United States or any former President of the United States.

Any former member of the Armed Forces who served on active duty (other than for training) and who held any of the following positions:

An elective office of the U.S. Government

Office of the Chief Justice of the United States or of an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.

An office listed, at the time the person held the position, in 5 USC 5312 or 5313 (Levels I and II of the Executive Schedule).

The chief of a mission who was at any time during his/her tenure classified in Class I under the provisions of Section 411, Act of 13 August 1946, 60 Stat. 1002, as amended (22 USC 866) or as listed in State Department memorandum dated March 21, 1988.

Any former prisoner of war who, while a prisoner of war, served honorably in the active military, naval, or air service, whose last period of military, naval or air service terminated honorably and who died on or after November 30, 1993.

The spouse, widow or widower, minor child, or permanently dependent child, and certain unmarried adult children of any of the above eligible veterans.

The widow or widower of:

a member of the Armed Forces who was lost or buried at sea or officially determined to be missing in action.

a member of the Armed Forces who is interred in a US military cemetery overseas that is maintained by the American Battle Monuments Commission.

a member of the Armed Forces who is interred in Arlington National Cemetery as part of a group burial.

The surviving spouse, minor child, or permanently dependent child of any person already buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

The parents of a minor child, or permanently dependent child whose remains, based on the eligibility of a parent, are already buried in ANC. A spouse divorced from the primary eligible, or widowed and remarried, is not eligible for interment.

Provided certain conditions are met, a former member of the Armed Forces may be buried in the same grave with a close relative who is already buried and is the primary eligible.

[101combatvet]

I stand corrected..... Clinton approved a drilling reservist that was killed in an automobile accident.

[Ellis]

Hello,

 

The Washington Post may have better stats than ANC.

The Post writes on the GWOT soldiers KIA and buried in Arlington.

Toward the end of each write-up they give the number interred US soldiers KIA from Iraq or Afghanistan.

Understand the question concerned WW I soldiers. Other sources may be relevant.

 

Ellis

[USMC A5 Sniper Rifle]

Roughly 260,000 are buried there... number growing.

------------------

The grounds of Arlington National Cemetery comprise some 612 acres of what was once the 1,000 acre plantation owned by the granddaughter of George Washington and her husband Robert E. Lee.

 

The estate was owned by George's grand daughter, Mary Ann, whose father was the adopted son of George. George Washington himself had no children, although he adopted four children, two from his wife's first marriage, and two from his adopted son, Jacky, after Jacky's death.

 

Mary Ann married Robert E. Lee. The estate was seized after Gen. Lee failed to pay his taxes in person (wonder why?), even though Mary had paid the $92.07 herself (as owner).

 

Jim