One summer, many years ago, our family went to Washington, D.C. We had a number of places we wanted to visit, including the Smithsonian, the Washington Monument, the White House, Congress, and the Lincoln Memorial.
We had no idea that one of the most moving places we would visit would be Arlington National Cemetery.
The first soldier, from the Civil War, was buried there in 1864. By the end of that year, more than 7,000 soldiers were laid to rest in its soil. Even those who had died before its establishment began to be moved to its hallowed grounds. As a result, the cemetery has become the burial ground for casualties from all of America’s wars—from the Revolutionary War to the most recent of conflicts.
In 1929, it was the site of the first national Memorial Day holiday. Today, approximately 400,000 service men and women are now buried on its 639 acres.
Beyond the thousands of white crosses dotting the landscape and marking the graves, we saw the burial sites of countless historical figures including President Taft and Supreme Court Justices Oliver Wendell Holmes and Thurgood Marshall. There was the memorial to the crew of the Space Shuttle Challenger. We were moved by the flame that always burns at the site of President John F. Kennedy’s grave, and the nearby site of his brother, Bobby.
But nothing prepared us for the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
Established in 1921 as a burial place for the Unknown Soldier of World War I, unknown soldiers from World War II and the Korean War were soon added. An unknown soldier from the Vietnam War was buried there with full military honors on Memorial Day in 1984.
The tomb itself simply says, “Here rests in honored glory an American soldier known but to God.”
In honor of all of those who died in combat defending our freedoms, there is a round-the-clock guard at the site of the tomb. A sentinel from the Third U.S. Infantry maintains the vigil around the clock. In a symbolic mirroring of the 21-gun salute, the guard paces 21 steps down the mat before the tomb, pauses for 21 seconds, and returns. The changing of the guard takes place every hour, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, rain or shine.
When we were there, it was packed with tourists, but you could have heard a pin drop. The sacred nature of what the place stood for, the solemn nature of the guard, the setting of the cemetery itself, lent itself to something that felt sacred, something that deserved honor and respect.
No matter who you were or where you were from, it was natural, it was good, and it was right.
Today is Memorial Day, when we remember those who gave their lives for our country, particularly in battle or from wounds they suffered in battle. Many of them lie in Arlington.
So remember and give honor.
You might even want to Google a video clip of the changing of the guard.
James Emery White
About the Author
James Emery White is the founding and senior pastor of Mecklenburg Community Church in Charlotte, NC, and a former professor of theology and culture at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, where he also served as their fourth president. His latest book, Hybrid Church: Rethinking the Church for a Post-Christian Digital Age, is now available on Amazon or from your favorite bookseller. To enjoy a free subscription to the Church & Culture blog, visit churchandculture.org where you can view past blogs in our archive, read the latest church and culture news from around the world, and listen to the Church & Culture Podcast. Follow Dr. White on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @JamesEmeryWhite.
The views expressed in this commentary do not necessarily reflect those of CrosswalkHeadlines.
James Emery White is the founding and senior pastor of Mecklenburg Community Church in Charlotte, NC, and a former professor of theology and culture at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, where he also served as their fourth president. His latest book, Hybrid Church: Rethinking the Church for a Post-Christian Digital Age, is now available on Amazon or from your favorite bookseller. To enjoy a free subscription to the Church & Culture blog, visit churchandculture.org where you can view past blogs in our archive, read the latest church and culture news from around the world, and listen to the Church & Culture Podcast. Follow Dr. White on X, Facebook and Instagram at @JamesEmeryWhite.
