In Pictures: 100 Years of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

A look at the history of the memorial to unidentified service members who lost their lives

by Aaron Kassraie, AARP, November 9, 2021

left an army sentry walking by the tomb of the unknown soldier nineteen fifty eight right a sentry walking by the tomb in two thousand twenty

National Archives / Arlington National Cemetery

On Nov. 11, 1921, a casket bearing an unknown soldier from World War I was placed on a horse-drawn caisson from the Capitol and taken on a procession through Washington, D.C., across the Potomac River into Virginia and to a state funeral held at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery.

During the 100 years since, one unknown service member each from World War II, the Korean War and Vietnam War were laid to rest there, representing service, valor, sacrifice and mourning.

On this centennial anniversary of the tomb’s creation, here’s a look through historical photos at the meaning behind the memorial dedicated to service members who gave their lives for their country.

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Photos

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PHOTO BY: Daniel Garas/Defense Visual Information Distribution Service

The unknown soldier buried at the tomb is just one of many unidentified soldiers from World War I. Here, the crew of the USS Olympia returns him home at Washington, D.C.’s Navy Yard.
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PHOTO BY: New York National Guard

The unknown soldier lay in state at the U.S. Capitol Rotunda in 1921 where about 90,000 visitors paid their respects. In this photograph, General John J. Pershing salutes the soldier during a ceremony.
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PHOTO BY: Department of Defense / Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall

In 1922, this was one of the many wreath-laying ceremonies at the tomb, where generations of citizens and foreign dignitaries have visited to pay their respects.
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PHOTO BY: Harris & Ewing

Lack of etiquette resulted in the institution of military guards at the tomb in 1925. That same year Congress allocated funds for the construction of the 79-ton sarcophagus, completed in 1931.
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PHOTO BY: National Archives

In 1958, unknown service men of WWII and the Korean War were added to the tomb. They lay in state for two days before being interred in crypts to the west of WWI’s unknown soldier.
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PHOTO BY: National Archives

President Eisenhower presented the Medal of Honor posthumously to the unknown service members during their interment ceremonies in 1958.
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PHOTO BY: Courtesy Ronald Reagan Library

On Memorial Day in 1984, President Reagan presided over the interment ceremony for an unknown soldier from the Vietnam War. DNA testing later identified the soldier as Air Force First Lieutenant Michael Joseph Blassie. At the request of his family, he was exhumed from the crypt in 1998 and buried at a national military cemetery in St. Louis. Today, the crypt remains vacant, and was rededicated to honor all missing veterans from the Vietnam War.
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PHOTO BY: U.S. Army photo by Elizabeth Fraser / Arlington National Cemetery

In 1937, the guards became a constant presence, watching over the unknown soldier 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Aaron Kassraie writes about issues important to military veterans and their families for AARP. He also serves as a general assignment reporter. Kassraie previously covered U.S. foreign policy as a correspondent for the Kuwait News Agency’s Washington bureau and worked in news gathering for USA Today and Al Jazeera English.

In Pictures: 100 Years of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

A look at the history of the memorial to unidentified service members who lost their lives

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