Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia: Where Some of The Nation's Heroes are Laid to Rest

Arlington National Cemetery is well-known for many reasons. More than four million people make their way to the site each year. Some come to visit the grave sites of the many well-known Americans who are buried there. Others come to visit the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier or learn from the vast history contained in the various exhibits housed nearby. And others come to bury their own family and friends during one of the more than 100 funerals that take place each week at Arlington National Cemetery .

This cemetery is where many great Americans have their final resting place. Some of those buried in Arlington include 10 veterans from the Revolutionary War, who were reinterred between 1892 and 1943, 19 astronauts, including some who lost their lives during the Space Shuttle Challenger tragedy, 4 United States Supreme Court Chief Justices and 8 Associate Justices, including Thurgood Marshall and Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. and 2 United States Presidents, John F. Kennedy and William Howard Taft.

One of the most well-known ceremonies that takes place at Arlington National Cemetery involves the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, where three unknown servicemen are buried. The changing of the guard is a ritual that takes place once per hour or once per half hour, depending on the season. The tomb is guarded 24 hours a day and 365 days a year, regardless of weather or any other conditions. Millions have viewed the changing of the guard during their visits to the cemetery .

Arlington became a military cemetery on June 15, 1864 and veterans from every war that the United States has been involved in are buried there. Visitors can stroll the grounds and visit the graves of well-known Americans or just reflect on the sacrifice made by so many of the men and women who are buried there.

A visit to the welcome center will provide an overview of the grounds as well as information on where to find the graves of the more famous people who are buried at Arlington. The graves are lined up symmetrically providing an eerily beautiful sight.

At any time, visitors may see a family gathered around a grave as a funeral takes place. Not just anyone can be buried at Arlington. Generally, the deceased must have served in armed forces, and there are other qualifying factors as well. To be buried at Arlington National Cemetery is considered an honor.

More than 300,000 people have been laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery, and it will continue to be the place of final rest for future generations of American's military men and women.