Because Arlington was originally started as a place to bury the war dead, the majority of the tombs are for those who served in the military in some capacity. Among others, veterans from the American Revolution, conflicts in Beirut, Grenada and Panama, and from World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Persian Gulf War and casualties from the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq are buried in Arlington.
Arlington National Cemetery is the final resting place for two former presidents: William Howard Taft and John Fitzgerald Kennedy. Taft was the 27th President of the United States and Kennedy was the 35th. Supreme Court Justices Earl Warren, Warren Earl Burger and William Hubbs Rehnquist are also buried in Arlington.
Many famous Americans are buried in Arlington. All seven of the astronauts who were aboard the ill-fated Space Shuttle Challenger, which exploded on January 28, 1986, are interred at Arlington: Capt. Michael J. Smith of the U.S. Navy, Lt. Col. Ellison S. Onizuka of the U.S. Air Force, Dr. Judith Resnik, Dr. Ronald E. McNair, George B. Jarvis and Sharon Christa McAuliffe. Two famous American explorers are also buried there: Robert E. Peary who discovered the North Pole, and Admiral Richard Byrd who explored the Arctic regions. Musician, arranger and composer Glenn Miller was laid to rest in Arlington in 1992. The graves of both Matthew Alexander Henson, the first Black American to reach the North Pole, and Medgar Evers, a prominent civil-rights leader, can also be found in Arlington.
One of the best-known tombs in Arlington is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. In 1921, the remains of an American soldier who fought in WWI, whose identity was unknown, was buried there. The unknown soldiers buried in Arlington represent troops from four different wars who are either missing or whose remains are unknown. The site includes remains from WWII, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. A special memorial site to honor President John F. Kennedy is also in Arlington. And, the veterans of the Korean War have a Contemplative Bench in the cemetery in their honor. Many other monuments and memorials exist within the cemetery grounds.
When considering a trip to Arlington National Cemetery, it is a good idea to plan your visit ahead of time. With over 300,000 grave sites on 200 acres of property, it's nearly impossible to see the entire site in one day. Maps of the cemetery are available online from the Arlington Cemetery website.
