Arlington's Section 60

ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER ^ | Aug. 15, 2011 | LAUREN ACHÉE

[RicocheT]

"Arlington National Cemetery became the nation's most hallowed burial ground when a Union officer decided in 1861 that the best place to inter Civil War dead was on the grounds of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's plantation, just across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C."....

...."Now there is Section 60, the area set aside for servicemen and women who have died serving in Afghanistan and Iraq over the past decade.

It's on the outskirts of the cemetery, among tombstones rarely seen by visitors. They lie far from the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns, outside of the vistas offered from Lee's home. When you're standing in this section of the cemetery, the graves seem to march off to the distance in neat rows, evidence of the price paid by those sworn to protect our freedom."....

[RicocheT]

The graves date from 10 years ago to the present, some are so new the permanent headstones are not set, most have signs of grief such as fresh flowers, letter and pictures taped to them. Short article, but it affected me and reminded me of the sacrifices we demand of our military and their families.

[flowerplough]

Been there, for a coworker.

[yefragetuwrabrumuy]

Sadly enough, Arlington cemetery is full to overcrowded. In truth, it should have been limited to Civil War dead, with other, unique sites used for other major conflicts.

Likewise, there should eventually be a recognition of “ashes to ashes, and dust to dust”, that nothing remains of the human remains, and instead of leaving headstones to weather to just rocks, that they be moved inside, to preserve their information in much less area, and that the ground be reused.

This has long been the tradition where cemetery land was at a premium, in many cases, graves being reused when just bones remained. The bones were then cleaned and put in an ossuary chapel. Few Americans have ever been in such a chapel, and while at first they are repelled by the idea, they soon realize that it has a much more sacred character than a common building.

[pepsionice]

I live about a mile outside of Arlington Cemetery. It has not reached “capacity” yet. My firm belief is that the Pentagon would shut down Fort Meyer and tear down every structure on the military reservation....to eventually enlarge the cemetery onto those grounds. I would agree that it probably should have been closed to more after WW II....with another major cemetery established in the region.

[MosesKnows]

I live about a mile outside of Arlington Cemetery.

I used to live "in" Arlington National Cemetery. By that, I mean I lived on Ft. Myer, South Post, California Hall to be more exact. I recall the "Green Room" as a favorite spot for both civilian and military people. The South Post is now a part of Arlington Cemetery.

The Ft Myers North Post is the base of operations for most Services' Honor Guards and burial teams. A large percentage of burials in Arlington National Cemetery originate from Old Post Chapel, one of the two chapels on Fort Myer.

I recently attended a military burial service for internment in the Columbarium at Arlington National Cemetery. The Columbarium is located adjacent to Section 60.

Section 70 is the highest numerical Section and I know people buried in Section 69 interned in 1980. Almost 20 years later, Arlington National Cemetery buried a Marine friend of mine in Section 59. My point is that there is a plan and the cemetery does not use the sections in numerical order.

The nearest National Cemetery to Arlington is located in Culpepper, Virginia.