The Great War in Arlington Cemetery

“Their devotion, their valor, and their sacrifice will live forever in the hearts of their grateful countryman,” declared General of the Armies John J. Pershing, referring to the over 100,000 Americans who died in World War I.

Arlington National Cemetery is the final resting place for not only their revered leader, General Pershing, but also for a lone soldier whose anonymous, though not forgotten, death prompted the erection of one of the cemetery’s most powerful sites: The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Join this walk to pay tribute to them and to heroic battlefield nurses, the “Buffalo Soldiers” who were transformed into “Doughboys,” and thousands who died near the Forest of Argonne. Honoring the sites associated with World War I affords the opportunity to see both the most famous and least visited places in our national burial ground. 

This tour concludes with a viewing of the Changing of the Guard ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Be prepared to walk long distances on this tour.

What Makes Arlington Cemetery So Special?  Approximately 400,000 veterans and their eligible dependents are buried at Arlington National Cemetery. It could be said that the history of the United States is reflected its grounds. U.S. Supreme Court justices and President John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis are laid to rest alongside the grave sites of those who represent every rank of the U.S. Armed Forces.  The campus also includes the former home of Robert E. Lee's family.  

More Washington, D.C. walking tours you might like: National Mall Memorials: The Backstory and Memorials: Remembrances of War