GRATEFUL MEMBERS VISIT OUR NATIONS MOST SACRED SHRINE.

GRATEFUL MEMBERS VISIT OUR NATION'S MOST SACRED SHRINE

Freedom:

"All gave some, but some gave all."

Arlington National Cemetery with remembrance wreaths placed by 75,000 volunteers from Wreaths Across America.

On New Years Eve 2018, four members of the Big Woods Hare Hunters of the Allegheny took time out to pay their respects to some of our nation's fallen heros at one of our nation's most sacred places. The pictures say it all. And, yes, it was a little cold but all hearts were warmed.

"On Saturday, December 16, 2017, at 1,422 participating locations nationwide, grateful Americans in every state placed more than 1,565,000 remembrance wreaths. At Arlington National Cemetery specifically, 244,700 wreaths (one for each marker there) were placed by more than 75,000 volunteers, the largest crowd to ever participate there.
Nearly 500 truckloads of wreaths were transported across the country through a network of hundreds of volunteer drivers, donated trucking and diesel, and countless hours of dedicated volunteers committed to the mission to Remember, Honor and Teach."-Wreaths Across America website.

"A person dies twice: once when they take their final breath, and later, the last time their name is spoken."--unknown

"We are not here to decorate graves. We're here to remember not their deaths, but their lives."—Karen Worcester, Executive Director of Wreaths Across America

Arlington National Cemetery is the final resting place for more than 400,000 active duty service members, veterans and their families. Service to country is the common thread that binds all who are remembered and honored at Arlington.

Main entrance to Arlington National Cemetery.

At the top of the hill is the Robert E. Lee Memorial or the Arlington House, formerly named the Custis-Lee Mansion. Once the home of Confederate General, Robert E. Lee, it overlooks the Potomac River and the National Mall in Washington, DC. During the American Civil War, the grounds of the mansion were selected as the site of Arlington National Cemetery, in part to ensure that Lee would never again be able to return to his home. However, the United States has since designated the mansion as a National Memorial to Lee. Although the U. S. Department of the Army controls Arlington National Cemetery, the National Park Service, a component of the United States Department of the Interior, administers Arlington House.

The primary mission of Arlington National Cemetery is to serve as the final resting place for the men and women who honorably served in the Armed Forces and their immediate family members.

Three members and one future member of The Big Woods Hare Hunters of the Allegheny make their way into Arlington National Cemetery.  The building behind is the Visitor Center. All visitors must pass through a security screening.

A first stop on a trip to Arlington National Cemetery should include the Welcome Center, located by the cemetery entrance. In the Welcome Center there are maps, information services (to include grave locations), kiosks for accessing AND Explorer, a bookstore, restrooms and water fountains. The Welcome Center also contains exhibits and displays that tell the story of Arlington National Cemetery and its significance to the nation. The cornerstone of the exhibits is a life-size replica of a bugler playing "Taps," one of the most recognizable components of a military honors funeral.

Arlington National Cemetery conducts between 27 and 30 funeral services each weekday and between 6 and 8 services on Saturday. The grounds of Arlington National Cemetery honor those who have served our nation by providing a sense of beauty and peace for our guests.

Who may be buried at Arlington National Cemetery?

(a) Any active duty member of the Armed Forces (except those members serving on active duty for training only).

(b) Any retired member of the Armed Forces. A retired member of the Armed Forces, in the context of this paragraph, is a retired member of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, or a Reserve component who has served on active duty (other than for training), is carried on an official retired list, and is entitled to receive retired pay stemming from service in the Armed Forces. If, at the time of death, a retired member of the Armed Forces is not entitled to receive retired pay stemming from his service in the Armed Forces until some future date, the retired member will not be eligible for burial.
(c) Any former member of the Armed Forces separated for physical disability prior to 1 October 1949 who has served on active duty (other than for training) and who would have been eligible for retirement under the provisions of 10 U.S.C. 1201 had that statute been in effect on the date of his separation.
(d) Any former member of the Armed Forces whose last active duty (other than for training) military service terminated honorably and who has been awarded one of the following decorations:
(1) Medal of Honor.
(2) Distinguished Service Cross (Air Force Cross or Navy Cross).
(3) Distinguished Service Medal.
(4) Silver Star.
(5) Purple Heart.
(e) Persons who have held any of the following positions, provided their last period of active duty (other than for training) as a member of the Armed Forces terminated honorably: 
(1) An elective office of the United States Government.
(2) Office of the Chief Justice of the United States or of an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.
(3) An office listed in 5 U.S.C. 5312 or 5 U.S.C. 5313.
(4) The Chief of a mission who was at any time during his tenure classified in class I under the provisions of 411 of the Act of 13 August 1946, 60 Stat. 1002, as amended (22 U.S.C. 866, 1964 ed.).

The rolling green hills are dotted with trees that are hundreds of years in age and complement the gardens found throughout the 624 acres of the cemetery. This impressive landscape serves as a tribute to the service and sacrifice of every individual laid to rest within the hallowed grounds of Arlington National Cemetery.

One of the most recognizable components of a military honors funeral includes "Taps". Taps is a bugle call played at military funerals by the United States armed forces. The official military version is played by a single bugle or trumpet. The tune is also sometimes known as "Butterfield's Lullaby", or by the first line of the lyric, "Day Is Done".

At the top of the hill is the Robert E. Lee Memorial.

Above and below: Between 1947 and 2001, privately purchased markers were permitted in the cemetery. The sections in which the cemetery permitted such markers are nearly filled and the cemetery generally does not allow new burials in these sections. Nevertheless, the older sections of the cemetery have a wide variety of private markers placed prior to 2001, including an artillery piece.

Three members of the Big Woods Hare Hunters of the Allegheny respectfully pose before the camera and before the solemn graves to commemorate their visit. A future member is riding on his Daddy's back.

The High HareMan at Arlington National.
As emotions well up, a normal person's heart cannot help but be moved.

@ Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Arlington National Cemetery.

"There is a meticulous routine that the guard follows when watching over the graves.

The Tomb Guard:

Marches 21 steps south down the black mat laid across the Tomb.

1. Turns and faces east, toward the Tomb, for 21 seconds.
2. Turns and faces north, changes weapon to outside shoulder, and waits 21 seconds.
3. Marches 21 steps down the mat.
4. Turns and faces east for 21 seconds.
5. Turns and faces south, changes weapon to outside shoulder, and waits 21 seconds.
6. Repeats the routine until the soldier is relieved of duty at the Changing of the Guard.

After each turn, the Guard executes a sharp "shoulder-arms" movement to place the weapon on the shoulder closest to the visitors to signify that the Guard stands between the Tomb and any possible threat.

Out of respect for the interred, the sentinels command silence at the tombs. If the guard walking the mat must vocally confront a disturbance from spectators, or a threat, the routine is interrupted, and remains so until the disturbance is under control. The sentinel will exit the mat, place the weapon in port arms position, and confront the disturbance. Once under control, the sentinel then walks on the pavement to the other side of the mat, turns to shoulder arms, and continues the routine.

Twenty-one was chosen because it symbolizes the highest military honor that can be bestowed—the 21-gun salute ."- wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomb_of_the_Unknown_Soldier_(Arlington)

Overlooking Washington, D.C. from Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery stands atop a hill overlooking Washington, D.C. On March 4, 1921, Congress approved the burial of an unidentified American soldier from World War I in the plaza of the new Memorial Amphitheater.

Below: The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier or the Tomb of the Unknowns is a monument dedicated to U.S. service members who have died without their remains being identified. Wikipedia

"All gave some, but some gave all."