Arlington National Cemetery announces its 2016 schedule of special narrated tours

SOURCE: Arlington National Cemetery

Theo tin Arlington National Cemetery

3/4/2016

Arlington National Cemetery’s History Office developed a series of informative lectures and tours that highlight the history of the United States through the eyes of its heroes buried at Arlington and the military conflicts that shaped the cemetery and the nation. The tours are narrated by Arlington National Cemetery historians and free of charge. Registration is required through Eventbrite. All tours start at Welcome Center at Arlington National Cemetery and require some walking.

Women in Military Service
Date: March 18, 2016
Time: 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Start Location: Arlington National Cemetery Welcome Center

Description: As you walk through Arlington National Cemetery, you can’t help noticing the names of women who improved our society through their contributions to science, the arts, government, and all other areas of American life. Guest Speaker: Regina T. Akers, PH.D., Historian at the Naval History and Heritage Command will discuss the continuing legacy of women who have served in the Navy. The tour will cover women who have served across the Armed Services, as well as other notable women who are buried at the cemetery.

Link to registration: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/history-series-special-guided-tour-women-in-military-service-tickets-22576876044

Medal of Honor Day
Date: March 25, 2016
Time: 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Start Location: Arlington National Cemetery Welcome Center

Description: The Medal of Honor is the highest award for valor which can be bestowed upon an individual serving in the Armed Services of the United States. There are approximately 407 Medal of Honor recipients buried at Arlington National Cemetery. This tour will cover the story of American conflicts through the valor of Medal of Honor recipients. The tour will end at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier to observe the Medal of Honor Wreath Ceremony.

Link to registration: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/history-series-special-guided-tour-medal-of-honor-day-tickets-22577102722

The Generals of the American Civil War
Date: April 8, 2016
Time: 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Start Location: Arlington National Cemetery Welcome Center

Description: The American Civil War (1861-1865), also known as “The War Between the States,” pitted neighbor against neighbor and brother against brother. By the time it ended in 1865, the Civil War proved to be the costliest war ever fought on American soil. This tour explores the senior officers who served on both sides of this conflict that are buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

Link to registration: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/history-series-special-guided-tour-the-generals-of-the-american-civil-war-tickets-22577369520

Memorial Day – An American Tradition
Date: May 29, 2016
Time: 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Start Location: Arlington National Cemetery Welcome Center

Description: In 1868, General John Logan, the Commander-In-Chief of the Grand Army of the Republic, designated May 30th as Decoration Day, a time for the nation to mourn and decorate the graves of the war dead with flowers. Arlington National Cemetery became the location of the first Decoration Day National Observance. Even though the name was changed to Memorial Day and the date was changed, the tradition of gathering at Arlington National Cemetery to mourn the fallen and decorate graves continues. This tour explores the origins of Decoration Day/Memorial Day at Arlington National Cemetery.

Link to registration: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/history-series-special-guided-tour-memorial-day-an-american-tradition-tickets-22577715555

World War II: The Greatest Generation
Date: June 5, 2016
Time: 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Start Location: Arlington National Cemetery Welcome Center

Description: The Second World War was the first war fought globally. More than 11 million Americans, referred to as the “Greatest Generation,” fought the Axis aggression on two fronts in Europe and the Pacific. This tour explores the defining moments in the war in each theater and will include stops in sections 7, 7A, the Battle of the Bulge Memorial (section 21), 35, 36 and 46.

Link to registration: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/history-series-special-guided-tour-world-war-ii-the-greatest-generation-tickets-22577801813

U.S. Military and the Cold War
Date: July 10, 2016
Time: 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Start Location: Arlington National Cemetery Welcome Center

Description: The Cold War is a term used to describe the conflict between the United States and communist expansion fought on many fronts all over the world, both in open and secret warfare, over a 45 year period after World War II. The first open conflict of the Cold War was fought on the Korean Peninsula from June 1950 through July 1953. Less than 10 years later, the United States would find itself involved in a 10 year conflict in Vietnam. The Cold War would end in the late 1980s not with gun fire, but cheers, as the people of East Berlin tore down the wall that divided the city which was the greatest symbol of the Cold War itself.

Link to registration: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/history-series-special-guided-tour-us-military-and-the-cold-war-tickets-22577852966

Spanish American War and the Philippine Insurrection
Date: August 7, 2016
Time: 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Start Location: Arlington National Cemetery Welcome Center

Description: The Spanish American War and Philippine Insurrection greatly impacted Arlington National Cemetery. It was from the Spanish American War that the United States started repatriating causalities from foreign soil for burial at Arlington National Cemetery. Also for the first time, military nurses earned burial eligibility at Arlington National Cemetery. During this time period, Arlington grew beyond its original 200 acre footprint to accommodate the influx of new burials. Stops will include, sections 1, 3, 21, 22, 24, along with a visit to the USS Maine Memorial.

Link to registration: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/history-series-special-guided-tour-spanish-american-war-and-the-philippine-insurrection-tickets-22577930197

POW/MIA Recognition Day: Never Forgotten
Date: September 16, 2016
Time: 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Start Location: Arlington National Cemetery Welcome Center

Description: America has long stood tall as a beacon of freedom thanks to the women and men of our Armed Forces who safeguard the United States. Since the Spanish American War, the U.S. has made it a commitment to bring all its service members home – no matter how long it takes. There are more than 83,000 Americans that remain missing from WWII, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Cold War, and the Gulf Wars/other conflicts. This tour focuses those who were “Never Forgotten” – the missing in action or prisoners of war that have been found, as well as those who are still unaccounted for but memorialized at Arlington National Cemetery.

Link to registration: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/history-series-special-guided-tour-powmia-recognition-day-never-forgotten-tickets-22577997398

World War I: Bringing our Heroes Home
Date: October 16, 2016
Time: 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Start Location: Arlington National Cemetery Welcome Center

Description: As the First World War had a tremendous impact on the United States, it also had a lasting effect on Arlington National Cemetery. The tour covers the United States involvement, senior military leaders from WWI and its effect on Arlington National Cemetery, and will finish with a tour of the Memorial Amphitheater and watching the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Link to registration: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/history-series-special-guided-tour-world-war-i-bringing-our-heroes-home-tickets-22578099704

The Selection of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
Date: November 20, 2016
Time: 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Start Location: Arlington National Cemetery Welcome Center

Description: Officially dedicated on November 11, 1921, the Tomb of the Unknown Solider pays homage to the U.S. Service Members that made the ultimate sacrifice for our Nation. They lost not only their lives, but their identity. This tour focuses not only on the selection of the Unknown for the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, but on story of the Unknown from several wars buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Stops include the War of 1812 Unknown, Civil War Unknown, Sgt. Younger (who selected the Unknown for the Tomb), and finish with a tour of the Memorial Amphitheater and watching the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Link to registration: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/history-series-special-guided-tour-the-selection-of-the-tomb-of-the-unknown-soldier-tickets-22578153866

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