10/25/2026
On October 25, 1921, the World War I Unknown Soldier began his journey home to be interred at Arlington National Cemetery. The process began on September 29, 1921, when the War Department ordered that an unidentified American soldier be selected from among those buried in France. Three weeks later, the U.S. Quartermaster Corps team exhumed four bodies – one from each American cemetery in France. Each soldier was examined to confirm membership in the American Expeditionary Forces, the absence of any identifying clues, and death from combat wounds. The bodies were placed in identical caskets draped with American flags to ensure complete randomness in the final selection. Army Sgt. Edward F. Younger was given the honor of choosing the first Unknown Soldier. On October 25th, the selected Unknown Solider was carried aboard the USS Olympia and began his journey home. Upon arrival in Washington D.C., the casket was placed in the Capitol Rotunda, where President Harding and American citizens paid their respects. On November 11, 1921, eight WWI veterans escorted the body to Arlington National Cemetery for internment. Over time, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier expanded to include unidentified service members from World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. The Vietnam Unknown Soldier was later identified as Air Force Capt. Michael J. Blassie, whose remains were exhumed and reburied in Missouri at his family’s request. His former resting place at the tomb remains empty. The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier has been guarded continuously since 1937 – 24 hours a day, 365 days a year – by soldiers of the U.S. Army’s Infantry Regiment, regardless of weather. Sentinels march in a precise pattern: 21 steps, a 21-second pause, and another 21 steps, symbolizing the highest military honor – the 21-gun salute.
