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Arlington Cemetery: A Nation's Story Carved in Stone
The stones of Arlington National Cemetery tell America’s story in endless rows of nearly identical marble headstones, climbing the gentle Virginia hills and standing in mute testimony to fallen heroes and heroines. Even at a distance, from the air or from the George Washington Parkway, the meaning of the headstones is men and women died to create this country; other men and women tamped cannon, shouldered guns, or piloted jet fighters to secure liberty. Through all the wars, through generation after generation, we have known these warriors. Here, we meet them in row after row. The brother who took up arms against brother, the slaves who fought masters---all are now resting here. A mother and a daughter, both nurses in the Spanish-American War, shared a life of nurture; now they share a tombstone. Soldiers of the Revolutionary War, sailors of the War of 1812, the Civil War’s U.S.C.T.---‘Colored Troops’---the Tuskegee Airmen of World War II; presidents and poor men; the famous and the unknown; generals, admirals, and buck all are honored here at Arlington, their individual stones joining others that recall battles and battalions and list those who died in service---on the Space Shuttle Challenger, on the USS Maine, at the Battle of the Bulge. Each year millions of people visit Arlington. They watch the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. They pay their respects at the eternal flame on John F. Kennedy’s grave. They meander among the stones of those who died in the War of 1812, the Civil War, Vietnam---all of America’s battles. They visit Arlington House and the Women In Military Service For America Memorial, where they learn about the thousands of women who have served the country since the Revolutionary War. They say good-bye to loved ones; they watch the elegant horses deliver a flag-draped coffin to its resting place. They listen to the rifle salutes. They study the headstones that spell out each chapter of our nation’s development and commemorate those who died in battle and those who, after their military service, continued to serve their country, as a Supreme Court justice, a celebrated civil rights activist, a quiet citizen, a good neighbor. Arlington National A Nation’s Story Carved in Stone presents both a photographic memento of this national treasure and an introduction to all the place has to offer. From group monuments to individual headstones to sweeping landscapes, the intimacy and the vastness of Arlington are exquisitely expressed in 140 color photographs. It is a fitting tribute to the place where we can reflect on our past and treasure our present and gain a deeper understanding of the journey we are all taking together.
95 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2001
48 people want to read
About the author
John McCain
108 books109 followersJohn Sidney McCain III was an American politician who served as a United States Senator from Arizona from 1987 until his death. He was the Republican nominee for President of the United States in the 2008 election, which he lost to Barack Obama.
McCain graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1958 and followed his father and grandfather—both four-star admirals—into the U.S. Navy. He became a naval aviator and flew ground-attack aircraft from aircraft carriers. During the Vietnam War, he was almost killed in the 1967 USS Forrestal fire. While McCain was on a bombing mission during Operation Rolling Thunder over Hanoi in October 1967, he was shot down, seriously injured, and captured by the North Vietnamese. He was a prisoner of war until 1973. McCain experienced episodes of torture and refused an out-of-sequence early repatriation offer. The wounds that he sustained during the war left him with lifelong physical disabilities. He retired from the Navy as a captain in 1981 and moved to Arizona, where he entered politics. In 1982, McCain was elected to the United States House of Representatives, where he served two terms. He entered the U.S. Senate in 1987 and easily won reelection five times, the last time in 2016.
While generally adhering to conservative principles, McCain also had a media reputation as a "maverick" for his willingness to disagree with his party on certain issues. After being investigated and largely exonerated in a political influence scandal of the 1980s as a member of the Keating Five, he made campaign finance reform one of his signature concerns, which eventually resulted in passage of the McCain–Feingold Act in 2002. He was also known for his work in the 1990s to restore diplomatic relations with Vietnam, and for his belief that the Iraq War should have been fought to a successful conclusion. McCain chaired the Senate Commerce Committee and opposed pork barrel spending. He belonged to the bipartisan "Gang of 14" which played a key role in alleviating a crisis over judicial nominations.
McCain entered the race for the Republican nomination for President in 2000, but he lost a heated primary season contest to Governor George W. Bush of Texas. He secured the nomination in 2008 after coming back from early reversals, but was defeated by Democratic nominee Barack Obama in the general election, losing by a 365–173 electoral college margin. He subsequently adopted more orthodox conservative stances and attitudes and largely opposed actions of the Obama administration, especially in regard to foreign policy matters. By 2013, however, he had become a key figure in the Senate for negotiating deals on certain issues in an otherwise partisan environment. In 2015, McCain became Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. In 2017, he reduced his role in the Senate after a diagnosis of brain cancer. He died at the age of 81 on August 25, 2018.
McCain graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1958 and followed his father and grandfather—both four-star admirals—into the U.S. Navy. He became a naval aviator and flew ground-attack aircraft from aircraft carriers. During the Vietnam War, he was almost killed in the 1967 USS Forrestal fire. While McCain was on a bombing mission during Operation Rolling Thunder over Hanoi in October 1967, he was shot down, seriously injured, and captured by the North Vietnamese. He was a prisoner of war until 1973. McCain experienced episodes of torture and refused an out-of-sequence early repatriation offer. The wounds that he sustained during the war left him with lifelong physical disabilities. He retired from the Navy as a captain in 1981 and moved to Arizona, where he entered politics. In 1982, McCain was elected to the United States House of Representatives, where he served two terms. He entered the U.S. Senate in 1987 and easily won reelection five times, the last time in 2016.
While generally adhering to conservative principles, McCain also had a media reputation as a "maverick" for his willingness to disagree with his party on certain issues. After being investigated and largely exonerated in a political influence scandal of the 1980s as a member of the Keating Five, he made campaign finance reform one of his signature concerns, which eventually resulted in passage of the McCain–Feingold Act in 2002. He was also known for his work in the 1990s to restore diplomatic relations with Vietnam, and for his belief that the Iraq War should have been fought to a successful conclusion. McCain chaired the Senate Commerce Committee and opposed pork barrel spending. He belonged to the bipartisan "Gang of 14" which played a key role in alleviating a crisis over judicial nominations.
McCain entered the race for the Republican nomination for President in 2000, but he lost a heated primary season contest to Governor George W. Bush of Texas. He secured the nomination in 2008 after coming back from early reversals, but was defeated by Democratic nominee Barack Obama in the general election, losing by a 365–173 electoral college margin. He subsequently adopted more orthodox conservative stances and attitudes and largely opposed actions of the Obama administration, especially in regard to foreign policy matters. By 2013, however, he had become a key figure in the Senate for negotiating deals on certain issues in an otherwise partisan environment. In 2015, McCain became Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. In 2017, he reduced his role in the Senate after a diagnosis of brain cancer. He died at the age of 81 on August 25, 2018.
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