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Help Save the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery

"It's hard to believe, but officials at Arlington National Cemetery plan to replace the original Tomb of the Unknown Soldier with a new replica solely because of repairable cosmetic imperfections. This 1932 monument is nationally significant and eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. "

When restoring historic monuments and gravestones, we should always save the original material if at all possible.

Read the full article at the National Trust for Historic Preservation's website at http://www.preservationnation.org/travel-and-sites/sites/southern-region/tomb-of-the-unknown-soldier.html.

Update August 28, 2008: Report Delivered to Congress: Cemetery Officials Commit to Repair, But Preservationists Must Remain Vigilant

I am pleased to report that last fall, thousands of you responded to our call to urge the Superintendent of Arlington National Cemetery and Congress to “repair, not replace” the Tomb of the Unknowns in response to non-structural cracks in the marble face of the monument. 

Your voices were heard and in January 2008, Congress, led by Senator Jim Webb and Senator Daniel Akaka, mandated that a report be prepared laying out all the options for the Tomb including repair.  That report from the Department of the Army, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and Arlington National Cemetery, was delivered to Congress on August 11th.

In the report, federal officials have agreed to properly repair the Tomb in the immediate future, which is a dramatic turn-around from their previous position and a direct result of the action of preservationists, veterans, and other concerned citizens. THANK YOU!

While we were elated to learn that repair is in the offing, we remain very concerned about the long-term future of the historic Tomb, which is the only national monument to soldiers killed in World War I and one of our country's most important war memorials. 

Why?  Because decision-makers at the Cemetery continue to seriously consider replacement of the authentic Tomb as a possible “long term” strategy, according to the report.  Astonishingly, they continue to pursue this misguided approach even after their own analysis concludes that replacing the Tomb with a replica would:

• Significantly harm the historic character of Arlington National Cemetery and
• Cost exponentially more than restoring the Tomb: a whopping $2.2 million compared to $65,000 for repair .
  National Trust staff now is preparing our detailed response to the report, which we received on August 14th, and you should be assured that we will continue our efforts to protect the Tomb as the federal historic preservation review process moves forward.  If you would like to read the report to Congress, you can access it at www.preservationnation.org/tomb.

How can you help?  Take action today!

• Forward this email to a friend or colleague.  The more people who know about the situation in Arlington National Cemetery, the better our chances for negotiating the best short-term AND long-term solution.
• Send an email thanking the Armed Services Committee for requesting the report.  Without their action, we have no doubts the Tomb would have been lost. 
• Read this article about the Tomb on CNN and leave a comment in support of its preservation.
• Make a donation to support our efforts today.

Update: Monument at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery Gets a Reprieve

"The Monument at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery, among the nation's most revered sites, has been given a reprieve.  The National Defense Authorization Bill, signed into law yesterday by President Bush, includes an amendment sponsored by Senators Daniel Akaka (D-HI) and Jim Webb (D-VA), passed unanimously by the Senate, which prevents replacement of the Monument pending a report to Congress about repair options. The National Trust for Historic Preservation has been fighting efforts by federal administrators to substitute a replica for the 48-ton marble block Monument, which has two cosmetic cracks."

Read the full article at the National Trust for Historic Preservation's website at http://www.preservationnation.org

Update: Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Last fall, we declared a "reprieve" for the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington Cemetery.  But today, its fate is far from certain.  When the National Trust for Historic Preservation sounded the alarm about plans to replace the original Tomb with a replica solely because of repairable cosmetic imperfections, there was a huge public outcry.  Thousands of Members and supporters emailed Congress and the Superintendent of the Cemetery, asking that all options for the 1932 monument – which is nationally significant and eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places – be considered, including repair.

Preservationists raised awareness that the two nonstructural cracks in the 48-ton marble block pose no threat to visitors or the historic structure.  They also successfully raised the point that replacement propopents want the replica carved from new stone that will almost inevitably crack along its grain as all marble does naturally when exposed to the elements. Repair and proper care of the Tomb (re-grouting the cracks and using only gentle cleaning methods instead of high-pressure power-washing) is possible and is the preferred method for fixing the existing cracks, as other marble monuments such as the Lincoln Memorial were repaired.

In testimony before Senate Armed Services Committee staff last September, stone preservation expert Mary Oehrlein explained this method of restoration saying, "The existing monument can easily be repaired, as was done 17 years ago, using conventional conservation methods to re-grout the cracks. Once repaired, the fault lines would be virtually invisible from the public viewing areas." (Read more of Ms. Oerhlein's comments to the committee staff here.)

Thanks in no small part to efforts of preservationists, on January 29th the President signed the Defense Authorization Bill that included an amendment introduced by Senators Daniel Akaka (D-HI) and James Webb (D-VA), requiring the Department of the Army and the Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) to produce a written report outlining ALL the options for the Tomb – including repair.  That report is due to Congress at the end of July.

Update

In March, we cautioned the Army and the DVA that it is imperative that the personnel tasked with conducting the new study of the Tomb Monument be highly experienced specialists in the conservation of marble. For example, this expert must conduct technically sophisticated tests to assess the structural integrity of the monument, evaluate the feasibility of repairing the monument, and prepare cost estimates for repair versus replacement.

But sadly, it is clear that the Army and the DVA have no intention of conducting any new studies at all, but are instead planning on simply repackaging old reports designed to buttress arguments to replace the Tomb. 

We cannot let this come to pass.  We must continue to be vigilant in our efforts to keep the pressure on the Army, the DVA and the Superintendent of Arlington National Cemetery to seriously study options for repairing the authentic Tomb of the Unknown Soldier – the only national monument to soldiers who fought in World War I. 

Support Our Efforts

Make a donation in honor or memory of a friend or family member who has served in the U.S. military or in support of our efforts to save the Tomb.

Learn More

Tomb of the Unknowns Update: Study Requires “Highly Experienced Specialists”
Shortly before Congress and President Bush enacted the temporary reprieve for the historic monument, the Army announced that it had “decided to pause” its effort to replace and discard the historic Tomb Monument “until … Congress has the opportunity to review the report.” The report is due at the end of July 2008. In the [...]

Preservationists Win Temporary Reprieve for Historic Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery
I'm happy to report that, on January 29th, President Bush signed into law a temporary reprieve for the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, which federal officials want to replace with a replica because of repairable cosmetic imperfections. Thanks to the advocacy of 4,000 National Trust for Historic Preservation members and friends who asked Congress and the [...]

Press Coverage Raises Awareness of Threat to Tomb
Here at the National Trust, we are very pleased that the Army's plan to discard the Tomb Monument has received considerable recent attention from the media. National Public Radio covered the threatened Tomb on November 11, interviewing Bob Loftur-Thun, a former Sentinel guard at the Tomb who strongly supports restoration rather than replacement. The New York Times [...]

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