Arkansas Republican Sen. Tom Cotton will return Thursday to Arlington National Cemetery, where he once served, to honor not only Veterans Day but also to mark the 100th anniversary of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
"One hundred years ago on Nov. 11, 1921, there was a long procession from the Capitol with the unknown who lied in state, to what is now the Tomb of the Unknown," Cotton told Fox News. "Over the last 100 years [it] has become a national place of mourning, a place to honor not just the unknowns from WWI, WWII, and the Korea War, but really all those who sacrificed for our country and gave what Lincoln called ‘the last full measure of devotion.'"
SEN. COTTON TELLS STORY OF SERVING WITH ‘THE OLD GUARD’ AT ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY
Noland Roberts, 6, of Lorton, Virginia, salutes after placing a flower during a centennial commemoration event at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery on November 10, 2021, in Arlington, Virginia. Leading up to Veterans Day, Arlington National Cemetery is opening up the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Plaza Tuesday and Wednesday to members of the public and allowing visitors to lay flowers for the first time in almost a century. (Alex Brandon-Pool/Getty Images)
Events at the Arlington National Cemetery commenced Tuesday with a flower-laying ceremony, where for the first time in roughly 100 years the public was able to visit the sacred grounds.
Cotton, who took his young boys and wife to participate in the ceremony, said the event was an "extraordinarily special occasion."
"They’re not quite old enough to fully understand just how rare and unique an experience that is," he said. "But we wanted them to experience that environment, something that they could remember for the rest of their lives."
Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., and his family, stand after placing flowers during a centennial commemoration event at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery on Nov. 9, 2021, in Arlington, Virginia. (Photo by Alex Brandon-Pool/Getty Images)
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Cotton’s visit to the Arlington National Cemetery wasn’t just significant to him as a veteran, but also because he served with The Old Guard — the regiment best known for standing watch over the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
The Arkansas senator has described his 16-month service with the 3rd Infantry Regiment as one of the biggest honors of his life.
Cotton did not specifically stand guard over the honored tomb; instead, he fulfilled other guardsmen duties like funeral services.
"The Old Guard of Arlington is in many cases American’s best image of what the military does day in and day out," he said. "The public doesn’t get to go to Fort Bragg to see the 82nd Airborne or Campbell and see the 101st, but any day of the year they can go to Arlington National Cemetery and see the sentinels at the Tomb of the Unknown Solider, or perhaps catch a glimpse of soldiers laying to rest fallen comrades."
Soldiers with the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, known as "The Old Guard," move flowers during a centennial commemoration event at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery on Nov. 10, 2021, in Arlington, Virginia. (Alex Brandon-Pool/Getty Images)
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"And they can see the degree of care and professionalism in the commitment to excellence and perfection that embodies all of our soldiers and the missions they perform," he added.
Cotton will observe the reenactment of the procession that was carried out 100 years ago Thursday, telling Fox News its storied ritual makes the day "especially moving and poignant."
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