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Arlington Mix-Up Creates Another Unknown Soldier

Unidentified remains found in plot listed as vacant

By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff

Posted Oct 7, 2009 4:53 AM CDT
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(Newser) – Arlington National Cemetery has buried an unknown soldier for the first time since 1984 because of bungled paperwork. Workers burying a service member in Grave 449 in 2003 found human remains in the ground when paperwork had marked the plot as vacant. The plot was left unmarked until recently when a headstone marked "Unknown" went up. The move followed an investigation by Salon, which was tipped off by cemetery workers who say such mix-ups happen disturbingly often.

Arlington officials say they are working to identify the unknown soldier—who is likely to have been buried relatively recently because Grave 449 is in an active section of the cemetery—although the remains have not been disinterred. Identifying who lies in Grave 449 could create a public-relations disaster for Arlington, Salon notes, particularly if the deceased service member's headstone went up over the wrong grave, creating a "ripple effect" of misidentified bodies.

A soldier with the 3rd Infantry Regiment guards the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery, in Arlington, Va.
A soldier with the 3rd Infantry Regiment guards the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery, in Arlington, Va.   (AP Photo/Department of Defense, D. Myles Cullen)
A bugler plays taps during burial services at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va.
A bugler plays taps during burial services at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va.   (AP Photo/Luis M. Alvarez)
A bugler plays taps during burial services at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va.
A bugler plays taps during burial services at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va.   (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)
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The idea that Arlington is creating unknown soldiers by bungling paperwork is particularly ironic given the military's otherwise exhaustive and often valiant efforts to live up to the 'leave-no-soldier-behind' ethos. - Mark Benjamin, Salon

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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 4 comments
Fondue
Oct 7, 2009 12:35 PM CDT
Waiting for the anti-government rightwing to use this as another excuse. Keep in mind it was a republican in charge then.
oldgoat
Oct 7, 2009 11:06 AM CDT
I agree but the chances of it coming out later and then that they knew that it was known would be worse. By coming out with it themselves they show that they are at least trying to do the right thing and that people should be able to confident that every effort is being made to have the right headstone. I think we need to give them credit for their efforts.
Aelius28
Oct 7, 2009 10:33 AM CDT
Honestly, I don't have a problem with gravestone mix-ups. As long as you put up a gravestone with a person's name on it - if that's what the family wants - it doesn't matter if there's a body underneath it. It's completely arbitrary and even if there is a mix-up it's better to keep it a secret because... well, ignorance is bliss. The family doesn't know that the wrong body is underneath the gravestone - or no body at all - but they think there is. And that's all that matters.
US • Politics

 
US military • Arlington • Arlington National Cemetery • cemetery • Tomb of the Unknowns

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