## Overview and Mission Arlington National Cemetery (ANC) is the United States’ premier active military cemetery, serving as the final resting place for more than 400,000 service members, veterans, and their families[5]. Its primary mission is to honor and remember those who have served the nation in uniform, providing dignified and perpetual care for their gravesites. The cemetery also hosts national memorials, conducts ceremonial events, and educates the public about American military history and sacrifice[5]. ## Historical Background The land that became ANC was originally the estate of George Washington Parke Custis, step-grandson of George Washington, and later the home of his daughter, Mary Anna Randolph Custis Lee, and her husband, Confederate General Robert E. Lee[5]. At the outbreak of the Civil War, the Lee family fled, and the U.S. Army seized the estate for its strategic high ground overlooking Washington, D.C.[7]. In 1863, part of the estate was converted into Freedman’s Village, a refuge for formerly enslaved people[2]. The cemetery itself was established on June 15, 1864, by order of Secretary of War Edwin Stanton, as existing military cemeteries were overwhelmed by Civil War casualties[1]. The first military burial, for Private William Christman, took place on May 13, 1864[1][7]. Brigadier General Montgomery C. Meigs, Quartermaster General, played a pivotal role in the cemetery’s creation, reportedly choosing the site in part to ensure the Lees could not reclaim their home[2][6]. Initially, ANC was segregated by race and rank, but President Harry S. Truman ended segregation in 1948[1]. ## Key Achievements and Notable Features ANC is renowned for its Memorial Amphitheater, dedicated in 1920, and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, established in 1921 to honor unidentified service members from World War