LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION commemorating the 150th Anniversary of Arlington
National Cemetery

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to call attention to
those historic sites which serve as lasting reminders of our rich and
unique past; and
WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its long-
standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to commem-
orate the 150th Anniversary of Arlington National Cemetery; and
WHEREAS, Arlington National Cemetery is comprised of land that once
belonged to George Washington Parke Custis, adopted grandson of George
Washington; Mr. Custis built Arlington House on the 1,100-acre planta-
tion as a memorial to the first president; and
WHEREAS, In 1857, Mr. Custis willed the property to his only surviving
daughter, Mary Anna Randolph Custis, who was married to Robert E. Lee;
after Lee vacated the property on the onset of the Civil War in 1861,
federal troops used the land as a camp and headquarters; and
WHEREAS, In 1863, the government established Freedman's Village on the
estate as a way to assist slaves transitioning to freedom; the village
provided housing, education, employment training, and medical care; and
WHEREAS, A property tax dispute cost the Lee family their home in
1864, and the United States government purchased the property and set
aside 200 acres of property to use as a cemetery; the first military
burial took place on May 13, 1864, and by the end of the Civil War,
thousands of soldiers and former slaves were buried at Arlington; and
WHEREAS, In May of 2014, Arlington National Cemetery hosted a series
of events to commemorate this important milestone in Arlington's histo-
ry, starting with a wreath laying ceremony at the gravesite of Army
Private William Christman, who was the first military burial at Arling-
ton and concluded with a wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the
Unknown Soldier on June 16th, the day Arlington was established as a
national cemetery; and
WHEREAS, Arlington National Cemetery consists currently of 624 acres
in northeastern Virginia located on the Potomac River across from Wash-
ington, D.C. and is the final resting place for more than 400,000 active
duty service members, veterans and their families; and
WHEREAS, Service to country is the common thread which binds all who
are remembered and honored at Arlington National Cemetery; and
WHEREAS, Arlington National Cemetery is both a national treasure and
an active cemetery; the cemetery conducts between 27 to 30 funerals each
week day, and between six and eight services on Saturdays, nearly 7,000
per year; and
WHEREAS, This national cemetery hosts more than 3,000 ceremonies per
year, including wreath-laying ceremonies for national and international
dignitaries; memorial and remembrance services; and services honoring
specialized groups, units and historic events and national observances
for Memorial Day and Veterans Day; and
WHEREAS, The cornerstone of Arlington National Cemetery's mission is
laying our Nation's veterans and their eligible family members to rest
with honor and respect, while treating their loved ones with dignity and
compassion; and
WHEREAS, Monuments, memorials and dedicated trees commending individ-
uals and commemorating significant events in our Nation's history are
interspersed throughout the cemetery among the headstones of those for
whom Arlington is the final resting place; they honor service members
and events from all branches of the military, as well as pay respect to
astronauts, nurses, chaplains, war correspondents and unknowns; and

WHEREAS, Arlington National Cemetery is a living tribute to our
Nation's past and how it continues to thrive through the service and
sacrifice of those willing to dedicate their lives to its ideals; and
WHEREAS, Those interred in the cemetery include representatives of the
dead from all of America's wars, and many of these representatives
achieved personal distinction including but not limited to President
John F. Kennedy, General John J. Pershing, and Admiral Robert E. Peary;
and
WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative Body to commemorate
important places and historic events such as the 150th Anniversary of
the establishment of Arlington National Cemetery as a final resting
place and place of honor for those who have served our Nation with honor
and dignity; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
honor all those who are interred at Arlington National Cemetery, and
those who perform the daily task of operating the cemetery as a burial
place and historic site; and be it further
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause further to commemorate the
150th Anniversary of Arlington National Cemetery; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to Arlington National Cemetery.