Centennial Projects

National Salute Project

One of the first Centennial Committee projects as we approached the 100th Anniversary of the burial of an Unknown American Soldier who fought and died in World War I is the National Salute.

City, town and church bells have served our country and its citizenry from the very beginning. They can do so again. Imagine a silent afternoon in your community where you start to hear the bells toll. Steady and resounding, they ring and are joined by other bells, until all you hear is a crescendo of bells echoing through your community. Then you remember, it’s November 11th at 11:00 a.m. You stop what you are doing and count 21 seconds, standing in solidarity with everyone else in the U.S.A. And as the bells slowly start to fade away, perhaps you hear the haunting wail of a lone trumpeter playing ‘Taps’. A silence once again envelops your community, and you realize that the bells were telling everyone that a moment of remembrance had arrived.

The National Salute, re-instituted in 2015, is a means to show our deep respect for our Unknown Soldiers buried in the east plaza of the Memorial Amphitheater in Arlington National Cemetery. On the 11th Hour, of the 11th Day, of the 11th Month we ask Americans across the United States and foreign lands, to pause and recognize those who have sacrificed and those who will sacrifice in the future in the defense of America’s “Freedom and Democracy.”

This commemoration provides a unique opportunity to celebrate America’s unshakeable commitment to those who serve and sacrifice.

Ready to participate? Creating a simple ceremony that fits your community should include:

1. Count Honors – Be creative with a 21 Count Honors (bell ringing with five second interval between counts) — by all available means — gun salute (land and sea), church bells, rifle salute, ROTC, police and fire dept. sirens, etc. This calling to “Attention” of the freedom loving people of the world for purposes of rendering the highest honors to those Americans who have paid the ultimate price for freedom. Communities are invited to pay respects to the honored dead. Religious organizations, patriotic organizations, scouting organizations, schools, communities, libraries, industrial and business entity of all sizes, unions, communications media, social media, transportation services and individuals across the land are invited to participate in these highest honors. The idea is for the American people to pause, show their gratitude, and render their highest honors to the people’s unsung valor.
2. Great Silence – for two minutes, the first minute for those who have already sacrificed and the second minute for those who will sacrifice in the future with their lives for the American way of life. This two-minute silence ceremony is a reaffirms what President Harding did during the funeral of the Unknown Soldier on November 11, 1921. It is a grateful nation pausing to honor our Nation’s promise to never ever forget or to forsake America’s glorious and immortal dead and missing.
3. Taps – This easily recognized emotive and powerful twenty-four notes bugle call is the international melody for “lights out” — final resting for deceased soldiers. This synchronized playing of Taps around the free world by individuals and organizations is a solemn calling for the defense of free peoples worldwide.

Your community can use different models and venues in honoring the Centennial of this nation’s symbol of patriotism. Some individuals/organizations will be able to conduct formal ceremonies, while others may be less formal. We encourage all communities to commemorate, as they like, this transcending moment in the life of the United States of America.

Never Forget Garden Project

This project is a nationwide invitation to all Americans and freedom loving people to plant gardens as a visual way to represent unwavering commitment to our sacred duty to recognize, remember, and honor our veterans and their families now and for many years to come.

The Society feels that every flower, plant, or tree planted will be a symbol of love and act of unity. In the timeless language of flowers, your Never Forget Garden will quietly trumpet the message that must never weaken: one of America’s sacred commitment to never, ever, forget or forsake our veterans or the principles that define us as Americans.

United States Postal Service Stamp Project

Independence Seaport Museum

Throughout 2021, Independence Seaport Museum will honor the Centennial Anniversary of the Unknown Soldier’s journey home by sharing stories, presenting programming, hosting discussions, and premiering digital content highlighting not only the Unknown Soldier’s story, but how important the concepts of home and loss are as it relates not only to civilians, but also veterans, active-duty military, and military families.

Lapel Pin Project

Historical Aircraft Project

We are researching the historical documents, photographs, and items surrounding the transportation of the Trans-Atlantic Candidate, Trans-Pacific Candidate, Korean War Unknown Soldier, and the Vietnam Unknown Soldier by United States Air Force (USAF) or United States Navy (USN) aircraft. We hope to create a presentation on what we have found during Centennial Week in 2021.

Historical Ships Project and Joint Naval Symposium

In conjunction with our efforts with historical aircraft, we are also researching the historical documents, photographs, and items surrounding the transportation of the Unknown Soldiers by the naval forces of our nation, including the US Marines who stood the vigil while the missions were underway. We are working closely with the Independence Seaport Museum, Navy History and Heritage Command, and the USCGC Ingham Maritime Museum. Each time the Unknown Soldier was brought home to the mainland it was by the US Navy:

• USS Olympia (1921)
• USS Blandy, USS Boston, USS Canberra (1958), and the US Coast Guard escort ship USCGC Ingham (1958)
• USS Brewton (1984)
• or other naval assets identified during the research.

The information gathered will be presented at the Joint Naval Symposium on November 9, 2021 at the historic Navy Yard in Washington DC. Here, and virtually, you will be able to hear about the stories behind the missions to bring our nations Unknown Soldiers home, and participate in the dedication of a special marker placed at the spot where the World War I Unknown Soldier first was carried onto American soil in 1921.

US Capitol Historical Society Project

Working beside the US Capitol Historical Society we will be highlighting the important part the capitol played in the reception and burial of the Unknown Soldiers. We are working to develop articles, webinars, and virtual events for each of the events that took place in November of 1921, May of 1958, and May of 1984 at the US Capitol.

Suggested Reading

The following is a list of suggested books or articles that provide historical context about the Centennial of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. If there is an addition that you feel should be added to the list, please contact the webmaster.

Published Articles by the Centennial Committee