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Via PreservationNation, the National Trust for Historic Preservation has started a campaign to save the original Tomb of the Unknowns, or Tomb of the Unknown Soldier as it's commonly called, at Arlington National Cemetery.
Who would want to mess with the tomb? According to the National Trust, it's the folks who run Arlington National Cemetery themselves, as well as Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) -- perhaps one of the senate's most famous military veterans and fathers of soldiers currently serving in Iraq. The tomb has some cracks and needs repairs, but instead of fixing it, the Cemetery would like to replace it with a pristine, exact replica. UPDATE: Due to an error, we incorrectly cited Sen. Jim Webb's position on this issue. Sen. Webb is in fact opposes undecided about replacing the tomb.
The National Trust, naturally, would like to see the original tomb preserved in the same way that other monuments in D.C. are repaired, by re-grouting the cracks, and they say that experts they've consulted with agree the replacement stone is likely to crack in the same way as the current one over time. Would replacing the 48-ton marble block, originally built in 1932, be necessary again in another 75 years?
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Who cares? I feel like the monument is not a sacred *thing*, it is a sacred *place* with sacred *contents* and *observances*.
If you were to say, pull the guards, move the location, remove the contents, or change the ceremonial, I think that would be a serious and disrespectful thing to do. But ensuring that the grounds and tomb itself are pristine should be the priority.
They mow the grass and trim the trees, you can be sure they replace the pavers, I feel the physical tomb should be in as immaculate and military a condition as the guards. When it cracks, you replace it.
Isn't this like putting a new case on the Declaration of Independnece, not replacing the document itself? We show respect here through our ceremonies, visits, and the condition of the place, not its age.
No it won't have to be repaired in 75 years because by then this country will be part of Mexico. Don't you watch Lou Dobbs
WOV - I hear what you're saying and on some level I agree with you. However, IMHO one of the things that gives a monument grandeur and gravitas is its visible age. That we would choose to lovingly repair and restore a monument as revered as the Tomb of the Unknowns rather than just replace it, says how near and dear it is to our hearts.
Rather than compare this situation to a new case on the DOI, I would liken it to two baby boomers with Mustangs. One bought a new 2007 and another who has kept their original 1967 pony car and moved it from place to place, found a way to store it properly, spent time and money on upkeep and restoration. Sure they both love their cars but it's obvious who cares more.
This is obscenely ridiculous.
It's like saying we should replace the Parthenon because the columns are cracked and half the frieze is in the British Museum.
How long before Gathering of Eagles starts blaming this on pinko peace protesters?
Hillrat - very interesting point, but I think changed by the fact that this once was (and was dedicated as) a totally different structure back in the 1920s.
http://www.tombguard.org/tomb27.gif (So, pastepunk, it's more like, say, refinishing the Statue of Liberty.)
Not to mention that, but they've also opened it and taken one soldier out when they were able to identify him. It's clear that this is not a relic - it's sacred because of what is in it, and how we treat that.
The particular structure has no **historical** significance - it's just a nice enclosure carved out of marble for a very important place.
Look at a tomb guard - they're not dressed in period gear. They're wearing a relatively new style uniform, carrying a relatively new rifle, wearing sunglasses sometimes, but it would be ludicrous to say they somehow lack gravitas.
I have no problem imagining a tomb of the unknowns in 2050 with a subdued titanium enclosure and a tomb guard wearing some unrecognizable-today uniform with an antique M16 in hand. The point of the place is that it is beyond time.
I'm confident the people running Arlington (fascinating article about that place in the last National Geographic, btw) have thought about this more, and more deeply, than I have.
I'm not sure who tipped DCist off to this story, but I'm worried they they may have picked it up from a biased source. I have no reason not to trust the cemetery's own assessment of the state of the memorial which can be found here:
http://www.arlingtoncemetery.org/photo_gallery/ANC.pdf
For those not interested in reading the whole thing: The enclosure that is there now has a major flaw in the marble; it can be continuously maintained and constantly repaired at significant expense for eternity, or they can replace the marble with a virtually exact replica using marble of a higher quality that will not degrade as seriously over time.
"The overriding mission of the Cemetery in general, and the maintenance of the Tomb of the Unknowns in particular, is to maintain the Tomb Monument’s condition and appearance in a manner that fully reflects the honor, dignity, and reverence for those whom it represents. A program of repeated repair to a deeply flawed monument will not achieve this goal. In addition, it is Arlington National Cemetery’s belief that the expenditure of resources to maintain the Tomb Monument would be imprudent when, in spite of anyone’s best efforts, the stone will continue to deteriorate" (page 10).
Ironsides makes a very good point ... and thanks for posting Arlington's view. The tomb should reflect (and respect) the dignity and honor of the Unknowns and what it represents. After years of repair, the tomb will look like ugly patchwork. As a plumber once told me about our bathtub tile, once water gets inside it's Sayonnara Baby.
I'm a member of the Arlington Heritage Alliance and, on Tuesday, I participated in a roundtable discussion with architect Mary Oehrlein, an expert in stone conservation. She knows the monument well, and was the Cemetery's consultant for a 1990 study of the Tomb of the Unknowns.
From Ms. Oehrlein and others at the roundtable I learned that:
1. The 2006 report referenced above by Ironsides was drafted to justify a 2001 decision to replace the monument.
2. The monument's cracks are non-structural and only cosmetic. They can be repaired and achieve the Cemetery's aesthetic goal, for less than the cost of replacing the original monument.
3. Arlington National Cemetery plans to replace the monument with a "replica" made of Yule Marble from the original vein of stone at the original quarry. It is virtually impossible to obtain a flawless replacement stone.
In my own view, the monument is a symbol of the sacrifice endured by our nation's war-dead as well as a highly important cultural landmark. It should be repaired and preserved.
Give me a Effing break. How much cooler would it be if the Colleseum in Rome looked like the CG version in The Gladiator, rather than lie some crumbling relic? I think we may be on to something, here.
/irony off/
Mary Oehrlein, a preservation expert and author of the Cemetery’s own 1990 study of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier monument recently stated:
“The existing monument can easily be repaired, as was done 17 years ago, using conventional conservation methods to re-grout the cracks. Once repaired, the fault lines would be virtually invisible from the public viewing areas.”
“The idea that a new piece of stone can be quarried that will not contain faults is unrealistic. The chance of quarrying three flawless pieces of stone is zero. It really is a question of how quickly the faults will appear when the replacement stone is quarried, carved or as the stone weathers.”
Please visit: www.nationaltrust.org/advocacy/arlington
Senator Daniel Akaka and Senator Jim Webb have submitted Senate Amendment 2995 to the Defense Authorization Bill, which may provide a welcome reprieve for the historic Tomb of the Unknowns.
If it is enacted, Senate Amendment 2995 would stop the rush to discard the authentic monument and, instead, require a thorough re-consideration of repairing the monument’s cosmetic cracks. Here is the full text of the Akaka-Webb amendment:
SEC. 1044. REPORT ON PLANS TO REPLACE THE MONUMENT AT THE TOMB OF THE UNKNOWNS AT ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY, VIRGINIA.
(a) Report Required.–Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Army and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall jointly submit to Congress a report setting forth the following:
(1) The current plans of the Secretaries with respect to –
(A) replacing the monument at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia; and
(B) disposing of the current monument at the Tomb of the Unknowns, if it were removed and replaced.
(2) An assessment of the feasibility and advisability of repairing the monument at the Tomb of the Unknowns rather than replacing it.
(3) A description of the current efforts of the Secretaries to maintain and preserve the monument at the Tomb of the Unknowns.
(4) An explanation of why no attempt has been made since 1989 to repair the monument at the Tomb of the Unknowns.
(5) A comprehensive estimate of the cost of replacement of the monument at the Tomb of the Unknowns and the cost of repairing such monument.
(6) An assessment of the structural integrity of the monument at the Tomb of the Unknowns.
(b) Limitation on Action.–The Secretary of the Army and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs may not take any action to replace the monument at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia, until 180 days after the date of the receipt by Congress of the report required by subsection (a).
(c) Exception.–The limitation in subsection (b) shall not prevent the Secretary of the Army or the Secretary of Veterans Affairs from repairing the current monument at the Tomb of the Unknowns or from acquiring any blocks of marble for uses related to such monument, subject to the availability of appropriations for that purposes.
They could stabilize the current monument/tomb and cover the exterior with a new granite skin or veneer. This would preserve the historical tomb, but still allow for it to get a refreshed look. Perhaps leave one side or a portion of the original exposed, to show an emblem perhaps. This may be a good compromise for both parties.