January 30, 2008
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Gets Reprieve
Remember when officials at Arlington National Cemetery were trying to replace the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier with a brand new, replica tomb? Well it looks like the the National Trust for Historic Preservation was successful in its campaign to save the original monument, at least for a while.
A press release from the non-profit says that the National Defense Authorization Bill, signed into law Monday by President Bush, includes an amendment, sponsored by Senators Daniel Akaka (D-HI) and Jim Webb (D-VA), which prevents replacement of the Monument pending a report to Congress about repair options. The tomb has two large cracks and is in need of a series of repairs.
“Since World War I, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier has served to commemorate and immortalize those who never returned from the battlefield,” said Webb in a written statement. “Though cracked, this monument represents the patriotic spirit of all of the brave unidentified men and women who have fought and died in America’s wars. I am pleased that, with the President’s signature today, the decision to replace this memorial has been postponed. I look forward to reviewing a full assessment of the memorial’s damage and recommendations for moving forward judiciously.”
In a DCist reader poll back in September, you overwhelmingly agreed that national monuments should be preserved and repaired whenever possible, instead of replaced. Now we'll just have to wait and see what the repair options report to Congress determines can be done to save the original tomb.
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In September I voted to have the memorial repaired. But something just hit me when I read this story...did we ever fix the cracked Liberty Bell? No, and to do so would be a socially retarded move. If the tomb is structurally deficient and must be remodeled, fine. But can't they just leave the cracks there otherwise?
So long as the cracks don't affect the structural integrity of the Tomb, leave them the heck alone. You don't see people rushing to fix the Parthenon, the Coliseum or other great monuments b/c of cracked marble.
The official name of the memorial for the past many, many years has been "Tomb of the Unknowns." They're very picky about this over there.
"But something just hit me when I read this story...did we ever fix the cracked Liberty Bell?"
There were three castings of the Liberty bell. The first was dropped, and cracked. The second sounded like shit. The third also cracked, but not until the 1830s or 1840s. Several cracks appeared during this timeframe, and repairs were attempted on the initial cracks.
Hmm, thanks for that info Politburo. I guess third time was a charm...to just say "eh, Fuck it"
"You don't see people rushing to fix the Parthenon, the Coliseum or other great monuments b/c of cracked marble."
Actually you do see these other monuments getting EXTREMELY extensive repairs and fixes, because any material exposed to the elements will degrade. Hell, they are trying to completely restore the Parthenon, using new marble where they don't have the pieces. It's actually quite common throughout the world.
This is actually a pretty bad turn of events for the Tomb, if you ask me. From everything I've read, the marble used for the monument is of pretty poor quality and is simply disintegrating. It won't last long. Even with the best restoration work, it will need to be replaced some day. Since the last attempt at restoration was in 1989, clearly it wasn't enough. I understand people's love for original things, but nothing last forever.
A smart solution would be to have a new and original tomb made, and put the present tomb in a temperature controlled environment, such as a museum or other place where it will last much longer and can still be honored. I doubt anyone is talking about trashing the original Tomb.
Also remember: the Tomb is superficial, what's important are the men who are buried there.
I believe that America should preserve its monuments and not tear them down to rebuild. Yet the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is much more than a monument. It's the final resting place for three unknown soldiers.
HERE RESTS IN HONORED GLORY AN AMERICAN SOLDIER ... What part of honored glory does a crumbling, cracking, disintegrating crypt reflect?