Cotton, Colleagues Introduce Legislation Honoring Centennial of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery

Washington, D.C. - Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas), along with fellow Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut), Shelley Moore Capito (R-West Virginia), Doug Jones (D-Alabama), Steve Daines (R-Montana), Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts), and Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Mississippi) introduced the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Centennial Commemorative Coin Act, which would direct the Secretary of the Treasury to mint commemorative coins in recognition of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier's upcoming centennial in 2021.

After the bill's introduction, Senator Cotton released the following statement:

"A few months after the World War I Unknown was laid to rest, the commander of the Military District of Washington declined a request to post a sentry at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, saying that visitors to Washington ‘can reach the distantly located tomb only with great difficulty' and predicting that the Tomb ‘is not and never will be visited by the thousands of visitors as is done in England, France, and Italy.' Yet one hundred years later, more than four million people pass through the gates of Arlington National Cemetery each year, and most visit the Tomb to observe the Changing of the Guard. Americans venerate the Tomb and its Sentinels as a shrine to all the brave men and women who have served in our Armed Forces, and especially those who laid down their lives so we could live in freedom. This commemorative coin will be a fitting tribute to those heroes and to the Sentinels who have guarded our Tomb for so many years."

Endorsements:

The National Rural Letter Carriers' Association, the VFW, the Society of the Honor Guard Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Gold Star Peak Inc, the World War I Museum, and the Independence Seaport Museum.

Background:

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is a memorial site at Arlington National Cemetery approved by Congress on March 4, 1921 to honor the unknown soldiers who died in World War I. Inscribed on the back of the Tomb are the words "Here rests in honored glory an American soldier known but to God." Today, the site also honors unknown soldiers from World War II, Korea, and Vietnam.

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is guarded 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and in any weather by Tomb Guard Sentinels. The Sentinels, all volunteers, are considered to be the best of the elite 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard), headquartered at Fort Meyer, Virginia.

Proceeds from the sale of the commemorative coins would benefit the National World War I Museum and Memorial for the purposes of assisting in commemorating the centennial. The minting of such coins will not result in any net cost to the United States government.