Happy Memorial Day from CostPro

On a hillside looking over the Potomac River is a National Shrine. It is the Tomb of America's Unknown Soldier, symbolizing those Americans who made the ultimate sacrifice in World War I, World War II and Korea.
Following the custom of other allied countries, Congress on March 4, 1921 approved a Resolution providing for the burial in Arlington National Cemetery Memorial Amphitheater on Armistice Day of an unknown and unidentified American soldier of World War I. The Chief of American Graves Registration Service in Europe was directed to select from among the burials of America's Unknown Dead the bodies of four who fell in the combat area in order that one of them could be anonymously designated for burial in accordance with the provisions of the Resolution. Four bodies of Unknown Soldiers were selected, one from each of the following cemeteries: Aisne-Marne, Meuse-Argonne, Somme and St. Mihiel--and brought to Chalons where they were placed in the Hotel de Ville. The utmost care was taken that there was no evidence of identification of the bodies selected and that their identity could never be established.
After the four bodies were arranged in the Hotel de Ville, the next step was to select the one to represent all the Unknown American Dead. In view of his outstanding service, Sergeant Edward Younger was given the honor of making the final selection in the presence of the Quartermaster General, the Commanding General of the American Forces in Germany, the Mayor of Chalons-sur-Marne, high officers of the French Army, distinguished French citizens and eminent American and French civilians. While a military band played, Sergeant Younger slowly entered the room holding the four caskets. Passing between two lines formed by the officials, he silently advanced to the caskets, circled them three times and placed a spray of white roses on the third casket from the left. He then faced the body, stood at attention and saluted. He was immediately followed by officers of the French Army who saluted in the name of the French people.
The unknown body lay in state for several hours, watched over by a guard of honor while the people of Chalons paid their respects. After brief official ceremonies by the City of Chalons, the casket was placed on a flag-draped gun carriage, escorted to the railroad station and placed aboard a funeral car in a special train for the journey to Le Havre. Upon arrival, the train was met by French officials, troops and citizens who gathered to pay respects to America's Unknown Soldier. Accompanied by floral tributes and escorted by French and American troops, the solemn procession moved through the City of Le Havre to the pier where the "Olympia", Admiral Dewey's flagship at the battle of Manila Bay, awaited with flags at half mast. Here, with solemn ceremony, the casket was turned over to the United States Navy and placed on the flower-decked stern of the cruiser for the voyage to America. Slowly and silently, the "Olympia" left the pier with a seventeen-gun salute from a French destroyer, to which she promptly responded.
On November 9, 1921, at 4:00 P.M., the "Olympia" reached the Navy Yard at Washington D.C., where the flag-draped casket was solemnly delivered by the Navy to the Army, represented by the Commanding General of the District of Washington. From here it was escorted to the rotunda of the Capitol. Upon the same catafalque that held the remains of Presidents Lincoln, Garfield and McKinley, the body lay in state under a guard of honor drawn from the Army, Navy and Marine Corps. The next day thousands passed before the casket to pay homage to the Unknown Soldier who symbolized all our Unknowns and the purpose for which they died.
On the morning of November 11, 1921, Armistice Day, at 8:30 A.M., the casket was taken from the rotunda of the Capitol and escorted to the Memorial Amphitheater in Arlington National Cemetery under a military escort, with general officers of the Army and Admirals of the Navy for pallbearers, and noncommissioned officers of the Navy and Marine Corps for body bearers. Following the caisson bearing the flag-draped casket walked The President of the United States, the Vice-President, Chief Justice and Associate Justices of the Supreme Court, Members of the Diplomatic Corps, wearers of the Congressional Medal of Honor, Senators, Members of Congress, the Generals of the Armies of World War I, and former Wars, and other distinguished Army, Navy and Marine Corps officers, Veterans of World War I, and previous Wars, State officials and representatives of patriotic organizations.
Solemnly through streets crowded with the thousands gathered to pay homage to those who died on the field of battle the procession moved on to historic Arlington. Upon arrival at the Amphitheater, the casket was borne through the south entrance to the apse and reverently placed upon the catafalque. During the processional the vast audience both within and without the Amphitheater stood uncovered. A simple but impressive funeral ceremony was conducted which included an address by the President of the United States who conferred upon the Unknown Soldier the Congressional Medal of Honor and the Distinguished Service Cross. Following this ceremony, special representatives of foreign governments allied with the United States in World War I each in turn conferred upon the Unknown their Nation's highest military decoration.
At the conclusion of ceremonies the remains, preceded by the clergy, the President and Mrs. Harding and others seated in the apse, were borne to the sarcophagus where a brief committal service was held. With three salvos of artillery, the sounding of taps and the National Salute, the impressive ceremonies ended.
It was originally intended that the simple white marble Tomb placed over the grave of the Unknown Soldier after interment should serve as a base for an appropriate superstructure. Shortly after the burial, the question of selecting a suitable monument to complete the Tomb was considered. It was not until July 3, 1926, however, that the Congress finally authorized the completion of the Tomb and the expenditure of $50,000.
The Act referred to above provided that the Secretary of War secure competitive designs to complete the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The Secretary of War invited architects of outstanding reputation who were citizens of the United States to submit designs. Seventy four designs were submitted and from these submissions, five were selected for further study.
The shortlisted competitors were asked to restudy their designs and prepare plaster of Paris models. The Jury of Award studied each one of these models, taking into consideration the surroundings of the Tomb, the Amphitheater in which it is located, and the final effect after the completed monument was in place. The Jury finally recommended an anonymous design be the winning one. When their decision was made, a sealed envelope accompanying the design was opened and it was found that the winning design was the work of Thomas Hudson Jones, sculptor, and Lorimer Rich, Architect, of New York City.