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Enlisted Heritage House

2 days ago

#OnThisDay in 1963, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States, was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. President Kennedy is laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery in Section 45.

John F. Kennedy made his first formal visit to Arlington National Cemetery on Veterans Day in 1961 to place a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. At the conclusion of the ceremony, President Kennedy spoke to more than 5,000 people gathered in the Memorial Amphitheater.

Eleven days prior to Kennedy's assassination, he returned to Arlington for the 1963 Veterans Day services. This time, he did not address the crowd in the amphitheater.

Kennedy is one of only two presidents buried at Arlington. The other is William Howard Taft, who died in 1930. At the time of Kennedy's death, many believed that he would be buried in Brookline, Massachusetts, where he was born and raised. Besides Taft, Woodrow Wilson was the only other president who had been buried outside of his native state and in the National Capital region. (President Wilson is buried at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C.)

First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy wanted her husband's gravesite to be accessible to the American public. In selecting a location, she consulted with the president's brother, Robert F. Kennedy, and Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara—both of whom are now also buried at Arlington. The original gravesite was located on a sloping hillside along an axis line between Arlington House and the Lincoln Memorial.

At 3 p.m. on November 25, 1963, the state funeral of President Kennedy began. Mourners included President Charles de Gaulle of France, Chancellor Ludwig Erhard of the Federal Republic of Germany, Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia and Prince Philip of the United Kingdom. Fifty Navy and Air Force jets flew overhead, followed by Air Force One, which dipped its wing in a final tribute. Millions of people watched live coverage of the funeral on television, leading to an unprecedented increase in demand for burials at Arlington National Cemetery.

The initial plot was 20 feet by 30 feet and was surrounded by a white picket fence. During the first year after Kennedy's death, up to 3,000 people per hour visited his gravesite, and on weekends an estimated 50,000 people visited. Three years after Kennedy's death, more than 16 million people had visited the gravesite.

Because of the large crowds, cemetery officials and members of the Kennedy family decided that a more suitable site should be constructed. Construction began in 1965 and was completed on July 20, 1967. Lit by Mrs. Kennedy during the funeral, an eternal flame burns from the center of a five-foot circular granite stone at the head of the grave.

U.S. Army photo by Elizabeth Fraser from May 29, 2020 of a Wreath-Laying Ceremony in honor of President Kennedy’s 103rd birthday. ... See MoreSee Less

Enlisted Heritage House

4 days ago

We are so excited to announce our 2nd Annual Old Fashioned Christmas. Join us VIRTUALLY for a fun filled evening with our Christmas Carolers, Tree Lighting and Santa's Arrival. Santa is going to have quite the busy night. He will be receiving the Key to Selfridge and reading us a story. Santa does have a special request. Since he can't see the children in person this year at EHH, he asking the children to send him their letters to:
Enlisted Heritage House
PO BOX 450061
Selfridge ANGB, MI. 48045
(letters received no later than Nov. 25)
Or, they can email Santa also at SantaattheEHH@gmail.com .
Santa plans to take the letters back with him to the North Pole.
Although our Christmas Tree Lighting may be different this year, it is our hope we can spread some much needed Christmas Spirit with each other. If you are able to, please consider donating to Toys for Tots, please visit toysfortots.org for more information. We look forward to sharing this event with you. ... See MoreSee Less

Enlisted Heritage House

7 days ago

Been there done that. ... See MoreSee Less