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Tomb of the Unknown Soldier threatened with replacement
Built in 1932 to commemorate the anonymous fallen of World War I, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier has weathered 75 years of the elements, and it’s beginning to show.
In order to address the cracking and erosion of the marble, the Arlington National Cemetery has been researching restoration options for more than two years. A 2006 report by cemetery officials states that their preferred solution is to replace three sections of the monument with new marble blocks from the original quarry.
In response to the planned replacement, the National Trust has begun campaigning to preserve the Tomb, calling on cemetery officials to repair the imperfections rather than replace the majority of the monument. At the urging of the National Trust and some members of the public, Sens. Daniel Akaka and Jim Webb have introduced a measure in Congress that would delay the replacement and require further reports on the proposal to be submitted to the Senate.
Debate continues to surround the issue, and we thought we’d give you, our readers, an opportunity to join in. Should the monument be replaced as per the Cemetery’s proposal, or should it be repaired using conventional conservation techniques, as urged by the National Trust?
E-mail your thoughts and ideas to kelly@protradepub.com. Your comments may be published in our upcoming issue.
