FollowUp: Tomb of the Unknowns

ARLINGTON, Va. – Any restoration or replacement of the Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington National Cemetery officially went on hold when President George W. Bush signed the Defense Authorization Act on Jan. 28. An amendment to the bill by Sens. Jim Webb (D-Virginia) and Daniel Akaka (D-Hawaii) requires cemetery administrators to draw up a report for Congress by July on the tomb’s condition and possible action.
The Department of the Army, which oversees the Arlington, Va., cemetery, first proposed a replacement in May 2003 and began a review process, but a letter-writing campaign by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and others in late summer 2007 prompted the congressional action.
The fate of the replacement marble block, cut at the Yule Quarry near Marble, Colo., and readied for shipment by Glenwood Springs, Colo., car dealer John Haines several years ago, is still to be determined.