World War I

Many bodies of servicemen from WWI could not be identified. To honor them, the remains of one were brought to the U.S. Capitol to lie in state. 

On Armistice Day 1921, the remains were ceremonially buried in Arlington National Cemetery. 

The tomb bears the inscription “Here rests in honored glory an American soldier known but to God.”

World War II and the Korean War

Major Gen. Edward J. O’Neill of the U.S. Army in Europe selected one unknown from the European and North African theatre of World War II.

Air Force Col. Glenn T. Eagleston selected the World War II Unknown from the Pacific theatre.

Army Master Sergeant Ned Lyle in Hawaii selected an unknown serviceman of the Korean War. 

The Navy transported the dead servicemen to Washington, D.C. by May 28, 1958. There the two lay in state until May 30, and after a joint funeral, both were buried in Arlington National Cemetery next to the Unknown Soldier of WWI.

Vietnam War

There were only two sets of partial unidentified remains from the Vietnam War, and at the time, military pathologists were confident that they would eventually identify one of them. 

Those remains were identified. By May 1984, the rules regarding completeness had been suspended so that these fragments of a man, the one unidentifiable soldier, might come to rest beside the bodies of his brothers from Korea and World Wars I and II. 

On Memorial Day 1984, the remains were buried at Arlington National Cemetery. The Medal of Honor was awarded to this unknown by Ronald Reagan, the then President of the United States, who also received the folded flag from the honor guard. 

As technology improved, the remains were disinterred and identified. 

There are now no unknowns from the Vietnam War. The empty tomb represents all that have fallen since then.

Source: Arlington National Cemetery website. Contributed by Harry McFarland.