September 10, 2023
By: Dwayne Page
Placing a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington DC is a ceremony in which few are ever privileged to participate.
Bill Rutherford, a veteran and DeKalb County’s Veterans Service Officer, can now be counted among them.
Rutherford, Commandant of the Marine Corps League Detachment 1377, was part of a four-man detail from that league recently invited to lay a wreath at the tomb during a special ceremony held on Saturday, September 2. Twenty-two Marine Corps Junior ROTC students from Tullahoma accompanied Rutherford and his unit on the trip to Washington and witnessed the ceremony from a viewing area.
Laying a wreath at the tomb is a way to honor the memory and actions of every man and woman who bore arms for the country. The back of the tomb itself reads “Here rests in honored glory an American soldier known but to God.”
The most solemn ceremonies occur when the president of the United States, or the president’s designee, lays a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier to mark the national observance of Memorial Day, Veterans Day or some other special occasion. Ceremonial wreath layings also occur during state visits of foreign dignitaries, who pay formal respects to the sacrifices of America’s veterans by placing a wreath before the Tomb. Wreath laying’s by other public figures and organizations take place at the Tomb or at the scores of other memorials throughout the cemetery, although most are not marked with the same ceremonial pomp of the state events.
Rutherford explained for WJLE how he and members of his league detachment got this special invitation.
“Some of our league members have served at the headquarters for the Marine Corps in Washington DC and one of them was actually in the band. He contacted headquarters who then contacted the sentinels, the group which is over the wreath laying ceremonies and got us permission to do it. They scheduled us for 1300 (1:00 p.m.) September 2. The Marine Corps also paid for those 22 Junior ROTC students to make the trip,” said Rutherford.
The crypt holds the remains of a man who died in World War I and rises above graves of unknown soldiers killed in action in World War II and Korea. In every other way, the identity of the remains is hidden, where they were from, what branch they served in, their rank, how they died or where. The bodies were chosen at random from among the unidentified, following a custom that had been adopted in many other allied countries after World War I. Their funerals were presided over by presidents – Harding for the World War I unknown and Eisenhower for the World War II and Korea unknowns. The unknowns represent everyone who gave everything.
“The tomb is guarded by the Army Old Guard Sentinels,” Rutherford explained. “They have a changing of the guard ceremony that they do, and everything is very sharp and snappy. During the peak season they change the guards every 30 minutes then once an hour after the peak season. The guards stand there 24/7 through storms, even one time a few years ago during an earthquake. Nothing stops them. It’s a very honored position to be on that detail,”
Rutherford described the scene as he and members of his unit walked with the sentinels down a series of steps out onto the plaza beyond the chains of the observation area before placing the wreath.
“As the four of us stood at the top of the steps, they (sentinels) came up to get us and then we came down the steps to the line where we had to stop,” Rutherford said. “The wreath was then brought around to us to be taken to the place where it was to set. We then advanced forward and laid the wreath before returning back to our spot. Then they rendered taps”.
Rutherford said it was an experience he will always cherish.
“Outside of the honor of doing it, just walking on the marble out there where few have walked and few will ever walk, was special because it’s a place normally reserved for the guards and usually something performed by Presidents and representatives from other countries. So, it was quite the honor”, said Rutherford.
“When you are standing there on that hallowed ground and they are playing taps, it does something to you. It wasn’t a sad time. It was actually a peaceful time knowing that you are able to recognize them (fallen soldiers) and be thankful for what we have and what they have given us. It was a very surreal and interesting feeling. A very somber moment. If you are someone who doesn’t hear taps quite a bit it can get to you really quick,” said Rutherford.
After the ceremony, Rutherford said he was honored to present the Sentinels a challenge coin from DeKalb County that is given to Veterans for their service.
While on the Trip, Rutherford and his group including the ROTC students took a tour of the historic city.
“We went to the Iwo Jima monument, the National Mall, the Vietnam and Korean War Memorials, WWII Memorial, and Lincoln Memorial. We also went by the White House, the Capitol, and the offices of the House of Representatives and Senate, Supreme Court and the Marine Corps Museum,” added Rutherford.