Each morning at Arlington National Cemetery, a team assembles to usher through some 30 burials with one goal: Make each grieving family feel as if its funeral is the only one that day.
The morning meeting begins at 7:44 in one of the four family rooms at Arlington National Cemetery’s administration building. Outside the large windows, the rising sun bathes the grass and distant rows of headstones in soft amber light. Eight cemetery representatives—four men, four women—settle into the elegant blue chairs and couches. Each clasps a copy of the daily schedule. It’s a sunny Friday in mid-March, one of the first warm days of spring. Today these eight people will attend a total of 30 funerals.
From the June Issue: The Last Full Measure
The morning meeting begins at 7:44 in one of the four family rooms at Arlington National Cemetery’s administration building. Outside the large windows, the rising sun bathes the grass and distant rows of headstones in soft amber light. Eight cemetery representatives—four men, four women—settle into the elegant blue chairs and couches. Each clasps a copy of the daily schedule. It’s a sunny Friday in mid-March, one of the first warm days of spring. Today these eight people will attend a total of 30 funerals.
Read the full text of Caitlin Gibson's feature, "The Last Full Measure" online at Washingtonian.com.
Subscribe to Washingtonian
Follow Washingtonian on Twitter
More>> Capital Comment Blog | News & Politics | Party Photos
Editors' Picks
20 People, Phenomena and Trends to Watch in Washington in 2019
Meet Britt McHenry, the Fox News Star for Millennials
Washingtonian’s Best Longreads of 2018
These Badass Bluegrass Sisters Ruled DC’s Honky-Tonk Bars
Most Popular in News
Childish Gambino and Lil Wayne Will Headline This Year’s Broccoli City Festival
Porn Viewership Spikes in DC After Government Shutdown
Meet Britt McHenry, the Fox News Star for Millennials
These Quick Getaways Will Make You Forget DC’s Cold, Gray Winter
The Dos and Don’ts of Working at a Coffee Shop… And the Best Places in DC to Go
January 2019: Winter in Washington
Related
Federal Workers: Send Us Your Memos!
Washingtonian’s Best Photos of 2016
There Are Still Six Confederate Memorials Around DC. How’s That Possible?
This Nail Polish Line Is Just One More Example of Marketers Pigeonholing DC
More from News
Childish Gambino and Lil Wayne Will Headline This Year’s Broccoli City Festival
Washingtonian Today: Suborn Kind of Fellow
2019 Women’s March: When It’s Happening, How to Get There, Where to Warm Up
Porn Viewership Spikes in DC After Government Shutdown
I Attended the Women’s March in 2017. Here’s Why This Year’s Feels Different.
Washingtonian Today: Chuck Schumer Goes on Twitter To Discuss…Cardi B?
Generation Z Is About to Hit DC. Here’s What Employers Need to Know.
Pranksters Hand Out Washington Post Parody Near White House