who was the first person buried at arlington national cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery The first soldier to be buried in Arlington was Private William Henry Christman of Pennsylvania on May 13, 1864.[110] There are 396 Medal of Honor recipients buried in Arlington National Cemetery,[111] nine of whom are Canadian.
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (Arlington) The tomb guards are soldiers of the United States Army. The first military guards were troopers from the 3rd Cavalry, "Brave Rifles", who were posted nearby on Fort Myer. Since April 6, 1948, (known then as "Army Day"), when the regiment was reactivated, it has been guarded by soldiers from 3rd Infantry Regiment, "The Old Guard". The Old Guard is also posted to Fort Myer, Virginia, adjacent to Arlington National Cemetery. It is considered one of the highest honors to serve as a Sentinel at the Tomb of the Unknowns. Fewer than 20 percent of all volunteers are accepted for training and of those only a fraction pass training to become full-fledged Tomb Guards. This attrition rate has made the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Guard Identification Badge the second least-awarded qualification badge of the United States military (the first being the Astronaut Badge).[18]