ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY

           Arlington National Cemetery is in Virginia, right outside of Washington, D.C.  It is on 600 acres of land across the Potomac River from the Lincoln Memorial.  The cemetery surronds Arlington House, at one time the home of the Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee.
           An outdoor auditorium is on the grounds.  Here it is decorated for Memorial Day.
A national cemetery
           Memorial Day is celebrated the last Monday in May.  This day honors those who have lost their lives serving our country.
           There are more than 100 special military cemeteries in this country and around the world.
           One of the best known is Arlington National Cemetery, where more than 300,000 service members and their family members are buried.  Service members from every American war, including Iraq and Afghanistan, are buried there.
           The newspaper marks Memorial Day with a story about this beautiful and inspiring cemetery.
'Flags-in'
           Every year on Memorial Day weekend, soldiers from the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment place flags in front of every gravestone of service members buried at Arlington.  This tradition is known as "flags-in."
Burials
           About 28 service members or their family members are buried every day at Arlington National Cemetery.  The flags in the cemetery fly at half-staff from a half-hour before the first funeral to a half-hour after the last funeral.
            A bugler playing "Taps" is a part of many burials.
            Six matched horses pulling a caisson with a flag-draped casket are a part of some military funerals.
Slaves
            More than 3,800 former slaves are also buried at Arlington in Section 27.