Arlington Ladies

Tomorrow, November 11th is Veterans Day, originally known as Armistice Day. The purpose of Armistice Day was to honor the fallen soldiers of the Great War for their sacrifice and bravery. In 1926, Congress adopted a resolution making November 11, Armistice Day a legal holiday. In honor of this holiday, do you know about the Arlington Ladies? I recently learned about the Arlington Ladies from my friend, Joanne, who volunteers for this wonderful organization. The Arlington Ladies are a group of volunteers who attend funeral services at Arlington National Cemetery to ensure that no Soldier, Sailor, Airman or Coast Guardsman is buried alone.

History

The history of this group dates back to 1948 when Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Hoyt Vandenberg, and his wife, Gladys, routinely attended funerals and noticed that some services had only a military chaplain present. Vandenberg asked her friends to start attending services. And their efforts grew into a group that would come to be known as the Arlington Ladies. 

The role of the Arlington Lady is to represent the service branch to offer condolences, support the family, and honor the veteran or service member.

How Do You Become an Arlington Lady?

The group initially included military wives, but it now includes military daughters and even a gentleman. The Army Arlington Lady must be wives or widows of Army men and be referred by a current wife. The Navy and Air Force follow similar requirements for their ladies. Instead of Arlington Ladies, the Marines send their own representative to the funeral.

Every Arlington Lady completes a training period. During the training period, the prospective member will shadow an Arlington Lady at a minimum of six funerals. This includes two dependent, two standard honors, two full honors services. At least one of these should be a chapel service.

Roles and Responsibilities

The Arlington Ladies are an official part of the funeral service, representing the military service’s chief of staff or equivalent. Joanne is a Coast Guard Arlington Lady. Before the funeral, Joanne researches the life and military history of the deceased. She shares that information with the honor guard that accompanies her. Prior to the service, she meets with the family. Joanne’s role is to represent the United States Coast Guard, while providing comfort and guidance to the family.

With a 21 gun salute, 3 shell casings are gathered, placed in a black velvet bag and given to the family. At the end of the service, Joanne gives a card of condolences from the Commandant of the Coast Guard.

At every funeral, even if there is no family present, there are at least 3 people~the chaplain, an honor guard and an Arlington Lady.

The Coast Guard is the only branch of service that allows the service member, spouse and family to be buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

How Many Funerals are at Arlington?

Prior to COVID, there were 25-36 funerals a day. While burials were suspended during the pandemic, there are currently 10 funerals per month at Arlington. As you can imagine, these funeral services are conducted with the utmost precision, protocol and respect. Depending on rank, the ceremony can be with full honors, standard honors or dependent status.

Dress Code

Taken from the Arlington Lady Handbook:

The Arlington Ladies are expected to wear modest knee-length or longer dress or dress pants in dark, muted tones (e.g. black, grey, navy, brown). Closed-toe shoes suitable for uneven surfaces are appropriate. Shoulders should be covered as for a religious ceremony.

Hats and boots appropriate to the weather are acceptable. Sunglasses and gloves may be worn but must be removed when addressing the family.

Coast Guard jewelry, including American flag pins, may be worn. A name tag and official Arlington Ladies pin (which are received upon completion of the training process) are worn below the right shoulder. The AL pin should be worn above the name tag.

In Conclusion

For the last 73 years, countless women have volunteered to provide comfort and guidance to every service person and their family members at Arlington National Cemetery. I, for one, did not even know that the Arlington Ladies existed. What a wonderful organization! And I am so proud of my sweet friend, Joanne, who volunteers her time to this valuable cause.

Also, I don’t know if you have ever had the privilege of attending a funeral service at Arlington. My dear friend, Bob Garrett passed away unexpectedly a few years ago. He had a full military honors ceremony (hence the pictures) and I was so honored to attend.

I know many of us are thinking about Thanksgiving and/or Christmas, but please take some time tomorrow to Veterans Day. Let’s thank and honor ALL who have served, living or deceased, but in particular, the living veterans among us. And share the story about the Arlington Ladies, who quietly volunteer their time honoring those veterans and their families.