{"id":41964,"date":"2023-11-09T14:36:40","date_gmt":"2023-11-09T14:36:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2023\/11\/09\/its-larger-than-us-arlington-cemetery-staff-preps-for-veterans-day\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T05:12:47","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T05:12:47","slug":"its-larger-than-us-arlington-cemetery-staff-preps-for-veterans-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/veterans\/2023\/11\/09\/its-larger-than-us-arlington-cemetery-staff-preps-for-veterans-day\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018It\u2019s larger than us.\u2019 Arlington Cemetery staff preps for Veterans Day"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Even on the quietest mornings, when the sun is still low in the sky, the visitor center is empty, and errant leaves haven\u2019t yet been blown off the walkways, Arlington National Cemetery is bustling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 640 acres of paradisiacal hills are peaceful and serene, like an impressionist painting. That\u2019s purposeful; the cemetery is the final resting place for 400,000 people who are connected by the bond, and sacrifice, of service to the U.S. military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The reverent quiet on a recent November morning belies the fact that more 200 federal employees<\/a> and 300 contract staff are busy readying the grounds and facilities for the estimated 5,000 visitors<\/a> who will attend the cemetery\u2019s 70th Veterans Day observance<\/a>, one of the park\u2019s largest annual events honoring those who serve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The event involves a host of organizations, including the Department of Veterans Affairs, White House officials, Secret Service, local law enforcement and the Army Military District of Washington.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Arlington National Cemetery employees prepare the Memorial Amphitheater for the National Veterans Day Observance, Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va., Nov. 6, 2023. (U.S. Army photo by Elizabeth Fraser \/ Arlington National Cemetery \/ released)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What that entails is a highly choreographed dance of electricians, grounds crew, arborists, mechanics, security guards, planners and others who are responsible for the national shrine\u2019s safety and aesthetic. That work is done all year long, workers told Federal Times, but attention to detail and special touches are heightened this time of year when so much of the cemetery is in the public eye.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAny day that you\u2019re here, you can expect the unexpected,\u201d said Roy \u201cRex\u201d Rexroat, who oversees facilities and horticulture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Planning for Veterans Day <\/a>starts six months in advance, said Jay Walker, the cemetery\u2019s director of operations. Around the three month mark, preparation work includes painting the ballards, fixing flagstones and heavy pruning of the landscape\u2019s 9,000 trees.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAt this stage, we\u2019ve done the planning, now it\u2019s in the execution phase,\u201d Walker said on Monday. \u201cIt\u2019s now time to start putting things in place.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He means that literally. Chairs are set up with name cards on them. Extension cords and microphones will be staged in the Vermont-quarried marble Memorial Amphitheater to prepare for speeches by the President and other officials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tyler Day, an electrician for the cemetery, stood several dozen feet off the ground and hung 43 flags between its columns on Monday. The flag is connected to a rope that he pulls up, unfurling the flag as it rises out of the rolling cart following him on the ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey definitely have a little bit of weight to them when it\u2019s all five of them at once,\u201d he said. \u201cBeing an electrician, we\u2019re used to using the lifts, so that\u2019s why they delegate that task to us. We\u2019re just the most confident on the lifts.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Arlington National Cemetery employees hang U.S. flags in the Memorial Amphitheater in anticipation of the National Veterans Day Observance, Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va., Nov. 6, 2023. (U.S. Army photo by Elizabeth Fraser \/ Arlington National Cemetery \/ released)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Anwar Saleem, an electrician, said employees \u201ccome as one\u201d to tackle all the preparation, whether or not a certain task falls under their usual duties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s larger than us,\u201d said David Coelho, another employee. \u201cIt\u2019s a very large community, and it\u2019s very nice to see a celebration of what they\u2019ve done and what they\u2019ve accomplished.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rexroat said noticing these myriad details is second nature for him and his team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c[It\u2019s at] a level that we don\u2019t even think about it anymore \u2014 one of the things that\u2019s ingrained in us,\u201d he said. \u201cIf you\u2019re walking, and you see a piece of paper, you just pick it up, put in your pocket.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rexroat also said cemetery staff is used to being \u201con\u201d 24\/7, especially in the lead-up to a big event. And unlike other memorials or museums that are protected by controlled air conditioning, walls and ceilings, the cemetery contends with the whims of nature and the public.<\/p>\n\n\n\t