South Huntington Students Place Wreath At Tomb Of The Unknown Soldier

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Stimson Middle School students laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C., the South Huntington School District announced.

Members of the National Junior Honor Society generally visit D.C. each year, but it was the school's first trip back since the coronavirus pandemic began.

Stimson junior honor society students have been able to attend the solemn ceremony on previous trips and had submitted requests to lay a wreath, but advisor and social studies teacher Jessica Voorhees said this was the first time they were chosen to take part in the ceremony.

"Arlington is a really impactful and special place," Voorhees said. "It always takes my breath away to be there, and then to be part of the ceremony for the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is such an honor."

Of the 96 students who went on the trip, only four were able to be part of the actual presentation. The four Stimson NJHS officers — Jack O’Connor, president; Maya Rowser, vice-president; Keiry Garay Portillo, secretary; and Miles Berman, treasurer — accompanied a tomb guard to place the wreath by the sarcophagus and crypts that hold the unidentified remains of three fallen soldiers: one from World War I, one from the Korean War, and one from World War II. The crypt for the Vietnam War remains empty because of the success of DNA testing in recent decades.

The students presented a wreath with red, white, and blue flowers with a blue ribbon that read Stimson Middle School.

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier has been a monument at Arlington National Cemetery since 1921 when the first remains were placed. Soldiers were first assigned to guard the Tomb in 1926, and became a 24/7 presence in 1937. Since then there has been a sentinel from the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, known as "The Old Guard," on duty in front of the Tomb every minute of every day no matter the weather.

It rained heavily all day when the Stimson students visited.

The South Huntington students also took a tour of George Washington’s home Mount Vernon, a "Hollywood" tour based on the movie "National Treasure" starring Nicolas Cage, whose character steals the Declaration of Independence, and visited the National Mall and several museums.