Arlington Cemetery is a national treasure. It should not be debased

By Jim Jones
Reader Contributor

Arlington National Cemetery, the nation’s largest resting place for America’s heroes, is sacred ground for our veterans. As we commemorate Veterans Day this year, we should turn our thoughts and pay our respects to the many Idahoans who have been laid to rest in that hallowed ground. 

They include two Congressional Medal of Honor winners: Col. Reginald Rodney Myers, who was born in Boise, earned the MOH for valor in the Battle of Chosin Reservoir in Korea in November 1950; First Lt. Vernon J. Baker was born in Wyoming, but lived his last 15 years in Idaho, and received the MOH for conspicuous valor near Viareggio, Italy, in April 1945. His award came 52 years later, because of his black skin. 

A number of Idahoans who served in Vietnam and subsequent wars are interred in the peaceful environs of Arlington. In July 2012, the remains of Chief Master Sgt. Larry Thornton, of Idaho Falls, were buried at Arlington, 45 years after his AC-47D took off from Vietnam on Christmas Eve 1965 and disappeared over Laos.

I’ve been to Arlington many times since my Vietnam service. Every time I saw the grave marker of a Vietnam comrade, I was flooded with profound grief and anger for the 58,220 American lives taken by that ill-fated war, including 251 with Idaho connections. Those emotions were always somewhat assuaged by the quiet, dignified atmosphere of the cemetery. 

That calming atmosphere is currently facing a serious threat from another Donald Trump vanity project.

Trump’s 250-foot-tall triumphal arch will sit smack dab in front of Arlington Cemetery, destroying its peace and tranquility, as well as the symmetry and symbolism of its location. The National Park Service dared to report that the arch “would break alignment between the Lincoln Memorial, Memorial Bridge and Arlington House that was Robert E. Lee’s home.” 

It continued: “The bridge alignment and associated ceremonial landscape were intended to physically and symbolically unite North and South through a coordinated monumental composition extending across the Potomac River.” 

It has also been noted that the arch requires an Act of Congress. It does not have congressional approval, but that has never stopped Trump from bullying ahead.

Trump is not the first president to propose construction that would have severely interfered with that alignment, as well as the pastoral atmosphere of the cemetery. President Franklin D. Roosevelt proposed building the Pentagon in that location. He changed his mind after being convinced that it would obliterate the backdrop of tiered headstones and Arlington House. 

But why build an arch in the first place? 

The Romans were among the first of the ancients to construct triumphal arches. They made an art of building arches to recognize victorious generals returning from battle. It is not clear why Trump would be entitled to an arch on that basis, because his Iran War has been an unmitigated disaster for our country. The Iranians have kept what remains of their nuclear material. The war has caused skyrocketing prices for gas, diesel, fertilizer and most consumer goods that need to be transported. The explanation for the arch must lie elsewhere.

Trump admitted last October that the monument was intended to honor “me” but later claimed it was to commemorate the nation’s 250th anniversary. As he has continued to take flak for the project, Trump and his lackeys now contend it is required for the national defense. We already have a national defense project in the grand ballroom adjacent to the White House, but that does not seem to be sufficient in the president’s mind. 

In a shameful attempt to get around building restrictions, he now claims the arch will be laden with drones, snipers and machine guns so as to protect Washington from attack. If he had the slightest understanding of military tactics, he would understand that his arch would make an indefensible sitting-duck target.

Not everyone is keen for Trump’s vanity arch. Three Vietnam War veterans have filed suit in federal court to stop construction. One of the veterans said his opposition is an act of loyalty to the country and our fallen service members. Another stated the arch is disrespectful to those who did not return and those buried at Arlington. 

Well said, brothers! 

The District of Columbia and Virginia have also brought suit against the arch.

[Editor’s note: At the request of D.C. and Virginia officials, a federal judge ruled Nov. 6 to block the start of construction on the “triumphal arch” for 14 days, citing “threatened harms” to surrounding communities, including (in part) traffic disruptions.]

The courts will likely rule against this vanity project, but that may not be enough. Citizens and veterans must raise their voices and demand that the Cemetery not be debased just to satisfy the vanity of a failed president. Perhaps the House and Senate members still standing after the midterm elections will find the courage to speak out against this slap in the face to the nation’s veterans who we honor on Nov. 11.

Jim Jones is a Vietnam combat veteran who served eight years as Idaho attorney general (1983-1991) and 12 years as justice of the Idaho Supreme Court (2005-2017). He also publishes at substack.com/@jjcommontater.