Members of the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, also known as the “Old Guard,” place a flag on the headstones of U.S. military personnel buried at Arlington National Cemetery ahead of Memorial Day, May 23, 2024 in Arlington, Virginia.
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Kent Nishimura/Getty Images/Getty Images North America
Arlington National Cemetery remains in the midst of controversy after one of his staff members tried to stop former President Donald Trump’s team from filming and taking photos at the cemetery.
The incident occurred earlier this week, when Trump appeared in Arlington to observe the three-year anniversary since 13 US service members were killed in a deadly attack in Afghanistan during the US withdrawal.
These cemeteries are usually reserved for deceased US veterans from all branches of the military. The event Trump attended was held at Section 60, an area reserved for service members killed in Afghanistan and Iraq. The US Army, the military branch responsible for managing the grounds, says federal law and other regulations prohibiting political activities in cemeteries.
The grounds are considered holy and sacred, and the Reverend David Peters, a retired military chaplain and Episcopal priest who has conducted services in Arlington, said this is because the cemetery is a place set aside to remember those who died in service.
“It’s like a neutral zone for a lot of things like religious ideologies and politics and stuff, because we want to honor the way these young people served our country during a great conflict,” Peters said.
Peters is a veteran himself. He enlisted in the Marines, served as a chaplain in the Army and Army Reserves, including at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, then in Washington, DC
When he heard about the Trump team’s altercation with Arlington staff members, first reported by NPR, Peters thought about the young troops buried in the cemetery.
“It reminds me of the cemetery for all of us as Americans, that these young people went far from their homes to serve their country in this way and give their lives in a sacrificial way. And they will not be exploited for any reason, for ideology, politics or religion ,” Peters said.
Peters spoke with NPR’s Michel Martin on Morning edition about what Arlington National Cemetery represents, personal time there, and interactions with its staff members.
The quote below has been lightly edited for clarity.
Michel Martin: You have participated in the wreath-laying ceremony in Arlington, and I know that you have conducted the service there, the funeral there. Political leaders always come to him. How do we keep the ceremony from becoming “political?”
David Peters: There is always tension there. It’s in the heart of Washington, DC, and everyone comes there to honor those who have died. But also the staff there, when I was there, I witnessed a very professional staff who worked hard to keep the flow of mourners and people who were there to honor the dead, but also to show that these are special young people for our country and a symbol of hope and courage for the rest of us.
Martin: Some people might argue you can’t tell people how sad they are. And if they want to be sad by bringing in, you know, former President Trump, who they supported, to criticize the current leadership, then that’s their business. How do you respond?
Peters: Families and friends grieving a loved one, especially a young person who has died, do so in a variety of ways.
So, I never tell people how sad it is or how to do it. But of course in Arlington’s sanctuary, when the cameras roll in, the story is a little different to outsiders. So I think the sadness that’s expressed there, even if it’s sometimes a little funny or happy, can be misconstrued when it comes out into the larger community.
The Trump campaign share photos and videos which shows the tombstone of the Green Beret, which the family did not give permission to include.
Martin: And we’ve learned that there are other service members whose family members don’t honor the headstones seen in this video. And I wonder how you balance it? You have, on the one hand, a family that wants Trump to be there. Then you have other family members there, sharing the space, who don’t respect it. How do you sort something like that?
Peters: It’s almost impossible because of the symbolic nature of what the headstones and the bodies buried below mean to us. Of course there is tension in how these symbols are used. And that’s why the staff at Arlington, as I experienced it, was very careful to focus on what they needed to do, and that was to honor the dead. And that is my role as a pastor. And all who work at Arlington have that mission in mind.
Obed Manuel edited the digital story.
