Arlington National Cemetery: Shrine to America's Heroes [Paperback]

James E. Peters (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1986

Arlington National Cemetery is America's most treasured national burial ground, steeped in history and the site of many of our most solemn national memories. Much has transpired for America in the last several years since the definitive guide, Arlington National Cemetery: Shrine to America's Heroes was published. Now revised, the updated 25th Anniversary Edition provides complete coverage of this remarkable shrine, reflects recent events, and offers new material on:

People: Senator Ted Kennedy, Chief Justice William Rhenquist, Tuskegee Airmen, Iraqi War casualities, and the Columbia Shuttle astronauts

Monuments: September 11 Memorial, Air Force Memorial, 3rd Infantry & 4th Infantry Memorials, and numerous trees designated as Living Monuments

Visitors Guide: Burial Regulations and Religious Symbols

Also included are several new photos featuring new memorials--for example, the Correspondents Memorial and Columbarium--plus updated maps.

Written in close cooperation with cemetery staff, the National Park Service, and Arlington House, the third edition of Arlington National Cemetery is arguably the most comprehensive guide to this cherished place, where lie both the famous--admirals, generals, presidents, Supreme Court justices, and astronauts; and the not-so-famous--enlisted men, nurses, and unknown slaves. Peters details the history of the cemetery's inception and development and presents more than 100 biographies of some of the most celebrated people buried there.

Enjoy this terrific guide for its coverage of unique and important aspects of American history, or use it to prepare for a trip to Arlington National Cemetery and orient yourself while there. Makes a perfect gift for travelers and history buffs!

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

? A terrific service to both eastern travelers and history buffs. An engrossing account?.Fascinating appended material. ? -- xxx "-- (*starred review) Booklist" --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

A native of Quincy, Illinois, James Edward Peters is a graduate of Southern Illinois University at Carbondale and the New England School of Law. He is currently Director of Professional Programs and Communications for Continuing Education at the University of Kansas in Lawrence. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 347 pages
• Publisher: Woodbine House; 1St Edition edition (July 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0933149042
• ISBN-13: 978-0933149045
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,907,914 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Arlington National Cemetary Shrine to National Heros. GREAT!, June 11, 2000

By 

Brian Gould (Livermore, Colorado) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Arlington National Cemetery: Shrine to America's Heroes (Paperback)

This is by far the best text devoted to the history of Arlington national cemetery I've seen. It begins with a detailed hisory of how the Washington-Lee family aquired the property, and the government seizure during the Civil war.. The property was used as a burial ground in part to prevent Robert E. Lee family from returning. The book goes on to list numerous notables now buried there and includes a brief but informative biography of each, most have pictures of the gravesite. Finally the book lists the many memorials inside and around the cemetery and the offical requirements for burial at Arlington.. A Fascinating book, I've read it several times and find something new every time I pick it up. Well worth purchasing for the history buff, or the casual tourist who wants to learn more about our most important national shrine.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Comprehensive Guide to a National Shrine, May 15, 2003

By 

"eugenea33" (Skokie, Illinois United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Arlington National Cemetery : Shrine to America's Heroes (Paperback)

I first found this book in it's first edition in 1994 after a trip to D.C. After picking it up from the library, I really wished that I had it when I was in D.C. I read it from cover to cover and learned so much about Arlington. I picked up the second edition during a visit to ANC in September, 2001. Every grave marker and memorial of renown is mentioned and the history behind the larger monuments is very good. It would be really nice if color pictures accompanied the text. I hope that Mr. Peters continues to update the book every now and then.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One-to-three page profiles of many of the most notable of the 300,000-plus honored souls buried at Arlington National Cemetery.., February 8, 2010

By 

R. Neil Scott "Writer, Professor & User Servi... (Murfreesboro, TN USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Arlington National Cemetery : Shrine to America's Heroes (Paperback)

During a recent business trip to Washington I took an afternoon off to visit Arlington National Cemetery and pay my respects to a cousin buried there, B/Gen. Robert Lee Scott. Of my father's generation, he fought in World War II as commander of the Flying Tigers and came home to write the best-selling book, God is My Co-Pilot.

It was a beautiful Fall day and I enjoyed spending the afternoon there using this book with its map as a guide through the Cemetery. One cannot help but be deeply moved and think about the ultimate sacrifice that brought so many of these young men and women home from battles all over the world for the last time. This guide was very helpful as I walked from one section to the next, finding the resting place of one particular general, or politician or other notable after another and reflecting on life and circumstances that brought them here.

Peters' book is ideal for those interested in learning more about many of America's best and bravest buried there. Men and women whose graves go back nearly 150-years along the rolling hills and beautiful overlooks to the Pentagon and the City of Washington -- 657 acres of resting places for people with real lives and stories to tell.

No book could possibly tell the story of more than a few hundred of the 300,000-plus honored souls there, but Peters' 334-page book does a wonderful job of providing one-to-three page biographical sketches of many of the most notable. For example, after providing a history of the establishment and growth of the Cemetery, among the first dozen or so profiled are: the Apollo One Astronauts; Gen. "Hap" Arnold; Justices Hugo Black, Warren E. Burger, William J. Brennan and Harry Blackmun; "Pappy" Boyington; Gen. Omar Bradley; polar explorer Richard E. Byrd; Claire Lee Chennault; and Gen. Jimmy Doolittle. Names typically recognized by those who are well-read or interested in American history and politics. There is a sincerity to the writing, casual but respectful, with hundreds of photographs of graves and prominent individuals.

For better photographs, but more of a coffee table book, readers will want to purchase and read the beautifully produced National Geographic book, "Where Valor Rests: Arlington National Cemetery." But for a guide, Peters' book is light enough for visitors to carry and more thorough and easier to use than another guide I had -- "In Honored Glory: Arlington National Cemetery The Final Post" by Philip Bigler (4th ed.).

I highly recommend Peter's book for academic and public library collections, individuals interested in learning more about the cemetery and those buried there, and as a gift book to families with loved ones buried there.

R. Neil Scott

Middle Tennessee State University