Being an Army Arlington Lady

Rose Duval

​Have you ever felt the need to be a part of a group or organization that gave you a sense of purpose and allowed you to offer a modicum of peace and solace? For me that is what the Arlington Ladies offer each time they attend a burial ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery. The Arlington Ladies began in 1948 when the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, General Hoyt Vandenberg, and his wife, Gladys, routinely attended funeral
services at the cemetery and noticed that some services had only a military chaplain present. The Vandenberg’s believed that a member of the Air Force family should also attend, and Mrs. Vandenberg asked her friends to start attending services. She ultimately formed a group from the Officer's Wives Club. In 1973, General Creighton Abrams' wife, Julia, founded the Army's version of the group. In 1985, the Navy created a group, and in 2006 the Coast Guard followed suit. The Marines do not officially have a
group, as they send a representative of the Marine Commandant to every funeral.

Today, the Air Force, Army, Navy, and Coast Guard all have Arlington Ladies who perform similar volunteer duties, attending funeral services for active-duty service members and veterans. The criteria for becoming an Arlington Lady is different for each military service, but each Lady has some connection to the respective service, generally as a current or former military member or as a spouse of a military member. The Ladies
are an official part of the funeral service, representing the military service's chief of staff
or equivalent.

My desire to be a part of this group has been a long-time goal of mine. The process was long, but all good things are worth the wait. For now, I am an Army Arlington Lady. My journey began when I met with the Chairperson of the Army Arlington Ladies. From there I met with three (3) other Army Arlington Ladies. This took over six months due to coordinating our schedules and the holidays. In the end the Chairperson, with input from the other ladies, decided to sponsor me into the organization. From there I shadowed 3 different ladies and then I go solo while being evaluated by the Chairperson. I will be on the substitution list for a year before I am given a permanent day. But until then I am more than happy to fill in wherever I am needed.

Having been on the receiving end of the Arlington Ladies condolence card, I understand the impact and meaning of their presence. I only hope I can offer the same warmth and sincerity I received on the day Scott was laid to rest in Section 60.  While Arlington National Cemetery has the Arlington Ladies, there is no reason that every cemetery across our country can’t have a similar group of volunteers. Volunteers of Gold Star Mothers that carries on the tradition to ensure every veteran or service member who dies in service of our nation has their Arlington Lady present.