Army officer spends his last moment in uniform guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
June 12, 2024
U.S. Army Maj. Gen. William Zana, director of international affairs with the National Guard Bureau, watches the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery May 31, 2024. Zana, who served as a Tomb guard early in his career, stood watch at the Tomb as his final act in uniform.
By Sgt. 1st Class Zach Sheely, National Guard Bureau
ARLINGTON, Va. – Row after row of white marble headstones stand neatly amid the meticulously maintained grounds of Arlington National Cemetery —almost in formation. Each bears the name of one of about 400,000 service members, veterans and family members laid to rest here. It is a quiet, peaceful place. Occasionally, a far-off bugler plays Taps, breaking the silence and signifying the burial of another brother- or sister-in-arms.
For families of the fallen buried here, each headstone is a somber monument to their loved one. It’s a place to lay graveside flowers and soliloquize updates from their lives. For many others, there is no headstone —unidentified dead long a consequence of armed conflict. They are collectively memorialized by the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
For Army Maj. Gen. William Zana, taking a final guard shift at the Tomb last month capped 37 years of service— retracing the same footsteps he took decades earlier, it was a fitting end.
While it is rare for such high-ranking individuals to fulfill this duty, Zana’s career was anything but common. He retired June 1 as the only Tomb guard, also called Sentinel, to become a general officer.
https://popularmilitary.com/army-officer-spends-his-last-moment-in-uniform-guarding-the-tomb-of-the-unknown-soldier/
