What argument is Poole making about the importance of honoring our men and women in uniform? Poole argues that honoring men and women in uniform is critical, and that the United States, through monuments like the Arlington National Cemetery, is one of the best countries that honors their men and women in uniform. “No other nation goes to the effort the United States does to recover and pay tribute to its war dead, a military tradition older than ancient Athens” (Poole 2). The United States strives to bring home all of its fallen soldiers, not matter if they were an ordinary soldier, or a distinguished sergeant. This policy of treating all soldiers with honor and respect goes all the way to the Civil War. Poole all argues that the most important …show more content…
“By the dawn of the twentieth century, Arlington had matured into something more than a Civil War cemetery; it had become a national symbol for sacrifice and honor, a rallying point for veterans, for ordinary visitors, and for solemn ceremony” (Poole 119). Arlington National Cemetery began as just a Civil War cemetery, its location picked in order to disgrace a disguised Confederate General. However, as the years went by, Arlington National Cemetery took up upgrades to bring more honor to its fallen soldiers. “By 1902, the army issued new regulations for its standard headstone, making them more durable, taller, and wider than before. It also adopted more prominent markers for the graves of unknown sailors, soldiers and marines- in place of the small stone blocks issued before 1903, the unidentified dead of the future would have standard marble slabs like others at Arlington, with “UNKNOWN” curving across the stone face” (Poole 130). Arlington is constantly giving itself upgrades to provide more honor to the troops, for instance replacing the old headstone with the new ones. These new headstones are the defining mark of Arlington, and mark the noble men and women that lay beneath