After the
ceremonies were completed, a simple marble crypt was placed over the
Unknown Soldier. This base remained as such, until the decision to build
an elaborate sarcophagus was made. The decision came about after too
many people had to be asked NOT to have their lunch on the
Unknown Soldiers grave.
The Tomb as you see
it today, was designed by Lorimer Rich and sculpted by Thomas H. Jones.
The overall cost to construct the sarcophagus, entirely out of White
Yule Marble from Colorado, was $48,000. It took over a year to complete,
and was unveiled on 9 April 1931.
The Tomb is broken
into different parts, each weighing in at very heavy weights. The entire
Tomb, minus the crypts, weighs 79 tons, and has 7 pieces:
Sub-Base....15
tons, 4 pieces
Base........16 tons, 1 piece
Dye.........36 tons, 1 piece
Cap.........12 tons, 1 piece
On the North and
South faces of the Tomb, you can see a total of 6 inverted wreaths. Each
of these wreaths have a certain number of leaves and berries, and if you
ask a Tomb Guard he will rattle off the numbers. The wreaths are
inverted to represent mourning, as well as the six major battle
campaigns of World War I:
Ardennes
Belleau Wood
Chateau-Thierry
Meusse-Argonne
Oisiu-Eiseu
Somme
On the East face of the Tomb you will find three figures, carved into
the marble. This is the face most visitors to the Tomb do not see. The
three figures, from left to right, represent Peace, Victory and Valor.
Peace (on the left)
is holding a dove in her left hand, while holding the right hand of
Victory.
Valor (on the
right) is holding a broken sword in his hands and is facing Victory.
Victory (in the
middle) is holding the hand of Peace and extending an olive branch
towards Valor. This symbolized the devotion and sacrifice that went with
courage to make the cause of righteousness triumphant.
As with any large
marble memorial, there eventually flaws will develop as the marble
settles. After the 12 ton cap was put in place a natural crack developed
around the entire Tomb, about 3 feet off the base. On one wreath, the
tip of a leaf was broken off.
On the West
face of
the Tomb, which is on the plaza and faces the Memorial Amphitheater,
there is an inscription:
Here
Rests In
Honored Glory
An American
Soldier
Known But To God
