There are approximately 65 Arlington Ladies who take the time to go to every funeral at Arlington Cemetery.

The Arlington Ladies are women who have either served in the military or are former and current spouses of men who have served in the army. They volunteer their time to honor soldiers buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

The women take time to honor those soldiers who are buried without anyone present to mourn them. They also comfort the friends and family of a soldier when they are present. The women are always accompanied by a member of the US army's third infantry, or Old Guard, this is to ensure the ladies don't go to a funeral all alone.

The Arlington Ladies have been around since 1978, with their oldest member having served 33 years. A person in this position serves a purpose during the funeral proceedings. After the next of kin is presented with the folded American flag, these woman approach them and offer their sympathies. In this capacity they represent the entire US armed forces. The ladies present the mourners with a card from both the army, and themselves.

The Arlington Ladies divide themselves into teams of two for each day, and each woman will attend between eight to ten funerals daily. This number is rising with the amount of deaths from the wars. They receive a schedule of whose burial they'll be attending the day before they are on the job.

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Arlington Ladies | Arlington National Cemetery