John F. Kennedy Eternal Flame

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The eternal flame

The John F. Kennedy eternal flame is a United States Presidential Memorial at the gravesite of U.S. President John F. Kennedy, in Arlington National Cemetery. The gravesite is aligned with the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C.

After the assassination of the President, the widowed First Lady, Jacqueline Kennedy, requested an eternal flame for his gravesite. She was inspired by the eternal flame at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France, which she and her husband had seen during a visit to France in 1961.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers ran a gas line to the gravesite, fed by propane tanks from a distance. Jacqueline Kennedy lit the flame at the end of the burial service during the state funeral on November 25, 1963. This was seen live on nationwide television and broadcast to other nations by satellite. The 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, "The Old Guard," stood vigil over President Kennedy's gravesite from 1963 through 1965. It has not been stated where the President's body was kept from 1965 to 1967, but in 1967 Kennedy's body was reinterred in its permanent gravesite at the cemetery, surrounded by Cape Cod field stones and selections from his Inaugural Address on marble panels. The new eternal flame device was fed by an underground natural gas line designed and created by the Institute of Gas Technology of Chicago. However, the flame had been temporarily diverted and continued to burn during this period.

The selection of an eternal flame to commemorate President Kennedy was the first time in the world that an individual person was given such an honor. Previously, the only eternal flame within the U.S. was the torch burning constantly at the battlefield in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, in honor of the dead from the American Civil War. That flame had been lit by President Franklin Roosevelt on the 75th anniversary of the battle in 1938. Henceforward, eternal flames would come to be designated more frequently around the world to honor the loss of persons of great significance, in addition to major tragic events. The Eternal Flame is a symbol of remembrance. It is a sign that Kennedy's memory is still alive among Americans today.

Gravestone and flame

The present device rests on top of a five-foot circular granite stone at the head of Kennedy's grave. It produces a continuous spark which re-ignites the flame whenever it is momentarily extinguished by any means (usually rain or snow). The device blows a continuous flow of air at the flame, keeping it a uniform color.