The United States lost approximately 77,000 killed during the First World War. To commemorate the supreme sacrifice made by these individuals, it was decided to select one of the many unidentified bodies buried in the American military cemeteries in France for reburial in Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, DC.
The official records of the Army Graves Registration Service deposited in the National Archives describe the selection of America's first Unknown Soldier. Even the rather dry prose of this official document cannot conceal the poignancy of the moment.
"Four bodies of unknown soldiers from the cemeteries of Asine-Marne, Meuse-Argonne, Somme and St. Mihiel were brought to Chalons on Sunday, October 23, and placed in a
Prior to the shipment of the remains of these four unknown soldiers to Chalons-sur-Marne for the final selection, this Service made a thorough search of all the Forms No. 16-A, for unknown soldiers in the cemeteries at Aisne-Marne, Meuse-Argonne, Somme and St. Mihiel. This search was for the purpose of locating bodies of unknown soldiers which gave no clues to, or evidence of, identity. Further, the original records showing the internment of these bodies were searched and the four bodies selected represented the remains of soldiers of which there was absolutely no indication as to name, rank, organization or date of death. In other words, these bodies were picked up in isolated spots and concentrated in the cemeteries enumerated above so that their identity could not be solved by any recourse to records.
