The Power of Personalizing Mass Tragedy Memorials

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Individualizing a mass grave by bearing the body of a single soldier helped to humanize the tragedy and allowed people to mourn in their own way, regardless of their beliefs about the war. The anonymity of the soldier allowed each visitor to project their own meaning onto the grave. When Britain dedicated the grave of an unknown warrior in 1920, it became an instant success, attracting countless mourners. This concept was widely adopted by over 50 countries, as it provided a simple yet powerful way to commemorate mass tragedies.

Roman note: This is one of my favorite episodes of all time. Should be a movie. Enjoy!

The tradition of the Tomb of the Unknowns goes back only about a century, but it has become one of the most solemn and reverential monuments. When President Reagan added the remains of an unknown serviceman who died in combat in Vietnam to the Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington National Cemetery in 1984, it was the only set of remains that couldn’t be identified from the war. Now, thankfully, there will never likely be a soldier who dies in battle whose body can’t be identified. And as a result of DNA technology, even the unknowns currently interred in the tomb can be positively identified.

The Known Unknown