Replica of Tomb of Unknown Soldier to make local stop

The Christopher Harrison chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution will host a traveling replica of the Tomb of the Unknown Solider Nov. 18 to 20 at the armory, located at 1100 N. Shelby St. in Salem. Free viewing will be allowed from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The replica weighs more than 400 pounds and is a scale model of the original tomb located in Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. The display consists of service flags, including the POW/MIA flag, and five of the most historical American flags. There will be an eight-foot by eight-foot backdrop of the most eastern view of Arlington National Cemetery looking toward Washington, D.C. The entire exhibit will be surrounded by six black stanchions with black plastic chain.

“The reason for bringing this to the county is that a lot of people will never get to go to Washington, D.C., and see the real Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and witness the men and women who dedicate two years of their lives to protect and honor this sacred place,” said Carol Crockett Weatherholt, regent of the Christopher Harrison DAR chapter. “This is a part of every citizen’s history. … Hopefully, the children in school can visit and experience history. The men who sponsor this are very willing to answer questions.”