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DAR places garden marker to commemorate Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

By Ashtyn Asay - | Nov 14, 2021
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The "Never Forget Garden" marker after being placed in the garden at the John Hutchings Museum and Institute on Saturday, Nov. 13, 2021.
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Aveleen Bullock presents a history of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier alongside her father, Jared Bullock, on Saturday, Nov. 13, 2021.
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Kelly Schaeffer-Bullock dedicates the "Never Forget Garden" marker on Saturday, Nov. 13, 2021.
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The John Hutchings Museum and Institute in Lehi is shown on Saturday, Nov. 13, 2021.

When the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was first dedicated in 1921, those in attendance paused for two minutes of silence to honor an unknown American soldier killed in World War I. Since then, the original tomb in Arlington, Virginia, has changed, but the meaning has stayed the same.

The Wasatch Range Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution placed a garden marker at the John Hutchings Museum and Institute in Lehi on Saturday to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the dedication of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

“The dedication of the Never Forget Garden marker by the Wasatch Range Chapter National Society Daughters of the American Revolution commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is a way, albeit small, for us to remember and acknowledge that the liberties we enjoy came at the price of countless men and women that sacrificed everything for our freedom,” Kelly Schaeffer-Bullock, regent of the Wasatch Range Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, said.

This garden marker is part of the Never Forget Garden Project, one of several Centennial Projects created by the Society of the Honor Guard Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

“This garden is a living tribute to all of America’s veterans and their families. In silence and respect, this is a place to remember why millions of Americans have fought and died for our liberty and our freedom,” the garden marker read. “Here we renew our promise to fulfill America’s sacred duty to never forget. Here we renew our mutual pledge to support them with: ‘our lives, fortunes, and our sacred honor.'”

The dedication of the garden marker began with a reading of John McCrae’s “In Flanders Fields,” read by Diana Nielsen, the director and honorary chapter regent of the Wasatch Range Chapter of the DAR. “It is the Soldier,” by Charles M. Province, was then read by Kathryn Asay, the state regent of the Utah State Society of the DAR.

A brief history of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was presented by Aveleen Bullock, a member of the Wasatch Range Chapter of the Children of the American Revolution. The address given by President Warren G. Harding on Nov. 11, 1921, was also read. Afterward, two minutes of silence were observed and a dedicatory prayer was offered by Kelly Schaeffer-Bullock.

“A small group gathers today to remember and honor all our fellow human beings through whose service and sacrifice we receive the great reward,” Schaeffer-Bullock said. “As we place this Never Forget Garden marker, we dedicate this space to thee, as that being who watches over us all, and to all those, known and known only but to thee, that have given the last full measure of devotion to that eternal ideal, liberty.”

Placed next to the marker are 21 white roses, symbolic of the 21 gun salute that was given at the dedication of the tomb.

The Daughters of the American Revolution was founded in 1890, and its objectives are historic preservation, education, and patriotism. According to the DAR website, the organization is made up of women age 18 years or older who can prove lineal descent from an ancestor who helped to achieve American independence. There are more than 185,000 DAR members and 3,000 chapters worldwide.

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