# Christa Mcauliffe and Arlington National Cemetary- a question **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 30, 2006, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christa-mcauliffe-and-arlington-national-cemetary-a-question/342151 "2006-01-30T01:45:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2006, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christa-mcauliffe-and-arlington-national-cemetary-a-question/342151/1 "2006-01-30T01:45:33Z")
According to some news reports today that discussed the Challenger tragedy, Mrs. Mcauliffe is interrred in Arlington National Cemetary along with the remains of the rest of the crew. They were interred together, is how it was put. ( the more gruesome aspects of why this happened, is for another thread ). Here’s the question. Mrs. Mcauliffe was not a member of the armed forces, and as near as I can find on Google, she never had been. Is she the only civillian who had never served in any capacity in the military to be buried at Arlington? This is **not** an indictment of the idea that she is buried there. Much to the contrary- she paid for her dreams with her life and I find it honorable that she be buried with her crew members. The story just got me wondering, so I’m asking. Cartooniverse ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2006, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christa-mcauliffe-and-arlington-national-cemetary-a-question/342151/2 "2006-01-30T01:52:31Z")
[http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/civilia.htm](http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/civilia.htm) Prominent civilians buried at Arlington National Cemetary. I haven’t looked through the whole list, but there seem to be quite a few folks there who died in for their without being in the service, and quite a few spouses. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2006, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christa-mcauliffe-and-arlington-national-cemetary-a-question/342151/3 "2006-01-30T01:52:48Z")
There are many spouses of military heroes buried in the cemetery. Judging by the link below, it looks like there are many people that were never in the military. Several astronauts are listed without a military rank. > **[Arlington Cemetery - News Relating to Alcohol Rehab & Drug Rehab](https://arlingtoncemetery.org/)** > > This website aims to cover stories affecting current and former military personnel. We are not the official Arlington Cemetery website. Learn how we can help cover your story today! ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2006, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christa-mcauliffe-and-arlington-national-cemetary-a-question/342151/4 "2006-01-30T01:53:32Z")
She’s not buried at Arlington. According to the [findagrave.com](http://findagrave.com) website, she’s buried in Concord, New Hampshire. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2006, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christa-mcauliffe-and-arlington-national-cemetary-a-question/342151/5 "2006-01-30T01:54:53Z")
Interesting question. I, too, think she is deserving of resting with heroes. But as to your OP…I don’t know if there were civilians buried in Arlington in the early years, when it was designed as an attack on Robert E. Lee rather than sacred ground. I have a book on Arlington somewhere in my library. I shall have to dig it out and do some research. ---
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2006, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christa-mcauliffe-and-arlington-national-cemetary-a-question/342151/6 "2006-01-30T01:55:47Z")
IIRC, the two members of _Challenger’s_ crew who were military - former or current - have specific graves at Arlington. Then, the unidentifyable (at the time) other remains of the crew are indeed in a group site, regardless of the fact that they were or weren’t current/former military. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2006, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christa-mcauliffe-and-arlington-national-cemetary-a-question/342151/7 "2006-01-30T01:59:34Z")
> **[Arlington National Cemetery](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arlington_National_Cemetery)** > > Arlington National Cemetery is a United States military cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia, across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C., in whose 639 acres (259 ha) the dead of the nation's conflicts have been buried, beginning with the Civil War, as well as reinterred dead from earlier wars. The United States Department of the Army, a component of the United States Department of Defense (DoD), controls the cemetery. > The national cemetery was established during the Civil War on the gro... > [@](#): > > Notable civilians > > ``` > * Julian Bartley, Sr. (54), and his son Jay Bartley (20), killed together in the US Embassy, Nairobi terrorist attack. > * Dana Falkenberg (3), who was killed in the terrorist attack on the Pentagon. Buried in a mass grave with four others. > * Michael P. Hammer, American Foreign Service officer captured and murdered by guerillas in El Salvador. > * Marie Teresa Rios Versace, author of Fifteenth Pelican, basis for The Flying Nun TV show. > > ``` > > On July 24, 1998, U.S. Capitol Police Officers John Michael Gibson, 42, and Jacob Joseph Chestnut, 58, were killed in the line of duty and granted burials at the Cemetery. > > Nine Canadians are buried here, all of whom won the Medal of Honor. > > Whether or not they were wartime service members, presidents and defense secretaries are eligible to be buried at Arlington, since they oversaw the armed forces. > > Three state funerals have been held at Arlington. Those of two presidents and a five-star general: > > ``` > * Presidents: > o William Howard Taft > o John F. Kennedy > * Five-star general: > o John J. Pershing > > ``` ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2006, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christa-mcauliffe-and-arlington-national-cemetary-a-question/342151/8 "2006-01-30T02:08:18Z")
> [@Dewey Finn](#): > > She’s not buried at Arlington. According to the [findagrave.com](http://findagrave.com) website, she’s buried in Concord, New Hampshire. I thought that as well. According to CNN today, there is a memorial/gravesite in Concord, NH. There is also the site of her actual interrred remains. That is, apparently, Arlington. Hence my OP. Sheesh, thanks **DrFidelius**. Nothing like a web page whose title answers my question !! Indeed, many prominent folks. [This Arlington site](http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/astronau.htm) doesn’t list Mrs. Mcauliffe as being buried there. Hmph. Methinks CNN got it wrong. They made it sound as though her remains were interred in Arlington, but a marker is also in Concord. It sounds like the reverse is the case. ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2006, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christa-mcauliffe-and-arlington-national-cemetary-a-question/342151/9 "2006-01-30T02:14:36Z")
God, how awful. As a hijack, I have to wonder if [Dana Falkenberg](http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/dfalkenberg.htm) is the youngest person buried there. I didn’t remember this from the 9/11 attacks. ☹ The Arlington link from **engineer\_comp\_geek** says something ambiguous here: > [@](#): > > Although many remains were identified and returned to the families for private burial, some were not, and were laid to rest under the marker. Two of the crewmembers, Scobee and Smith, are buried in Arlington, as well. So, we don’t know if Mrs. Mcauliffle’s remains were identified and returned or not. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2006, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christa-mcauliffe-and-arlington-national-cemetary-a-question/342151/10 "2006-01-30T02:14:54Z")
Looking through my list, it seems most of the “prominent civilians” are men whose achievements in civilian life far outshone their military careers. (Of course, that holds true for most veterans, even the ones who actually like to talk about their time in the service…)