The Stand-To Veteran Leadership Program’s Class of 2025 recently completed a module in Washington, D.C., which featured visits to Amazon HQ2, Boeing Long Bridge, and J.P. Morgan, as well as a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery. A reflection from Scholar Mark Reilly of the Class of 2025 follows, along with additional comments from Scholars on this significant and meaningful visit.
Reflection at Arlington National Cemetery
By Mark Reilly – George W. Bush Institute Veteran Leadership Program, Cohort Seven
There was a gravity I didn’t anticipate in returning to Arlington National Cemetery with my Cohort Seven Stand-To VLP family. I have walked this hallowed ground many times before, but this visit was profoundly different. Perhaps it was the company, guiding many of our cohort to the now-legendary section 60 where service members who passed while serving in the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts are laid, or perhaps it was the quiet understanding that I was no longer carrying out my daily mission, but stewarding the legacy that Arlington represents.
I was a member of the “Old Guard,” the Army’s official ceremonial unit and escort to the president of the United States. Established in 1784 and stationed at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, known as the “Old Guard,” is the oldest active-duty unit in the United States Army and conducts some of the nation’s most sacred duties. These include the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, military funerals in Arlington National Cemetery, and state ceremonies at the White House. The chance to share this personal chapter of my life with my Cohort, reflecting on the precision, pride, and purpose of those who render honors here, filled me with gratitude
I shared the meaning of traditions like “Flags In” on Memorial Day, Wreaths Across America in December, the ceaseless vigil at the Tomb of the Unknowns, and the thunder of the Presidential Salute Battery. These moments form the heartbeat of Arlington; its sights, sounds, and even the scent of the grass cut to perfect symmetry, all manifestations of a nation’s promise never to forget.
The Tomb Sentinels, soldiers who stand guard at the tomb of the unknown soldier, stand as living embodiments of excellence. Every crease in their uniforms, every measured step, and every turn of the rifle carries the weight of our collective reverence. Watching them again, not as a soldier but as a servant leader among peers, I was reminded that this discipline is not merely ceremonial; it is moral. It reflects who we aspire to be as a people: steadfast, respectful, and united by sacrifice. Witnessing our VLP family members, Qwynn Galloway-Salazar, Eric Sibley, Lloyd Knight, and Ryan Guina lay our wreath at the Tomb, filled me with immense pride. In the quiet moments after the team delivered our wreath, Qwynn softly shared, “This is why we do what we do.”
This visit struck me differently than those before. There was a weight, a stillness, that seemed to press on each of us. Perhaps it was the awareness that each stone represents a story unfinished, a promise continued through those of us who live to serve in new ways. Arlington, in its vast silence, speaks with a clarity that transcends politics, generations, and ideology. It reminds us of what is still good and enduring in America: the belief that character, duty, and love of country matter.
Finally, as the bugle’s mournful notes of “Taps” drifted through the air and the sound of bagpipes carried “Amazing Grace” across the hills, the names of those buried at the cemetery like John F. Kennedy, Audie Murphy, and countless unknowns are honored by the music that keeps their memories alive. Standing there among my fellow Scholars, I felt a convergence of the past and my purpose for the future. The soil of Arlington is sacred because it binds us, not by death, but by duty to the living. It is a reminder that the call to serve doesn’t end when we hang up the uniform. It merely transforms. And in that transformation, we find our truest meaning: to honor, to remember, and to carry forward the light of those who gave all.
Additional reflections:
“I was able to individually pay my respects to an unsung hero buried at Arlington–a fellow military spouse with whom I’d hosted Sunday dinners for all of the soldiers in our unit; with whom I’d navigated casualty assistance teams with for three separate friends’ families when their service members were Killed In Action (KIA). She passed away in her sleep in 2014, leaving behind her service member and two small children. Visiting her grave gave me the time to reflect on all of the ways spouses are called upon to serve the families of those service members in our units.” – Kate Kuzminski
“Attending the wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery was a deeply moving experience. Although I have lived in the area for four years, this was my first time witnessing the ceremony in person, and it left a lasting impression on me. Seeing the solemn respect shown by everyone in attendance–the quiet reverence, the stillness, and the collective sense of honor–was profoundly powerful…
What struck me most was the simplicity and symbolism of the act itself. Watching a single wreath being placed at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, knowing what it represents – the sacrifice, the service, and the countless lives given in defense of our nation – was humbling beyond words. It reminded me that even the smallest gestures, when done with sincerity and respect, can carry immense meaning…
This experience reinforced my appreciation for the traditions that connect us to those who came before us and for the enduring values of honor, service, and remembrance that define our profession.” – Brian Sheffield
“Culmination is how I can best describe the day at Arlington and also being a part of the team who laid the wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. As a death doula, my role is to hold space for others as they navigate death, loss, grief, and beyond. But on this particular day, I was completely vulnerable to our VLP family and allowed them to hold space for my grief and my story. What balm to my soul. I will never forget this day and the love and support shared by the Magnificent Seven!” – Qwynn Galloway-Salazar
Scholars also heard from United States Senator Dave McCormick (PA) and Dina Powell McCormick, General Peter Pace, Secretary Bob McDonald, and Dr. Deborah Birx during their time in Washington, D.C. View more photos of Module Four.
