Section 60: Arlington National Cemetery Where War Comes Home

On January 22, 2015, Robert M. Poole delivered a Banner Lecture entitled "Section 60: Arlington National Cemetery—Where War Comes Home." Writer and reporter Robert Poole’s newest book, Section 60: Arlington National Cemetery—Where War Comes Home, is the powerful contemporary biography of a fourteen-acre plot where many of those killed in Iraq and Afghanistan have been laid to rest alongside service members from earlier wars. It is a portrait of our national cemetery as a living, breathing community, and a narrative about how improvised explosive devices, suicide bombs, and enemies who blend in with local populations have changed the nature and aftermath of conflict. Using Section 60 as a window into the latest wars, Poole recounts stories of courage and sacrifice by fallen heroes, and he explores the ways in which soldiers’ comrades, friends, and families honor and remember those lost to war—carrying on with life in the aftermath of wartime tragedy. Section 60 is a moving tribute to those who have fought and died for our country, and to those who love them. Robert M. Poole, former executive editor of National Geographic, is a writer whose work has taken him around the world. His books include On Hallowed Ground: The Story of Arlington Cemetery and Section 60: Arlington National Cemetery—Where War Comes Home. The content and opinions expressed in these presentations are solely those of the speaker and not necessarily of the Virginia Museum of History & Culture.