John F. Kennedy is one of only three presidents not interred in his home
state. Sitting next to his coffin on the flight home from Dallas,
Jacqueline Kennedy began formulating plans for his funeral and burial.
The following day, in a raw November rain, she selected the Arlington
hillside as his final resting place. For three days, in a majestic
display of elegance, strength, grace, and courage, the 34-year-old widow
led the nation through the excruciating task of laying its president to
rest. Within days, she returned to Arlington, and in a brief ceremony,
their two infant children were laid to rest beside their father, beneath
the eternal flame she lit. Work immediately began on the permanent
resting place and memorial, and in March 1967, the final reinterment
took place. A half-century later, four million people come yearly to pay
their respects to President Kennedy, his widow, and two children.