Almost exactly a year ago today, Matthew Scott’s hosted the CCMP: The Story of the Unknown Soldier.

His presentation focused on the ‘Selection and Burial of the First Unknown Soldier in Arlington Cemetery. It was, to say the least, a riveting program as he described the emotion-wrenching process by which the first real unknown soldier from the battlefields of France was selected, the accolades from France and all the world heaped on this anonymous soldier who represented the thousands of unnamed men who fell in battle, and the pomp and ceremony that accompanied the soldier’s reunification with his homeland and interment in the crypt at Arlington National Cemetery.

Matthew’s research includes the use of a report documented by his grandfather, who was a clerk in the Cemetery Division of the Department of War, and who was directed to document the details of the ceremony in France and the burial in Arlington in November of 1921.

This stirring presentation was the catalyst for the Veterans’ Memory Garden that will be sited on the Cave Creek Museum ground as a trip and show of appreciation to all that served and sacrificed in the name of our country.  Groundbreaking was February 28, 2023 and it is anticipated that the dedication will take place on December 7, 2023.  Please visit https://cavecreekmuseum.org/veterans-memory-garden-at-the-cave-creek-museum-1/ to see details on this project.  You may also make a financial or “in-kind” contribution to support this project.