6 months ago
ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY (WUSA) -- After his funeral mass on Saturday in Boston, Senator Kennedy's casket will be flown to Andrews and then interred in a private ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery.
Senator Kennedy spent a lot of time at Arlington, visiting the graves of his assassinated brothers and paying tribute to the Massachusetts troops who gave their lives for their country.
The Senator will be buried up on the hillside near Arlington House looking out over Washington where he served for nearly a half century.
Four million people a year remember the fallen at Arlington, and the sun-dappled hillside is where most of them stop first.
The eternal flame flickers in the plaza where President Kennedy rests. The soft melody of falling water graces the space where simple cross marks the grave of Robert Kennedy -- murdered as he ran for President.
"No matter if we believe in the Kennedy politics or we don't, this was a family that truly cared about the U.S. and did all they could for the citizens," says Bob Thomason, who is visiting the cemetery from Iowa.
Workers have set out chairs to check the space for Ted Kennedy's private burial. A small blue flag stands at the spot where his casket will lie. It's just a few feet and down a short rise from his brothers.
"I think it's very comforting too, I think for a lot of people, just knowing they're together now," say Pat Graham, who is also from Iowa.
At one point, cemetery officials shooed the tv cameras away as a Kennedy family member came to check the arrangements.
At JFK's funeral, and again at the funeral for President Reagan, people lined the motorcade route for a glimpse of their heroes. It's still unclear where people might watch for the Senator's procession, but his grave will be here with his family.
We're still waiting for official word on the the route for the Kennedy motorcade, but it's a good bet it will come down Memorial Drive before 5:30 on Saturday. This area is open to the public.
Kennedy is eligible for burial here at Arlington both because he served in the Army after World War II, and because of his 46 years in the Senate.
9NEWS NOW & wusa9.com
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