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Video by Staff Sgt. Philip Bryant, Staff Sgt. Stephen Dornbos, Sgt. 1st Class Jose Ibarra, Sgt. Brian Moody

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Centennial - The Journey Home Story

AFN Bavaria

Nov. 9, 2021 | 23:20

This is the story of the first selected Unknown Soldier's journey home.

In the fall of 1921, the U.S. Army selected one unknown American soldier to be interred in the Tomb. The Army took detailed precautions to ensure the anonymity of this honored American and cooperated with the French to commemorate him on his journey home.
The Army’s Quartermaster Corps disinterred one set of remains each from four American cemeteries in France: the Meuse-Argonne, St. Mihiel, Somme, and Aisne-Marne cemeteries. The four caskets of remains were transported to the town of Châlons-sur-Marne, where a formal selection ceremony took place at the city hall on October 24, 1921.
In the presence of French and American dignitaries, U.S. Army Sergeant Edward F. Younger, a decorated World War I veteran, selected the Unknown by laying a spray of white roses upon one of the four caskets. After a ceremonial procession, a special train transported the casket to the port of Le Havre. Along the way, the French people honored the Unknown and expressed their gratitude for America’s role in the Allied victory. These events strengthened ties between the United States and France.

Directed by
Jose A. Ibarra
U.S. Army Sergeant First Class

Edited by
Jose A. Ibarra
U.S. Army Sergeant First Class

Brian E. Moody
U.S. Army Sergeant

Videography by
Jose A. Ibarra
U.S. Army Sergeant First Class

Brian E. Moody
U.S. Army Sergeant

Philip C. Bryant
U.S. Air Force Staff Sergeant

Michael Shipman
American Battle Monuments Commission

Graphics By
Michael J. O’Hare

Production Consultant
Stephen L. Dornbos
U.S. Army Staff Sergeant