Arlington National Cemetery

Even if you don’t know a soul buried in Arlington, you’ll feel they’re yours.

For a recap of activities marking the occasion, Karen Durham-Aguilera, executive director of Army National Military Cemeteries, joined Federal Drive with Tom Temin.

Our Memorial Day column is, as it should be, a somber thank-you to people who serve, in or out of uniform, and especially to people working today.

Federal News Radio took to social media to share with you how the federal agencies are honoring those who have fallen for Memorial Day

Just a few years ago, Arlington National Cemetery was mired in a management scandal of misspent funds, poorly documented graves and lack of maintenance. A short time later, with the Army having taken control, the cemetery received glowing reports from the inspector general. Today, the cemetery is about to undertake a major expansion and superintendent Kate Kelley joined Federal Drive with Tom Temin to discuss the possible changes.

As part of National Wreaths Across America Day, volunteers remember the sacrifice of fallen service members by laying wreaths at Arlington National Cemetery.

Just two years ago, Arlington National Cemetery was plagued by mismarked and unidentified gravesites and incomplete paper records. Now, the Army has at its disposal a massive, GPS-enabled digital database of every gravesite. And what’s more — the cemetery has made the database available to the public via its website and a mobile application.

The Army is reporting progress in cleaning up management of Arlington National Cemetery. The cemetery was hit last year by a scandal revealing misidentified graves and a dysfunctional leadership team.

A new call center, staffed by professionals trained to handle grieving callers, is among the first technology upgrades the Army has made in the aftermath of a management scandal at Arlington National Cemetery last year. Phase two will involve tackling the massive challenge of digitizing the cemetery’s paper records.

The cemetery’s call center now has access to data and can answer every inquiry from veterans and family members.