Military Order of the World Wars to Honor General John J. Pershing at Arlington National Cemetery on Veterans Day

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 2, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Military Order of the World Wars (MOWW) will hold its annual Pershing Memorial Service and Graveside Wreath-Laying on Veterans Day 11 November 2026, at Arlington National Cemetery. The public is invited to attend.

General of the Armies John J. Pershing did not want a monument erected to his memory, even though he led American forces to victory in World War I and mentored and trained the generation of officers who would do the same in World War II.  Instead, he lies under a simple tombstone at Arlington National Cemetery, the same tombstone that marks the final resting place of tens of thousands of others at these hallowed grounds.  World War I veterans gathered at his grave each Veterans Day to remember Pershing and what he had accomplished.  As that generation became more feeble, the Military Order of the World Wars agreed to accept the torch they passed to us, and we have been conducting this quiet memorial service since 1990.

Each Veterans Day, Companions of the Military Order of the World Wars gather at General Pershing's grave to honor and remember him. Invariably, we are joined by the US Army Band ("Pershing's Own") and officers from the Allied Nations by whose side Pershing's Doughboys fought.  In the last years of his life, Corporal Frank Buckles, the Last Doughboy, the last surviving U.S. soldier of the Great War, participated in the service as well before his death in 2011 at age 110. 

The speaker for this year's ceremony will be Group Captain Andrew Hoare, the assistant air attaché from Australia, who will reflect on Pershing and the bonds between allies that were forged during World War I.  The service will conclude with a wreath-laying at Pershing's grave and the sound of "Taps" will flow over this hillside in Arlington where the general lies among the troops he led.

This year's service will begin at 2:30 p.m. on 11 November 2026 at Section 34, Grave S-19 near the intersection of Pershing Drive and Grant Avenue.

SOURCE The Military Order of the World Wars