Ceremony of the Wheat starts a new WWI Tradition at Arlington National Cemetery

The Ceremony of the Wheat took place at 10:00 a.m. on September 27 at the Sacred Soil Marker inside Arlington National Cemetery, as part of the 2026 National Gold Star Mother’s Weekend in Washington, DC.

The ceremony follows the July 5 rededication ceremony restoring the historic World War I monument gifted to the United States nearly a century ago, and is planned to be an annual tradition at Arlington, linking the enduring legacy of World War I to modern military families through partnerships between the American Gold Star Mothers, the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC), the American Society of Le Souvenir Français, and the Doughboy Foundation.

Master of Ceremonies Ryan Hegg, Head of Legacy & Education, UWVC, and Delegate, Veteran Relations, American Society of Le Souvenir Français, introduced the proceedings. He was followed by welcome remarks from Karen Durham-Aguilera, Executive Director, Army National Military Cemeteries and Office of Army Cemeteries, and M. Alain Leca, Regional Delegate, American Society of Le Souvenir Français.

Frank Linkous, Advisor to the American Battle Monuments Foundation, addressed the history of the memorial. Michael Knapp, Chief of Historical Services, American Battle Monuments Commission, spoke on the significance of the sacred soil. American Gold Star Mothers National President Joyce Paulsen discussed the Sacred Soil Tour. COL Noê-Noël Uchida, Deputy Defense Attaché, Army, Embassy of France in the United States, shared words on the monument from the artist’s perspective.

Speakers and participants then placed sheaves of wheat at the monument as directed by the MC, honoring fallen heroes whose final resting places remain on foreign soil.

Following a benediction delivered by Chaplain Jeremiah Botkin of the American Gold Star Mothers, Kevin Paul, Operations Manager and Bugler, Doughboy Foundation, sounded “Aux Morts” to close the ceremony with solemn musical honors before the formal conclusion.

The Sacred Soil Marker was originally created in 1929 by French veteran and sculptor Gaston Deblaize. It was presented by French veterans to honor American service members who fought and died defending France. Though the original Arlington marker deteriorated and was removed in 1938, the restoration project revived it in 2026 to commemorate 250 years of the Franco-American alliance and shared sacrifice.

During the July 2026, ceremony, American Gold Star Mothers placed earth they had collected directly from WWI battlefields in France and Belgium into the restored marker. This soil serves as a physical connection between European battlegrounds and American soil.

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