10/24/2026
On the morning of October 24, 1921, in the presence of the Quartermaster General, the Commanding General of the U.S. Forces in Germany, the Mayor of Chalons-sur-Marne, high officers of the French Army, distinguished French citizens, and eminent U.S. and French civilians, the selection of the Unknown Soldier was made.
Four bodies of unidentified American Soldiers who fell in combat during the war, one from each of the major cemeteries in the region, were placed in identical caskets and sealed in boxes. One of these Soldiers would come to represent all of the fallen and unidentified Soldiers from that war for the United States.
On the night of October 23, 1921, French troops carried the encased caskets into the reception room. The caskets were removed, set on top of the cases, and draped with American flags. A French guard of honor stood to watch until 2200 when six American pallbearers arrived from the American Forces in Germany. From this time on, a combined American-French guard maintained a constant vigil.
US Army Sergeant Edward F. Younger, who had enlisted in 1917 and was wounded twice in France, was the recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross and was given the honor of the final selection. Sergeant Younger was still in Germany after the war, having re-enlisted in 1919, and was assigned to the Army of Occupation.
This ceremony, though simple, was most impressive. While a French military band played, Sergeant Younger slowly entered the room where the four caskets were placed. Passing between two lines formed by the officials, he silently advanced to the caskets, circled them three times, and placed a spray of white roses on the third casket from the left. He then faced the body, stood at attention, and saluted.
In his own words, Sergeant Younger described the event:
"'At first, it was an idea that we (the six soldiers) were to be just pallbearers, but when we lined up in the little makeshift chapel, Major Robert Harbold, the officer in charge of grave registrations, told us, 'One of you men is to be given the honor of selecting the body of the Unknown Soldier.' He had a large bouquet of pink and white roses in his arms. He finally handed the roses to me. I was left alone in the chapel. There were four coffins, all unnamed and unmarked. The one that I placed the roses on was the one brought home and placed in the national shrine. I walked around the coffins three times, then suddenly I stopped. What caused me to stop, I don't know. It was as though something had pulled me. A voice seemed to say, ‘This is a pal of yours.’ I put the rose on the coffin in front of me and went back out into the sunlight. I still remember the awed feeling I had, standing there alone.”
After Sergeant Younger saluted the Unknown Soldier, various officials paid their respects, and the body was placed in a specially sealed casket and draped with an American flag. The casket was then carried to the catafalque for public viewing. The caskets of the three remaining unknown Americans were taken to Romagne Cemetery, 152 miles east of Paris, for immediate re-burial with full honors.
The plain pine box containing the body of the Unknown Soldier was transferred by train to Le Havre and embarked on the cruiser USS Olympia, which was Admiral Dewey's old flagship, to sail to the United States. The USS Olympia was escorted by the American destroyer USS Rueben James (DD-245), which later became the first American warship to be sunk in World War II, and eight French naval vessels departed France to one 17-gun salute as she cleared the harbor and another as the French ships dropped astern just outside French territory. The Unknown Soldier was on his way home.
Nearly 21 years later, in 1942, Sergeant Younger would pass away and be buried in Arlington National Cemetery close to the Unknown Soldier that he selected.
In 2021, the citizens of Chalons-en-Champagne honored this event with a vigil reenactment on the night of the 23rd and the selection of the 24th. Members of the Society, as well as U.S. Army Europe and Africa, were present to honor the Unknown Soldier from World War I.
To learn more about the World War I Unknown Soldier, please visit our website at https://tombguard.org/tomb-of-the-unknown-soldier/
